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In summer, when the season for cucumbers begins, crispy salted cucumbers take a special place on our tables. They are appreciated for their taste and retain the excellent aroma of fresh cucumbers. There are a lot of cooking recipes, and recently housewives have been sharing the secrets of quick salting that do not affect the taste of a popular snack. Let's talk about how to cook crispy salted cucumbers at home in a cold and hot way.
Cooking secrets
Today, you can cook lightly salted cucumbers in various ways:
- in a large container (for example, in a saucepan);
- in the bank (including for the winter);
- in a package and so on.
As a rule, the ripening season in our beds of fresh cucumbers begins in June. They are eaten fresh, in salads and certainly salted. Despite the simplicity of traditional recipes, the preparation of crispy lightly salted cucumbers is a whole art. Someone likes spicy cucumbers, someone, on the contrary, does not tolerate a lot of spices.
Consider several options for salting cucumbers:
- dry ambassador;
- cold;
- hot.
Let's figure out which of them is considered the fastest and will not affect the crunchy properties of cucumbers. Let's talk about secrets, as they are very important in the cooking process:
- so that the cucumbers are salted as quickly as possible, choose small vegetables, not large ones;
- it is also appropriate to cut the fruit into halves and quarters and make punctures with a fork;
- vegetables for salting should be the same size, so their taste will be uniform;
- two hours before cooking, it is better to put them in clean cold water, so they will keep crunching;
- when salting in a jar, do not tamp them very tightly, this will affect the crisp properties;
- the ends are always trimmed before cooking;
- when cooking lightly salted cucumbers in brine, you do not need to close the jar or pan tightly, disrupting the fermentation process.
Using these tricks, the hostesses can easily cope with the task.
Spices and additives for cucumbers
Let's talk about the ingredients. This is very important, because the quality and taste of the dish depends on them. So, the cucumbers should be small and fresh. It is advisable to collect them from the garden right before salting.
As for the water when using brine, it should be clean and better bottled or spring water. Very little of it is needed, but the quality of the water will affect the taste of the finished product.
Let's talk about greenery. Classic recipes traditionally use:
- dill;
- horseradish leaves and root;
- cherry leaves;
- parsley;
- black currant leaves.
You can also add tarragon, aniseed umbrellas, oak leaves to this list. The harmonious combination will allow the hostess, experimenting, to create her own unique recipe for lightly salted cucumbers.
As for spices, this list traditionally includes:
- Bay leaf;
- garlic;
- spicy pepper;
- carnation.
You can add allspice and other spices, experimenting with the tangy snack. And, of course, one cannot but talk about salt. This is the main component of lightly salted cucumbers, and a lot depends on its quality. The salt must be coarse and not iodized.It is better to use good quality sea salt, cucumbers like this.
Additionally, when pickling cucumbers, you can use sour apples, Cherry tomatoes, squash, celery and even lime.
Instant Salted Cucumber Recipes
Consider several interesting recipes for lightly salted instant cucumbers. After reviewing them, you can use any you like or take on board some tips.
Otherwise, the cucumbers will soon become too salty.
When using cold brine
When using this recipe, lightly salted cucumbers will be ready no earlier than two days later. This method is considered classic, but, alas, not the fastest. Its essence lies in the fact that cucumbers are poured with cold pickle with spices. It is made from water and salt in the right proportions right before pouring.
So, for cooking you will need:
- one kilogram of cucumbers;
- one head of garlic (small or medium);
- black pepper - 8-10 peas;
- currant leaves - 6-8 pieces;
- cherry leaves - 3-4 pieces;
- a bunch of parsley and dill (you can use a large mixture or one small one at a time).
You can also add 2 sour apples. Cucumbers are kept in cold water for an hour or two, and then the ends are cut off. They accumulate nitrates, so it is better to get rid of them. Greens for cucumbers are cut finely, the garlic is squeezed out through a press or chopped finely. Now everything fits into jars. If you make this appetizer with apples, then you must first cut them into four parts.
Banking is done with alternating ingredients. Dill and parsley can be placed on top. The brine is prepared very simply: salt (1.5 tablespoons) is mixed with cold water (1 liter). It is better to cook a little more brine at once and pour the cucumbers to the top. Banks are not closed with lids, you can cover with gauze and remove for two days. After this time, the cucumbers will be salted and become a decoration of your table!
When using hot brine
This recipe allows the hostess to prepare a delicious lightly salted cucumber appetizer in just 8 hours. This is convenient, because you can leave them to cook overnight, and in the morning to please the household. So, for these lightly salted cucumbers you will need:
- one kilogram of cucumbers;
- honey - 10 grams;
- fresh bitter pepper of red or green color - 1-2 pieces to taste;
- bay leaf - 2 pieces;
- garlic head - one medium size;
- salt;
- dill with umbrellas - 1-2 pieces;
- cherry leaves - 5-10 pieces;
- currant leaves - 5-10 pieces;
- horseradish leaves - 10-15 pieces;
- vodka - 20-40 ml.
All greens are thoroughly washed and dried on a napkin. At this time, the cucumbers are soaked in cold water. Cucumbers are standardly trimmed and placed in a saucepan or glass jar. If using a saucepan, keep it enamelled. Hot peppers need to be cut into 3-4 parts, pass the garlic through a press. All greens are cut coarsely and placed in a saucepan or jar. The greens can be placed on the bottom or distributed proportionally.
Now all the ingredients need to be filled with brine. It will be hot, but not boiling. Boil 1 liter of water, add one dessert spoon of honey to it. Now add salt in the amount of 3-4 level tablespoons.
A few black peppercorns, cloves, and thyme seeds can be added to enhance the spicy flavor. Hot peppers will give some bitterness. If someone does not like the pungency in the taste, you should do without pepper.
In the same way, lightly salted cucumbers are prepared for the winter. To do this, first prepare a cold brine in the following proportion: 3-4 tablespoons of salt for two liters of water. Just before pouring the brine over the banks, bring it to a boil and turn it off.In this case, it is important to observe the proportions, because the cucumbers will stay in the brine longer and you need to make them lightly salted, not salted.
Dry salted cucumber recipe
It is still unknown who exactly invented pickling cucumbers in a bag, but this particular method is the simplest and fastest. Depending on the size of the fruit, whether they are cut into pieces or not, you can get ready-made cucumbers in 20-30 minutes.
This method is also convenient if you decide to go out of town and spend time in nature. Salted cucumbers will quickly give you a delicious summer snack.
Cucumbers, crispy lightly salted instant cucumbers, the recipe for which will be presented below, will be obtained in 2-3 hours if they are not pierced with a fork. We need:
- 1.5 kilograms of cucumbers;
- 6-8 peas of black pepper;
- 4-5 peas of allspice;
- a bunch of dill - 1 piece;
- dill umbrella - 1 piece;
- lime - 4 pieces;
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- lemon balm sprigs - 5 pieces;
- 3.5 tablespoons of salt.
Cucumbers can be placed in water in advance if possible. In parallel, you need to prepare a dressing. To do this, grind both types of pepper in a mortar, 2 tablespoons of salt, sugar and the zest of all limes.
Now finely chop the greens, mint along with the twigs. Squeeze the juice out of the limes. Now you can move on to the cucumbers. The tips are cut off, be sure to pierce the fruit with a fork in three or four places. If you want to get a ready-made snack in 20-30 minutes, you need to cut them into halves or quarters. So, the cucumbers will be salted faster. Now the fruits are placed in a bag, greens are placed there, a mixture from a mortar, the bag is closed and everything is thoroughly mixed, shaking it. The bag is reopened, lime juice is poured over and the rest of the salt is added. Then the bag is closed again and its contents are mixed by shaking. You can turn the bag over every 10 minutes.
To prevent the juice from dripping from the cucumbers, you can use two bags. Of course, this is not a classic recipe for lightly salted cucumbers. If you want to get a taste that is very familiar to many, you need to take only cucumbers, dill, peppercorns, salt and garlic. Below is a detailed video with such a recipe:
Conclusion
In this case, you can experiment, because, as you know, there are no comrades for taste and color.
If you know these simple secrets of making lightly salted cucumbers, you can delight your friends and the whole family with a delicious instant snack all summer. Enjoy your meal!
