Shelf life of boiled crayfish in the refrigerator

Cancer is not just a zodiac sign. Arthropods are actively consumed as food. This is a great snack to go with beer. They are considered to be the same delicacies as red caviar or salted fish of the salmon family. The product is rich in protein, a number of useful substances, until it deteriorates. Otherwise, it leads to serious poisoning.

Let's consider how long boiled crayfish are stored, what to do with live arthropods, and the dangers of cooking dead creatures. Bonus: Freezing and thawing rules.

It is best to consume the product immediately after preparation, but if this is not possible, it should be stored in the refrigerator (t - 3-5°C). The choice of container is important. Bowls and pans made of aluminum are not suitable for this purpose, since this metal promotes the oxidation of chitin contained in the shell of crayfish.

We recommend glass or ceramic containers, place the crayfish there, fill them completely with broth and put them in the refrigerator. This method allows you to keep the dish fit for consumption for up to five days.

You can also boil the salted broth in which the crayfish were cooked, return them there and simmer for 10 minutes over low heat. Then cool and leave in the refrigerator for no more than 5 days.

You can save the finished product without broth. To do this, the remaining copies should be placed in jars and tightly closed with lids, put in the refrigerator in the lower compartment.

The maximum shelf life of crayfish in the refrigerator is 2 days. But the meat will gradually lose its juiciness.

In water

If possible, place the crayfish in a large fish tank with a pump and compressor.

Place stones at the bottom (for holes) and attach greenery. In such an environment, close to natural, the crayfish will not only be stored for a long time, but will also grow. If you don't have a large aquarium, use an old bathtub.

Ideally, it should be filled with river water, but if this is not possible, then well or purified water will do. Change it every day. In such conditions, crayfish will live up to a week.

Basic rules for storing live crayfish

If the arthropods were caught on their own, it is recommended to leave them in their usual environment: place the freshwater ones in a cage, lower it into a container with water and cover it with a damp cloth. You can let him go to the bathroom. It is recommended to change the water once a day and feed them with plant foods. They must not be allowed to go hungry to avoid eating each other.

This way, crayfish can stay alive for up to five days, but running water contains impurities that are harmful to river inhabitants.

You can organize the storage of crustaceans without water in a cool, damp place. Spray them periodically and provide air access. Shelf life: two days at a temperature not exceeding 3°C.

To keep crustaceans in the refrigerator, clean specimens must be placed in a bag and the temperature set to no lower than 0. This way they can be stored for up to four days.

Live individuals can be frozen. But the decrease in t should not be sharp: the day before freezing it is reduced to zero. Arthropods are frozen in water at -18°C.

Rules for transporting live specimens

Crayfish are very sensitive to the environment - they die after 30 minutes of being in an aluminum container, and they can absorb the smell of the container if it is made of non-food plastic. What is suitable for transportation:

Box made of plastic or wood. Place a damp cloth, seaweed or wet moss on the bottom. Arthropods are placed in one row so that weak individuals do not die; the top is quickly covered with a damp cloth. The life period under such storage conditions does not exceed 120 minutes.
Wet canvas bag. The crayfish are placed in it and tied with braid. The journey should not take more than 4 hours.
A thick, large bag of water. This method will help out when buying at a fair, market, or store. The duration of stay in it is no more than 1 hour.
Special thermal containers made of polystyrene that help maintain the desired temperature for a long time. They are also covered with a cloth soaked in water. Transportation time is extended to 10-14 hours.

The place where the container will stand during transportation must be dark. Direct sunlight will have a detrimental effect on crayfish - they will overheat and eventually die.

It is necessary to ensure the inflow and outflow of air, since arthropods are very sensitive to the level of oxygen dissolved in water and at the slightest lack of it they begin to become restless. As the situation worsens, they die.

What is the shelf life of live crayfish?

Buying boiled freshwater is dangerous, because... it is unknown how long they spent on the shelf. Therefore, we recommend buying them alive and boiling them yourself. It is necessary to rinse them, place them in a clean plastic bag or other capacious container and fill them with water. If there is a need for short-term storage before heat treatment, there are several options:

in water (for example, in a bath), where they can remain alive for about 5 days;
dry, but in a damp room (cellar, basement). The safe storage period is no more than 2 days;
in a refrigerator (but not in a freezer). Shelf life: no more than 4 days.

Remember that you must boil the crayfish alive, otherwise the dish may be spoiled and even dangerous.

During the heat treatment process, the following is added to the pan:

salt (1 tbsp/1 l of water);
dill seeds and dried herbs;
coriander;
Bay leaf;
pepper.

Regular consumption of delicacy meat is a good prevention of thyroid diseases and supports a weakened body after surgery and illness. In addition, it is very tasty and tender in consistency.

Conclusion

It makes sense to store live crayfish in water only during transportation to the pan (that is, 3-4 hours), and the water must be taken from the place of capture.

The storage option in a container (large saucepan or aquarium) is suitable if the water is from a well (without chlorine) - 2-5 days. The water will have to be changed very often so that it does not overheat and remains aerated. This matter is complex, inconvenient, unprofitable and the result is doubtful.

It’s easier to keep the crayfish “dry”, or even better – to cook it on the spot.

Recommendations for boiling crayfish

It is important to know that cooking dead crayfish is unacceptable. This is fraught with severe poisoning of the body. Before cooking, you should check each one individually.

A straightened tail is a sure sign that the individual has died. Freshly cooked crayfish should be bright orange with curled tails.

If you have any doubts about the freshness of the delicacy, we recommend throwing it away.

Arthropods should only be frozen as a last resort, because negative temperatures negatively affect the composition, taste and consistency of nutritious pulp.

Without water

To store live crayfish without water at home, you need to arrange a dark, cool place for them. It is important to cover them with a damp cloth and protect them from drafts.

They will stay like this for 2-3 days. Use a plastic or wooden box with holes for dry storage. Cover the bottom with slightly damp moss and place the crayfish on it.

They can be left in the room, bathroom or cellar. Monitor the air temperature - it should not be lower than +3 °C. Thoroughly spray all individuals with water at least 3-4 times a day.

Factors that impair storage quality

It is important to know that only live crayfish . The bodies of dead animals contain toxins dangerous to humans. To avoid poisoning, it is imperative to throw away substandard specimens . You can distinguish dead arthropods from living individuals by the position of the tail. The tail of living crustaceans is pressed to the body.

You can keep a river catch or a product purchased in a store in a usable form if you exclude the following factors during delivery and maintenance:

Exposure to sunlight.
High temperature in the storage area.
Lack of moisture.
Insufficient air flow.

Damaged product

It is not recommended to store the cooked product longer than the permissible storage period. The dish not only loses its beneficial properties, but becomes dangerous to eat . The chemical composition changes, toxic substances are formed, which, when they enter the human body, cause severe poisoning.

Obvious signs that the product is unsuitable for consumption are that crayfish meat smells of sulfur, spreads when pressed, and acquires a grayish, unattractive tint. Products with signs of spoilage must be disposed of .

Some useful tips

When choosing crayfish to buy, you need to pay attention to their “neck” - actually, the abdomen, where the bulk of the meat is contained. Many fans mistakenly call this place the tail. The more a cancer bends its “neck” and presses it to the body, the healthier it is and is able to live longer in extreme conditions.
What if the treat is bought ready-made? In boiled crayfish, the “neck” will also be pressed against the body. Otherwise, the specimen was boiled already dead and is not suitable for food.
To enhance the taste and tenderness of meat, crustaceans are boiled in milk, beer, cucumber pickle or white wine with spices.
Serve the dish generously with broth or specially prepared sauce. In this case, the meat will be more tender and juicy.
Gourmets advise putting crayfish in milk for 30 minutes before cooking, then rinsing them again with water and cooking.
For the dish you need to choose large individuals. Their meat has the best taste characteristics.

By following the basic rules for storing and preparing crayfish, you can please your family and guests with an excellent dietary dish that is suitable for both everyday and holiday menus.

Freezing

It is permissible to store boiled crayfish with shell frozen for no more than a month. They are frozen, placed in bags in small batches.

The shelf life of frozen boiled crayfish can be increased to 3 months when they are kept in the liquid in which they were cooked in a closed container.

But this storage method also has its costs. After defrosting, meat loses some of its moisture and flavor, and its structure is more like rubber.

Is it possible to freeze crayfish for storage?

Fans of this snack often wonder whether it is possible to freeze crayfish while still alive and then “revive” them after a few months.

Under natural conditions, crustaceans overwinter in suspended animation (freezing) and have the ability to maintain vital activity even in a river that is frozen to the very bottom. Therefore, theoretically, individuals can be in a freezer in a state of suspended animation.

Before freezing, the temperature of the water in which the arthropods are kept is gradually reduced.
During the day the temperature is reduced from above zero to zero.
Then the crustaceans are transferred to a bag or other container and frozen along with water at a temperature of -18°C.
At the same temperature, “live preparations” are stored for 3–4 months in the freezer.

Arthropods that have come to life after defrosting can be boiled and eaten. And the rest need to be thrown away. It should be noted that no more than 30% of individuals tolerate this storage method.

Dead arthropods should not be eaten!

Useful qualities of crayfish

Tasty, white with pink veins, crayfish meat is also very beneficial for the human body, since the vitamins and minerals it contains are balanced.

This product has a beneficial effect on metabolism, and also helps to improve the tone of the body as a whole and strengthens its protective properties.

In addition, one hundred grams of crayfish meat contains many other useful components for which fish representatives are famous:

calorie content 77 kcal, protein 15.6 grams, fat one gram;
carbohydrates 1.3 grams;
water 82 grams;
fatty acids 0.3 grams, cholesterol 135 milligrams;
ash 1.4 grams;
vitamin A 0.016 milligrams, vitamin PP 2.2 milligrams;
thiamine (vitamin B1) 0.16 milligrams, riboflavin (vitamin B2) 0.06 milligrams;
vitamin C 2 milligrams, vitamin E 1.5 milligrams;
calcium 56 milligrams, magnesium 24 milligrams, sodium 110 milligrams;
potassium 260 milligrams, phosphorus 230 milligrams, chlorine 164 milligrams;
sulfur 150 milligrams, iron 1.9 milligrams;
zinc 0.8 milligrams, fluoride 420 mcg.

Crayfish are considered a valuable dietary product; they are very nutritious and low in calories. The percentage of fat in crustacean meat is one percent per 100 grams of weight. Crayfish meat contains many vitamins, but there is practically no cholesterol.

Laboratory studies have revealed that crustacean meat contains a lot of sulfur that is beneficial for your body. Due to the fact that crayfish have a lot of sulfur in their bodies, they should not be kept in containers made of aluminum, as this will lead to the destruction of substances beneficial to your body.

Medicinal properties of crayfish meat

The chitinous cover of cancer contains many active biological components that are capable of excellent wound healing and have antiseptic properties. Cancer chitin contains special substances that have excellent regenerative properties and help restore cancer-affected tissues.

Interesting fact: during excavations, archaeologists discovered ancient medical records that described how to treat open wounds. The recipe included pre-dried crustacean shell powder.

Crayfish should be eaten to prevent enlargement of the thyroid gland, as it contains a large amount of iodine. The amount of iodine in crayfish meat is approximately 100 times greater than in beef meat.

They are very useful for kidney and heart failure, diseased blood vessels, and problems with the pancreas. Their meat cleanses and stimulates the liver and bile ducts. When you eat boiled crustaceans every day, your digestion is normalized and the immune system is well stimulated.

"Sheridan"

Creamy chocolate liqueur "Sheridan" is also widely known throughout the world. Its original bottle shape has two compartments. The light part consists of cream with grain (wheat) alcohol. And the dark one is made from coffee and chocolate contents, with Irish whiskey. When the drink is poured into a glass, it separates into two parts with the cream at the top. This makes the taste even more pleasant.

Sheridan liqueur has a shelf life of 12 months. And after opening the bottle - no more than 6 months. But the manufacturer guarantees a shelf life of 1.5 years for a factory-closed bottle in proper conditions.

You can tell if the liquor is spoiled by the following sign. If, when examining the liquid against the light, a cloudy sediment consisting of sugar crystals is clearly visible, the product is no longer suitable for consumption. No amount of “reanimation” will help such a drink.

High-quality liqueurs should not foam when poured and separate into syrup and sediment. If this happens, it is better to stop drinking the spoiled drink.

How to choose

You need to buy only live individuals. Then there will be no doubt about their freshness. Already cooked ones can pose a danger, since they have a very short shelf life. And the date of preparation in this case is unknown. Therefore, it is better to refuse to buy a ready-made dish if the crayfish were not cooked in front of you.

Freshly cooked crayfish should have a bright red color and their tail should be curled. Straight limbs indicate that they were boiled already dead. This means that such a product can no longer be used.

The color of living crustaceans can be very different. It depends on their species and habitat. But the main thing is that they are painted evenly.

In clean water, the temperature of which is between +15°C and +25°C, healthy individuals actively move their limbs and move along the bottom of the container. The fastest ones crawl quickly with their tails tucked and can pinch painfully with their claws. Therefore, you need to pick them up carefully, by the back.

As the crayfish goes to sleep, its limbs relax and its tail straightens. An individual that has been kept in captivity for a long time becomes inactive and “lethargic.” You cannot buy such a product. With this behavior, bacteria are already multiplying in the crustaceans’ stomach, which will soon lead to its general rotting. Consuming such a product is very dangerous for human health.

It is important that the water in which the crayfish are located is clear. If it is changed frequently, it is more saturated with oxygen molecules, which allows arthropods to breathe normally.

The shelf life of boiled crayfish when refrigerated is a maximum of 4 days.

Ham and cooked sausages

Boiled sausage products are obtained by cooking the components at +80°C, which cannot be called a serious heat treatment. Because of this, the shelf life of boiled sausages is relatively short: from 5 days to 1 month. The longest storage time for dumplings is 75 days. Provided that a polyamide shell is used in the production.

To keep the product's moisture level at its original level, wrap the boiled sausage in the refrigerator before storing it in the refrigerator. The opened stick is lubricated with oil at the cut site, which will help avoid chapping.

The shelf life of vacuum-packed sausages is always longer. The absence of air prevents the development of various bacteria, which significantly extends the shelf life of the product.

Some manufacturers include a lot of preservatives in their sausage. Such products are not considered high quality, although they have long shelf life.

Rules and methods for transporting crayfish

The choice of transportation method depends on how the crayfish need to be brought - alive or dead. In the latter case, you can simply freeze them and carefully place them in containers with ice: a layer of crayfish, a layer of ice. It is important to ensure that the first row is not completely immersed in water; the crustaceans must have access to oxygen.

Catching or purchasing crustaceans is not difficult, but storing them is quite difficult.

How to keep crayfish alive for a long time:

The arthropods need to be fed within 12 hours, and then allowed to dry for about 10 hours. In this state, they can more easily endure travel. There should be no water in the tank!
For transportation, you need to select a box with sides up to half a meter. The material does not matter; wood, plastic and cardboard are suitable.
At the bottom of the box you need to place marine vegetation, well moistened with water. Moss is best suited for this.
Crayfish are laid out on the plant layer, and a layer of algae is covered. In a similar way, several more similar layers can be built on top. The display must be carried out very quickly, otherwise the crayfish will begin to bunch up in the corner of the box.

When transporting crayfish in hot weather, you need to protect them from direct sunlight and exposure to high temperatures. In winter, you need to avoid freezing the tank and prevent ice from forming inside. This can best be done using a climate control system.

Failure to comply with the rules leads to rapid spoilage of the product, loss of taste and beneficial qualities.

Home conditions

If there is a need to preserve live crayfish at home, then in this case several options for their placement are also considered:

In a container with water,
In a refrigerator,
In a cool room without water.

It’s good if you have a free aquarium at home with a compressor and pump, with water plants and cozy caves, where the crustaceans will heal, happily grow, grow and be in the juice, after which they will end up on the table. Some enterprising citizens even manage to breed crayfish using such aquariums.

The shell is a bit small, so you have to make sure that the catch doesn’t run away.

If by chance you don’t have an aquarium at hand, you can put the mustaches in a bath of water, but you need to keep in mind that they won’t last long in chlorinated water. Of course, it is almost impossible to deliver water from the river to your apartment, much less change it every day. You can fill the bathtub with water purified through a filter.

Crayfish can live in such an improvised reservoir from a couple of days to a week, but while on a plant-based diet, they will lose a fair amount of weight, which will not add joy to anyone. In addition, taking a bath with crayfish is not a pleasure for everyone, although it is entertaining to watch from the outside.

In any case, it is unlikely that it will be possible to do without losses, so victims of natural selection must regularly leave the society of the living.

You can also place crayfish in the refrigerator for three to four days, after first rinsing each settler under running water. There will be a place for them in the compartment for vegetables, it is especially convenient if it is closed and ventilated. Then the crayfish will not be able to scatter throughout the refrigerator, and they will not be in danger of dying from lack of oxygen either. It should be remembered that in the refrigerator they will also lose weight, and some will give up, and if you do not have time to throw out the sleeping crustacean in time, then the smell in the refrigerator will be stunning, and half of the food will go to the trash can.

An overpopulated aquarium will not benefit the taste of the future dish. In such conditions, the number of individuals suitable for food will rapidly decline.

Storing crayfish without water is possible because the respiratory organs of these animals are located inside the body, and not outside, like fish, so they are able to spend some time on land. A damp, dark cellar or basement is very suitable for this option.

Having seated the crayfish in a wide box or box lined with a damp cloth, it is important not to forget to regularly spray them with cool water from a spray bottle, without allowing them to dry out completely, otherwise it will be very painful for the animals under your care. Mercy should be shown even towards a future dinner while it is still alive! Don't forget about feeding and medical examination.

Important: you can distinguish a sleeping crustacean from its living counterparts by its elongated tail. If such a cancer is caught among those already cooked, it means that it died of fear shortly before going into the pan, and you still can’t eat it, just like the whole batch, since it may already be poisoned with dangerous toxins.

Living crayfish will not survive long if they are outside their natural environment and eating plant foods. Neither in the refrigerator, nor in a bath of water, nor in the basement will it be possible to prolong their life for a long time; the number of individuals will decrease, wherever they are stored, and the quality of the most persistent ones will decrease. Therefore, when discussing how to store live crayfish, we can conclude that whatever method you choose, do it for as short a time as possible.

A properly frozen crayfish should have its tail tucked. Frozen individuals with an elongated tail should be discarded.

Live crayfish can be frozen to cook and eat later, but before cooking you will have to wait until they are completely thawed and cook only those whose tails are still between their legs. This means that the crustaceans were frozen alive. The rest, alas, will have to be thrown away.