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There is nothing easier than preparing salted cucumbers for the table. This is a great snack! But this business also has its secrets, which not all housewives know about. We present to your attention several recipes for lightly salted cucumbers and a video for detailed acquaintance. They will be useful not only for young housewives, but also for those who like to experiment in the kitchen.
Secrets of cooking
In the middle of summer comes the time for cucumbers. Some of them are used in traditional fresh salads, some are pickled, but one cannot but mention lightly salted cucumbers. They are very easy to prepare, do not wait so long until they become salty, and as a snack they are simply irreplaceable.
Cucumbers for pickling can be used both from the garden and purchased. The most difficult question is how to choose them correctly? There are three signs of good cucumbers:
- strong;
- fresh;
- with thin skin.
It is better if they are just picked from the garden. The best cucumbers for pickling are small hard fruits with pimples.
If you marinate or salt vegetables for the winter, this will not matter, because the period of being in brine is quite long.
The quality of the water plays an important role in cooking. Since in some regions it leaves much to be desired, we advise you to give preference to spring, filtered or bottled water. It will take quite a bit, but the quality of lightly salted cucumbers in a jar, barrel or other container will be excellent. Some housewives advise placing an additional silver spoon in the water for lightly salted cucumbers for 15-20 minutes to improve the taste.
Often wondering how to cook lightly salted cucumbers at home, housewives think about what dishes to pickle them in. For this you can use:
- glass jars;
- enamel pot;
- ceramic dishes.
Preparing for cooking
Before you start talking about how to pickle lightly salted cucumbers, you need to prepare the ingredients, herbs, dishes and oppression. Everything must be clean.
Even if the fruits have just been harvested from the garden, this process should not be ignored. Cucumbers will not get worse, but they will definitely get better. This will give them strength. It is also important if some of the fruits feel a little soft to the touch.
Recipes
It is difficult to find a person in our country who would refuse salted cucumbers in the summer season, which combine the taste of a summer morning and spices. This is the most popular snack. Despite the relative simplicity of the recipes, cooking lightly salted cucumbers is a real art. We present to your attention several universal recipes that have been tested by time.
Quick Pickled Cucumber Recipe
If you have little time left before a feast, for example, a day or two at the most, this does not mean that you cannot cook lightly salted cucumbers. Their recipe is pretty simple. For this you will need:
- cucumbers – 2 kilograms;
- hot pepper – 0,5-1 piece;
- garlic – 2 tooth;
- horseradish – 10 grams;
- tarragon, thyme and dill – 1 bunch each (about 50 grams).
When everything is ready, you can start cooking. Cucumbers are pre-soaked, garlic is peeled and finely chopped, also served with hot peppers. Herbs are thoroughly washed and everything is laid out in layers in a pan along with cucumbers. Finely chopped garlic and peppers are also laid evenly.
Now you need to prepare a brine for salted cucumbers. A liter of water will require 50 grams of salt (these are two tablespoons without a slide). Hot brine is being prepared, cucumbers are poured with it, without waiting for the water to cool. Such salted cucumbers will be ready in a day.
Cucumbers in a bag
Perhaps the easiest recipe for salted cucumbers for a feast. To prepare them, the hostess will need:
- cucumbers – 2 kilograms;
- dill – half a bunch;
- garlic – 1 head;
- salt – 2 teaspoons.
As a container, you need to use a large plastic bag. Cucumbers are pre-washed, buttocks are cut off and placed in polyethylene. Fill with salt, after which the bag is closed and shaken thoroughly so that the salt is evenly distributed.
Garlic is passed through a press or finely chopped. Do the same with dill. After that, the remaining ingredients are added to the cucumbers in the bag and shaken thoroughly again. The closed package is left at room temperature for 4 hours. Everything, cucumbers are ready! A huge plus of this method is not only simplicity, but also time saving. With this recipe, you can salt many cucumbers at a time.
Salted cucumbers with apples
With apples, you can cook salted cucumbers in a jar, especially if they are small. For the recipe you need:
- cucumbers – 1 kilogram;
- green apples (preferably sour) – 2 pieces;
- garlic – 1 head;
- dill and parsley – a bunch;
- black peppercorns – 10 pieces;
- blackcurrant leaves – 5-8 pieces;
- cherry leaves – 2-3 pieces.
Cucumbers are washed and soaked, apples are washed and cut into quarters without removing the core. Cucumbers and apples are packed tightly in a jar, currant and cherry leaves are placed between them. Chopped garlic, dill and parsley are also placed evenly in the container.
Cucumber pickle is prepared in the standard way: take two tablespoons of salt without a slide per liter of water, boil for 1-2 minutes, add peppercorns and pour cucumbers. Such a recipe for making salted cucumbers involves waiting at least 12 hours before eating.
If you pickle cucumbers in cold brine, the cooking time will stretch for 3 days, although this also affects the taste.
Each housewife tries to experiment with different recipes before finding her own.
Classic salted cucumbers
For cooking, you will need the following amount of ingredients:
- cucumbers – 2 kilograms;
- horseradish leaves – 4-5 pieces;
- horseradish root – to taste;
- garlic – 4 tooth;
- hot pepper – 1 piece;
- dill – greens and umbrellas.
Cucumbers are pre-soaked, buttocks are trimmed. Horseradish, dill, pepper and garlic are cut. If someone does not like the garlic taste in cucumbers, its amount can be reduced.
Will you cook lightly salted cucumbers in a saucepan or jars – it does not matter, the main thing is to observe the proportions of the ingredients. Everything fits into the container evenly except for horseradish leaves. A brine is prepared according to a standard recipe, when 50 grams of salt is required per liter of water. Sometimes it may seem that the brine is very salty, but in view of the fact that it must salt the fruits in a short time, this is fully justified. After boiling the brine, it must be cooled and pour cucumbers so that the water completely covers them. Horseradish leaves are laid out on top. It should be noted that it is this ingredient that has a positive effect on the crunch of cucumbers.
For those who want to visually familiarize themselves with how to make lightly salted cucumbers at home according to the classic recipe, the video below is presented:
Salted cucumbers with squash
How many recipes for salted cucumbers exist today! This is one of them. The taste of squash (they can be replaced with zucchini or zucchini) is quite neutral, while they can be combined with cucumbers both in salting and in marinades.
Ingredients:
- cucumbers – 1 kilogram;
- patisson – 1 piece (small);
- horseradish leaves – 1 piece;
- dill – a few branches;
- bay leaf, allspice – to taste;
- garlic – 1 head.
Cucumbers are prepared as standard, cutting off the tips and soaking in advance. Patisson is peeled, cut as you like. At the bottom of a jar or pan, you need to put a sheet of horseradish, garlic and dill. Garlic can be whole, but it is better to cut each clove in half. We spread the cucumbers first, then the squash in slices.
The brine is prepared hot or cold (salt is mixed in water), bay leaves and allspice are added. As soon as it is ready, the brine, made in any way, pours over the vegetables so that the water covers them completely.
It remains only to wait until they become salty and crispy. With hot pouring, you will have to wait a day, no more, sometimes 12 hours is enough. When cold – 3 days.
Of course, herbs, spices, and other ingredients can be added to taste, changed in quantity, and even replaced. Each housewife, experimenting in the kitchen, is always looking for something of her own. For some, a bright taste or spiciness is important, and someone simply does not eat spicy food.
Today we discussed how to pickle lightly salted cucumbers and revealed a few simple secrets of their preparation. It remains only to taste and add something of your own to the recipe you like, making this popular snack unique and inimitable.