How to store jalapenos? Well, you can preserve jalapenos by drying, pickling, or freezing them. Fermenting, smoking, vacuum sealing, and sugaring can also be used to preserve jalapenos.
In addition, they can also be stored in the refrigerator. The individual methods of preservation will be discussed in more detail in this article:
How To Store Jalapenos
It’s critical to know how to store jalapenos if you want to extend the shelf life of jalapenos from the grocery store or produce your own. Below are some of the ways by which you can store your jalapenos.
1. Store jalapenos in the crisper of the refrigerator
Jalapenos are suitable, among other things, for storage in the refrigerator, because they can be kept in this for a period of several weeks. This is because the refrigerator has an ideal storage climate for the pods.
However, care should be taken to ensure that these are always stored in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator. This is because the climate here is ideal for storing the pods.
Storage should not take place in the immediate vicinity of other types of vegetables, as these can certainly give off ripening gases and thus shorten the shelf life of the jalapenos. Furthermore, care should be taken to ensure open storage so that the pods are not crushed by other foods.
2. Preserve jalapenos in the freezer
Freezing is the best way to preserve jalapenos. These can be frozen whole or in small pieces.
The latter method ensures that the pods can be portioned particularly well. In any case, care should be taken to ensure that the pods are packed airtight.
This prevents a freezer burn from forming on them. If the jalapenos have been frozen, they will keep for a period of around 1 year.
3. Pickled jalapenos (in vinegar or oil)
You can also pickle jalapenos to preserve them. There are 2 options here:
- On the one hand, the pods can be pickled in vinegar.
- On the other hand, they can also be placed in the oil.
Which method is used here depends on personal preferences. However, care should always be taken to ensure that the jalapenos are placed in a clean and sterile glass jar and then placed in the refrigerator.
4. Preserve jalapenos by fermentation
If you like eating hot sauces, then you’ve eaten fermented jalapenos before; besides freezing, fermentation is an excellent method of preserving them.
To do this, of course, a suitable brew must first be made in which the pods are then fermented.
The fermentation should take place at room temperature over a period of around 1 week. However, if sauces are made, fermentation periods of several years are possible.
Afterward, fermented jalapenos should be placed in the refrigerator, because they can be stored there for a longer period of time and the fermentation is also interrupted or slowed down here.
5. Vacuum sealing ensures long-lasting freshness
The vacuum sealing of the jalapenos is also suitable for preservation. If these are vacuumed, they stay fresh for a longer period of time because they cannot come into contact with oxygen, bacteria, or germs.
After vacuuming, however, they should be stored in a cool place, for which the refrigerator is particularly well suited. Of course, these can also be stored particularly well in the freezer.
6. Smoke jalapenos over the grill
Smoked jalapenos are definitely a delicacy and can therefore also be preserved. These can be smoked over the charcoal grill, among other things.
Beechwood should be used for smoking. After smoking, the pods should then be stored airtight so that no moisture can come into contact with them.
Storage in the fridge is best.
7. Dry jalapenos in the oven at 70 °C
Of course, jalapenos are also suitable for drying. They can be preserved for a few months by drying.
It is particularly easy to dry them by baking them in the oven for a few hours. To do this, however, the temperature of the oven should be set to only 70 °C.
After a few hours, the jalapenos are then dry, which can be recognized by the fact that they no longer have any moisture. Care should now be taken to ensure dry storage, which is why an airtight container is particularly good.
8. Sugar or candy jalapenos
Last but not least, jalapenos can also be sugared or candied. These are cut into small rings and then put in a saucepan with a large amount of sugar and cooked over medium heat.
They are then placed on a baking tray and then dried in the oven for a few minutes. When the candied jalapenos are ready, they are stored in an airtight container so that they do not come into contact with moisture.
9. Salting, acids, boiling them down, and storing them in their natural state is out of the question
Jalapenos can be preserved using many methods. However, methods such as salting, acids, boiling down and natural storage should be avoided.