cucumbers
Also known as: large cucumbers
A crisp, watery, mild vegetable -- botanically a fruit -- eaten raw in salads and sandwiches or pickled. Their high water content is what defines how to use them: great for raw crunch, but they turn soft and shed a lot of liquid if cooked.
Buying guidance
Choose ones that feel firm and heavy for their size, with no soft or wrinkled spots, which signal moisture loss and a mealy interior. Thin-skinned English or Persian cucumbers need no peeling and have fewer, smaller seeds; thicker-skinned field or slicing cucumbers are often waxed and benefit from peeling, and their larger seeds are worth scooping out for a salad.
Substitutions
- Persian or English cucumber in place of a field or slicing cucumber -- thinner skin and fewer seeds, so no peeling or seeding needed.
- Zucchini -- works raw in a similar crunchy role, though blander in flavor and without cucumber's characteristic coolness.
Tips & common mistakes
Their high water content means sliced cucumber left sitting in a dressed salad will weep and water down the dressing within an hour or so -- salting slices lightly and letting them drain a few minutes first, or dressing just before serving, keeps them crisp.
Storage
Cucumbers are sensitive to cold and can develop pitted, water-soaked spots if kept at the coldest part of the fridge for too long -- the crisper drawer, not the back of the main shelf, suits them better. Cut cucumber loses crispness fast and should be wrapped tightly and used within a couple of days.