Crunchy, cool and refreshing, cucumbers are one of my favorite foods to enjoy in the summer. Whether I dip them in ranch or drizzle them with chili crisp, they stay on my table all summer long.
A member of the Cucurbitaceae family, along with melons and pumpkins, cucumbers are actually 96% water. This is great for keeping them light and juicy, but it can pose a problem when adding cucumbers to recipes, as all that water can make a dish soggy.
Luckily, there's a simple trick that helps keep cucumbers crisp and greatly reduces the soggy factor: salt them in advance.
Why should you salt cucumbers
Since cucumbers are mostly water, it's important to squeeze out some of that moisture before adding them to salads or other dishes where you don't need extra liquid. Salting extracts moisture through a process called osmosis. The salt absorbs the water, leaving a firmer, more flavorful cucumber.
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How to salt cucumbers
Salting cucumbers only takes about 20 minutes and works with any type of cucumber:
Wash and peel the cucumbers if desired before cutting them as needed for your recipe. Place the cucumbers in a colander and sprinkle with a large pinch of kosher salt (about 1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon per pound).
Let the cucumbers drain for 20 minutes. You can squeeze a little more water out of the cucumbers if you like, but otherwise they are good to go. There is no need to rinse cucumbers before using them; the salt will simply add some seasoning to the cucumbers and your final dish.
You can use cucumbers in any recipe you want. They will be tastier and crispier than if they were raw. Try it once and you'll never go back.
