Typically, lightly salted cucumbers are prepared in a jar. But you can use other containers for this. For example, there are numerous recipes for lightly salted cucumbers in a saucepan.
- The subtleties of cooking lightly salted cucumbers in a saucepan
- Selecting and preparing vegetables before cooking
- How to properly cook lightly salted cucumbers in a saucepan
- Classic recipe for a 2-liter jar
- Quick recipe in 5 minutes
- In cold water
- Without vinegar
- Cold and fast method using mineral water
- With spices in a hot way
- With garlic and herbs
- With dry mustard
- Sliced lightly salted cucumbers
- Storage Features
The subtleties of cooking lightly salted cucumbers in a saucepan
Before making lightly salted cucumbers, it is recommended to study the following features:
- It is better to take cucumbers with pimples. Such vegetables are specially designed for pickling, so they do not soften so much.
- It is desirable that the cucumbers are approximately the same size. This way they are salted evenly.
- The ends must be cut off. Nitrates accumulate in them.
- To ensure even salting, the cucumbers can be placed vertically.
- You should not pack vegetables tightly into the pan; they should float freely in the brine in order to be better soaked.
- You can cover the pan with a lid or towel. You should not cover it with cling film, otherwise the fermentation process will proceed very slowly.
At the same time, each housewife may have her own tricks for preparing lightly salted cucumbers. The main thing is to prepare the brine correctly, otherwise the vegetables will not soak properly.
Selecting and preparing vegetables before cooking
To make cucumbers tasty, they must be prepared correctly:
- Vegetables are harvested in dry weather. If the weather is rainy, vegetables become too juicy and spoil quickly.
- After harvesting, the cucumbers are left in a cool place for a couple of days. It's better if they wilt a little.
- 3 hours before pickling, vegetables are soaked in water. This will make them tasty and crispy.
- You need to wash cucumbers very carefully. This is a vegetable that grows on the ground and is almost always full of dirt. Most bacteria are found in the soil, and if the dirt is not washed well, they will begin to multiply directly in the pan.
Special attention should be paid to preparing spices. The greens also need to be washed well to avoid dirt.Not only bacteria, but also small insects can get into the pan with greens, so you need to sort through it carefully.
How to properly cook lightly salted cucumbers in a saucepan
There are many recipes for how to grind cucumbers. In this case, you can strictly follow the recipe or add spices to your taste.
Classic recipe for a 2-liter jar
You need to take the following ingredients:
- 1 kg of cucumbers;
- horseradish root and leaves;
- half a head of garlic;
- 1 tbsp. l. dry dill;
- 3 tbsp. l. salt;
- 1 liter of water.
This amount of ingredients is suitable for a two-liter jar, but you can pickle vegetables in a saucepan. Pour cold water over the cucumbers and leave for 2-3 hours, this will make them crispier. Cut off their tails and place them in a container for salting.
Prepare the brine. For this purpose, boil water and add salt to it. Add chopped horseradish leaves and garlic, whole horseradish leaves, and dill to the cucumbers. Fill the container with the resulting brine.
Quick recipe in 5 minutes
To quickly pickle cucumbers, the following components are required:
- the cucumbers themselves - 1 kg;
- water - 1 l;
- salt - 3 tbsp. l.;
- sugar - 0.5 tsp;
- cherry leaves;
- fresh dill and dill umbrellas.
Place all the ingredients in a saucepan, add water and boil. Then remove from heat and leave until cool. Cover with a tight lid. These cucumbers can be eaten within a few hours after preparation.
In cold water
Salting in cold water allows the housewife to save a little time. But in this case, lightly salted cucumbers can be eaten in about a day.
For this recipe you need to take:
- cucumbers - 1 kg;
- garlic - 3 cloves;
- ground pepper;
- horseradish leaves;
- dill greens;
- hot pepper - half a pod;
- salt - 70 g;
- water - 2 l.
Place all ingredients together in a saucepan. It is also not recommended to cut peppers, otherwise the cucumbers will turn out too spicy. Pour in cold water, cover with a lid and leave in a warm place. If you put the container in the refrigerator, the vegetables will take longer to sour.
Without vinegar
There is no need to add vinegar when preparing lightly salted cucumbers. It does not slow down their fermentation time, but they acquire a sharp vinegary taste and smell. If you need to salt cucumbers for the winter, you can add a small amount of vinegar to increase their shelf life (1 tablespoon per three-liter jar).
Cold and fast method using mineral water
With mineral water, cucumbers turn out especially crispy. To make such a simple dish, you will need:
- 1 kg of cucumbers;
- 2 tbsp. l. salt;
- 1.5 liter bottle of carbonated mineral water;
- dill and parsley;
- half a head of garlic.
Prepare the cucumbers by removing the ends from both sides. Place some of the greens on the bottom of the pan, add a little chopped garlic, then add cucumbers. On top of them are the remaining garlic and herbs. Add salt to the water, stir well and pour the prepared brine over the cucumbers. Press down with a plate and place in a cool place for a day. After the specified time, the cucumbers can be eaten.
With spices in a hot way
Black and allspice, garlic, dry or fresh dill, leaves and currants, and horseradish root go well with cucumbers. You can add oak leaves, anise, cloves, bay leaves - but this is not for everyone.
A good taste is obtained by adding seasoning for Korean carrots. Vegetables must be covered with spices and herbs, then poured with hot marinade. To prepare it, you need to take 2 tbsp per 1.5 liters of water. l. salt with a slide.
With garlic and herbs
When pickling cucumbers, you must add garlic - it gives a distinct taste to the dish. You can use different greens, but dill is best.
You can pickle cucumbers according to this recipe:
- Wash 1 kg of cucumbers well, cut off the ends on both sides, and place on the bottom of the pan.
- Place a layer of dill on top, then another layer of chopped parsley. If desired, you can add a little cilantro (a few sprigs) and green onions.
- Press 4-5 cloves of garlic and cut into strips, throw into the pan.
- Prepare the marinade. Boil 1.5 liters of water, add 70 g of salt, stir until it dissolves.
- Pour the prepared marinade into the pan with vegetables.
This pickling will be ready for use in 1-2 days. Can you leave the cucumbers for longer?
With dry mustard
Cucumbers can also be cooked with dry mustard. It gives the dish a spicy taste. It can be added to any recipe at the rate of 1 tsp. mustard for 1 kg of cucumbers.
Sliced lightly salted cucumbers
To pickle cucumbers, you can first cut them. But it is necessary to take into account that they cook much faster this way and are better salted. Use the same ingredients as in other recipes, but pre-cut the vegetables - divide into 2 or 4 parts.
Storage Features
Freshly pickled cucumbers can be stored for several days. Over time they will ferment and become salty and sour. To increase their shelf life, they can be placed in the refrigerator immediately after cooking. And when they ferment, you will need to drain the brine and fill them with chilled boiled water. You can also boil the brine itself. To do this, drain it, boil it, cool it and pour it back into the cucumbers. This will kill the bacteria and stop the fermentation process.