from Hacker News

Don't store your cucumbers in the fridge (2012)

by mvelbaum on 6/17/24, 10:48 AM with 89 comments

• by topaz0 on 6/17/24, 12:09 PM

  Worth pointing to OP's primary source, which is great: https://postharvest.ucdavis.edu/produce-facts-sheets

  Edit because there seems to be some confusion about this: this is mainly constructed as a resource for farmers, grocers, etc, who are trying to bring produce to consumers in a state that it will arrive in their home at a good quality. Their requirements for length of time in storage/transport are very different from most consumers, and the resources they can devote to maintaining an optimal temperature, humidity, gas environment for a given type of produce are much more extensive. That said, there's plenty to learn from it as a consumer with the right eye, e.g. about how the tissue damage due to too cold storage may differ from too hot, or the ethylene interactions from storing various things together.

• by thih9 on 6/17/24, 12:20 PM

  What about cucumbers that have been cut open?

  E.g. salad cucumbers[1] are long enough that it's not uncommon to use a half at a time.

  [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucumber#/media/File:Organic_G...

• by globular-toast on 6/17/24, 12:17 PM

  Source says optimal temperature is 10-12.5°C. My fridge is 6°C. My kitchen is generally above 19°C and often well above that, like 25°C. Is storing it 4°C too cold worse than storing them 10+°C too hot? I doubt it...

• by howlden on 6/17/24, 12:12 PM

  Broken link PDF: Storing Fresh Fruits and Vegetables for Better Taste https://postharvest.ucdavis.edu/sites/g/files/dgvnsk12711/fi...

• by khaki54 on 6/17/24, 12:56 PM

  Here is the cheatsheet UC Davis made: https://ucdavis.app.box.com/s/sjpm10a24scbvwfm005epgab00i8f5...

  Was referenced but unavailable at the original link.

• by bberenberg on 6/17/24, 12:05 PM

  I am always amazed at how ignorant I am about simple things in my life like this.

• by justinclift on 6/17/24, 12:15 PM

  Except if you don't store them in the fridge, they seem to dehydrate pretty fast (couple of days).

  So there's more to it than just temperature being the problem.

• by vjk800 on 6/17/24, 1:03 PM

  Cucumbers also seem to last surprisingly long time just in the room temperature on the kitchen counter. I always buy about half a week's worth of cucumber (we eat a lot of cucumber so this is usually 3-4 large ones) in one go and just leave them on the kitchen counter. After cutting one open, the open end dries a bit in a few hours, but then you can just cut a small slice off before using it again.

• by elzbardico on 6/17/24, 12:50 PM

  refrigerators temperature is usually close to lower threshold those summer veggies can handle, but on the other side, if you live in a warmer climate they won't store much better at room temperature.

  I don't have central A/C, I use split-wall units because I think it is way less wasteful to only cool the places that are actually being used.

  Because of that, I always wondered if one those wine cooler refrigerators, which work around 13C would be a good compromise in terms of optimal storage of fresh vegetables and roots X power efficiency.

  Has anyone tested this? I'd eventually buy one and try it, but if someone else is doing this, I would love to hear about their experience.

• by thekevan on 6/17/24, 12:09 PM

  Also tomatoes, it makes them mushy. They last just as long on the counter

• by bitshiftfaced on 6/17/24, 1:04 PM

  You can put them in a paper towel and put that in a ziplock bag. Place that in the fridge, and they'll stay crisp much much longer than had they stayed on the counter.

• by WhackyIdeas on 6/17/24, 1:05 PM

  I did not know this, but I knew that tomatoes taste superior when left out of the fridge. The strange thing is when the packaging on tomatoes says to store in the fridge.

• by delduca on 6/17/24, 12:32 PM

  Is the same for fruits?

• by permo-w on 6/17/24, 12:27 PM

  is wateriness not a desired trait in cucumbers?

• by awestroke on 6/17/24, 12:49 PM

  “Cuces”…

• by idlewords on 6/17/24, 12:46 PM

  This site sometimes... Did none of you have a grandmother?