How to Salt Cucumbers for Salad

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Things You'll Need

  • Vegetable peeler (optional)

  • Sharp knife

  • Colander

  • Paper towels

Properly drain cucumbers the next time you make a cucumber salad for a less watery result.

Salting foods with a high water content is the best way to prevent their moisture from leaching into prepared dishes. Salt and drain cucumbers before including them in salads, sauces and condiments to keep the dishes from becoming watery. You will also find that cucumbers treated in this manner will take on more of the flavor of the dish while keeping their crisp, fresh taste and texture. You can also use this technique when preparing zucchini and eggplant.

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Step 1

Peel and slice, chop or dice the cucumbers.

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Step 2

Place the prepared cucumbers in a colander.

Step 3

Toss the cucumbers with enough salt to thoroughly coat them. Allow the cucumbers to drain for 20 to 30 minutes.

Step 4

Rinse the salt from the cucumbers and pat them dry with paper towels or use a vegetable spinner to remove excess moisture.

Step 5

Add the cucumbers to your chosen recipe.

Tip

If you use cucumbers of any variety other than English you should also scrape the seeds from the inside of the cucumber as they will add a lot of moisture to your dish. Simply cut the cucumber in half lengthwise and scrape the seeds out using a spoon.

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