Canned fish is a product whose nutritional value is not much worse than home-cooked fish dishes. Their production technology involves sterilization. But still, canned food retains enough substances necessary to fill the body with energy.
This fully applies to sprats. They contain a significant amount of proteins, carbohydrates and fats, as well as phosphorus, iodine, iron and other valuable microelements.
Sprats have been popular for many decades and are often on our table. Many people associate them with childhood, holidays, and the taste of a scarce product. Now sprats are sold in any store, their selection is huge.
Signs of a spoiled product
Even if there is a lot of time left before the expiration date of the product, after opening the jar you may find porridge instead of whole fish. This is an indication that the product has been subjected to severe shaking during loading or transportation. There is also a possibility that these sprats are counterfeit.
An unpleasant odor and an unnatural color are indicators of improper storage of products. She was getting too hot or too cold.
Canned food that does not meet normal characteristics should not be eaten. They should be disposed of immediately. But first, it won’t hurt to read the manufacturer’s details so that you don’t “step on the same rake” a second time.
Sprats are a wonderful treat, familiar to everyone since Soviet times. But you still shouldn’t get carried away with smoked meats. This product cannot be consumed as an independent dish due to its high fat content. In addition, you need to choose products from a manufacturer whose quality you can be sure of. And knowing how to store sprats at home, you can avoid poisoning from expired or spoiled goods.
How to store an open jar of sprats
Unfinished sprats should not be left in an open jar. Metal negatively affects products. The oxidation process will take place much faster thanks to light and air. This means inevitable spoilage of the sprats within a couple of hours.
- Transfer the fish to a plate.
- Cover with cling film.
- Place in the refrigerator.
It is necessary to cover sprats with film for two reasons:
- So that they don't get weathered.
- To protect neighboring products. Sprats have a thick odor. It is easily absorbed by other foods and fills the entire refrigerator. To get rid of the smell, you will have to wash and ventilate the kitchen unit.
Sprats cannot be stored for more than three days, even in the refrigerator. And outside it – a maximum of three hours. If the sprats have been lying around longer, it is better not to eat them. Otherwise, you can easily get an upset stomach.
Sprats, like all canned fish, are very susceptible to temperature changes. It is wise to buy them in those retail outlets where proper storage is ensured - in shops and indoor markets. If sprats are kept at the wrong temperature, they become inedible much faster.
Canned food can also be prepared at home. Of course, the taste of sprat will be different from the usual one. But there are advantages - fish cooked at home is healthier because it does not undergo such long-term heat treatment as in industrial production. It retains significantly more vitamins and minerals.
How to store homemade sprats
At the market you can buy ready-made smoked fish, from which canned food is then prepared. This is a ready-to-eat product that is practically no different from a store-bought one, except for one important fact: proper heat treatment.
Find a recipe that requires you to stew sprats in oil and seal the jar hermetically. In this form, they can be stored for up to 6 months at a temperature not exceeding 20°C (like other preserves).
If you bought raw fish, you need to thoroughly wash it, gut it and prepare it for storing in jars. To do this, add tea for color, a little liquid smoke and heat treatment. You can store it by putting it in a jar and filling it with oil. They can remain open in the refrigerator for no more than 3 days at a temperature of 5°C.
How to store open sprats
If you open the jar and do not eat it, then you should store the canned food in the refrigerator. Fish spoils very quickly. Even if this is not visible from the outside and there is no smell, rotting processes can occur inside it, which lead to very severe poisoning. Therefore, open sprats should not be stored on the table at room temperature.
Remember that the metal oxidizes, so you shouldn’t leave them open in the jar for a long time. If you are going to finish them during the day, you need to pour oil over the fish and wrap the jar in cling film. The shelf life of sprat in this form is up to 12 hours at a temperature of 5°C on the middle shelf.
You can also immediately after opening transfer the remaining canned food into a dry, clean glass container with a tight-fitting lid, add oil and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days at a temperature of 5°C.
Summarizing the above, we can derive the basic rules for how long open sprats can be stored:
- 1-2 hours in an open jar (from the factory) in the refrigerator;
- up to 12 hours in a jar in oil, in cling film;
- up to 5 days in a glass container in oil at a temperature of 5°C.
Storing domestic sprats
Many housewives make sprats themselves. At the same time, the taste of the fish is slightly different, but this product also contains more benefits. Due to a lesser degree of heat treatment, such canned food retains more nutrients.
You can preserve already smoked fish, which are sold in markets. It looks like a factory-made product, but is not sufficiently heat treated. Therefore, it is better to find a recipe in which the fish is stewed for more time. And then they are rolled into jars with the required amount of hot oil.
The shelf life of homemade sprats is 6 months, provided they are stored at a temperature not exceeding +20°C.
The raw fish is cleaned of its entrails, its heads are separated, and it is given a golden hue using black tea. The aroma is obtained by processing with liquid smoke. Such fish can be stored after exposure to high temperature in glass containers filled with a sufficient amount of oil. If you do not seal them hermetically, the shelf life of sprats prepared in this way will be about 3-5 days.
You should know that storing sprats in a warm place after opening the jar, as well as home-cooked products, is strictly prohibited.
Storing sprat in the freezer will cause the product to lose its dense structure (become like porridge). This is due to the critically low temperature for its storage.
Storage rules
The permissible storage temperature for sprat is from +5°C to +25°C . Recommended humidity should not exceed 75% . All canned fish, and sprats are no exception, should not be exposed to sudden temperature changes. The storage location must be protected from direct sunlight.
Kitchen cupboard
Closed sprats can be stored in cabinets if the constant temperature in the room is kept at no higher than +25°C . If it is hot or too high in humidity, canned food can spoil, which can be determined by a swollen jar lid.
Even if there is no deformation of the metal container, the fish that is inside will be spoiled and dangerous. After opening, jars of sprats cannot be kept on cabinet shelves, as they will quickly deteriorate.
Fridge
Sprats can be stored for a long period at temperatures from +3°C to +5°C Here you need to take into account the deadlines for selling the product indicated on the can by the manufacturer.
Closed jar
Sprats that are constantly kept in the refrigerator in a closed jar can be stored for 2 years from the date of production. If the product was purchased from a trusted manufacturer, stored in a store and warehouse under appropriate conditions, it will certainly please you with its quality and appearance. It is better to keep jars of sprats on the lower shelves so as not to rearrange them often and to prevent accidental freezing.
After opening
The rest of the canned food can be transferred to a glass jar, closed with a tight lid and kept at a temperature of +3°C to +5°C on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. First you need to fill all the remaining fish with sunflower oil . If you leave sprats in a metal can, you can harm your health as a result of the interaction of the fish with the oxidized metal.
Thus, to summarize the above, we can define 3 rules for storing open sprats:
- Maximum 2 hours after opening (in original jar).
- Up to 12 hours , after adding sunflower oil and covering with cling film.
- Up to 5 days in a glass container at a temperature of +3 °C - +5 °C (in the refrigerator).
In room conditions, sprats spoil very quickly, so storing them without additional cooling is not recommended.
Sandwiches with sprats
You can prepare a wide variety of recipes with sprats, especially when it comes to sandwiches. Quite often, the main ingredients besides fish are bread, mayonnaise or butter. The latter components greatly reduce the shelf life of such dishes.
Sandwiches with sprats and mayonnaise cannot be stored at room temperature for more than 2 hours . If you place croutons with fish in a container and cover with cling film, you can leave them in the refrigerator for 6 hours. If a sour or sharp taste appears, the sandwiches should be thrown away, this indicates that the sprats have already begun to deteriorate.
How to store sprats in a closed jar
Correct storage conditions for this product are regulated by GOST 7452-97 “Natural canned fish. Technical conditions". The shelf life is also indicated there, which is 2 years at the temperature specified by the manufacturer. Typically this is:
- temperature from 5°C to 25°C;
- relative humidity not higher than 75%.
Sprats in oil have long ceased to be a delicacy, but if you have already found “your” brand, you usually stock up. The optimal storage conditions at home, where they will remain fresh throughout their shelf life, are:
- fridge;
- cool dry balcony;
- pantry;
- kitchen cupboard;
- dry cellar
How to properly store sprats in jars
Unopened canned fish can be stored at temperatures from +5 to +25 degrees. That is, they feel fine both in the refrigerator and on the kitchen shelf. But if the weather is too hot, it's better not to risk it. It’s not at all difficult to transfer sprats from a cabinet or pantry to the refrigerator.
In addition, when buying a can of canned food, you need to look at the expiration date and production date. There must be a marking on the lid of the jar - two-row or three-row. A row of six numbers informs when the canned food is ready. As a rule, such a product should not be stored longer than 24 months after it has undergone industrial processing.
This should be remembered when buying sprats for future use. If you store them for too long, the contents of the jar will become watery and flabby, and the taste will be unpleasant, slightly metallic.
Sometimes, when opening sprats long before their expiration date, you may encounter unpleasant surprises:
- Instead of whole fish - porridge. This means that the cans were shaken or thrown during transport. It is possible that this product is counterfeit.
- The smell is unpleasant, the sprats have lost their normal color. These signs mean that the canned food is either overheated or too cold.
