Some tips on how to properly store red caviar at home

The article presents a method for storing pasteurized and loose red caviar at home in various ways, including freezing. The basic requirements for the shelf life of the delicacy, the processing of containers for its packaging, and the storage temperature are given.

How to determine quality when purchasing?

It is not in vain that consumers always pay increased attention to this product. An excellent source of easily digestible protein, essential amino acids and vitamins, red caviar combines the properties of a dietary product and a delicacy at the same time. Development and restoration of muscle tissue, cell regeneration, strengthening of skin, hair, nails - few products have such properties in such a concentrated form.

Since the main place for storing red caviar is the refrigerator, you need to remember that it retains the beneficial properties of the products stored in it, but is not able to restore the lost freshness. That is why such attention is paid to the quality of purchased caviar, especially since it belongs to the category of perishable goods.

The following factors influence the shelf life:

• the period between catching fish and cutting it up;
• the amount of time spent on processing and preserving caviar;
• compliance with sanitary standards during all technological operations;
• optimal temperature conditions observed when transporting caviar from producer to consumer.

Advice

If you want to determine by eye the authenticity of the purchased product and eliminate the possibility of mixing artificial caviar: turn the container with the delicacy upside down for a short time - natural red caviar is not so easy to shake out of it.

Caviar, which has high gastronomic qualities, must be moist and transparent, each egg retains its integrity, and there are practically no damaged caviar shells. There should be no excess liquid in the jar - this sign indicates that the product has already been frozen.

Cloudiness of the eggs, a bitter taste while eating is evidence that the oxidation of fish oil, the decomposition of the shells and the breakdown of animal protein have begun. This product poses a great health hazard.

Optimal temperature and shelf life of the delicacy

The best storage temperature for this capricious product is considered to be 4-6 ⁰C. At this temperature and provided that the container with caviar is closed hermetically, that is, there was no contact with air, you can count on 12 months of shelf life. If the packaging has lost its integrity or the caviar has been stored for some time at a temperature above the optimum, its shelf life is rapidly reduced.

Advice

Caviar, a small amount remaining in the jar, can be kept fresh if you place it in a glass container, scalded with boiling water, and put 2-3 slices of lemon on top.

Using the above method, you can preserve the product for a week. To be sure, you should sprinkle the top surface with vegetable or olive oil.If you leave the caviar without such treatment, it should be eaten within two days.

How to store a product packaged in jars?

The main guideline for the shelf life of pasteurized caviar is the production date indicated on the packaging and shelf life. It is worth paying attention to whether the manufacturers used any preservatives. Most often this is:

• vegetable oil;
• ascorbic acid;
• methenamine (E239).

The last preservative should be avoided, as it is prohibited for use, and if consumed together with the product, it can cause food poisoning. It is manifested by an unusual bitter taste of a delicacy that seems to be quite fresh in terms of its expiration date.

After opening the tin packaging, you must immediately transfer its contents into a glass or earthenware container. At home, tin immediately begins to oxidize, and food, if not transferred in time, quickly deteriorates in such a jar.

Advice

Before transferring the delicacy, you need to pour salted boiling water over the container.

This canned product should be consumed within 3-4 days; it cannot be preserved longer. You can take caviar only with a clean spoon to avoid the ingress of microbes and the development of a pathological process in it.

Storing loose caviar

You can buy loose caviar at the market and in the store. To preserve it for as long as possible without loss of quality, you need to place the delicacy in a sterilized glass container, carefully seal it, put a sheet of paper moistened with vegetable oil on the neck and close the container.

Advice

Such packaging should be stored on the refrigerator shelf with the lowest temperature, moving it as close to the back wall as possible.

If all conditions are met, you can expect that the shelf life of this delicacy will be at least a week. In order to extend it even further, you can place the container in a bowl with crushed ice poured into the bottom - it needs to be renewed periodically as it melts. It is not recommended to store caviar in plastic containers, because the delicacy may acquire a foreign odor.

Is it possible to freeze red caviar?

Caviar lovers often face the question: how to store red caviar for quite a long time? The best way to do this is to store it in the freezer of a regular refrigerator. Experts believe that this extreme method degrades the quality of the product, but this option is still possible.

Advice

Before freezing at home, you need to divide the caviar into portioned containers, since re-freezing will no longer be applicable.

Before placing the product in the freezer, you need to seal the containers with a lid or cling film. When defrosting caviar, you do not need to take it immediately into a room at room temperature. It is better to do this gradually, placing the product on any shelf of the refrigerator. This way the beneficial properties will be preserved to the maximum extent. When frozen, the delicacy has a shelf life of about a year, so you can stock up on it for future use.

Canning as a storage method

This method cannot be called 100% canning, but its use allows you to extend the shelf life of caviar to six months.
The technology consists of the following stages.

1. The container is sterilized or doused with hot boiling water.
2. The inside of the container is lubricated with vegetable oil (preferably olive oil).
3. The caviar is compacted carefully and tightly.
4. Everything is covered with a thin layer of vegetable oil to stop contact with air, and closed with a nylon lid.
5. The product is placed in the coldest place in the refrigerator, where it can be left for up to six months.

When using a variety of technologies for storing red caviar at home, you need to be sure of the quality of the original product and that all hygiene requirements are met.