Refreshing Cucumber Salad
This cucumber salad is so easy and the taste is just so refreshing. I have tried this many ways, and this is my favorite Enjoy
This cucumber salad is so easy and the taste is just so refreshing. I have tried this many ways, and this is my favorite Enjoy
- Carbohydrate 3.46299866668489 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0.138505333333333 g
- Fiber 0.578386673514048 g
- Protein 0.580146 g
- Saturated Fat 0.0300253333333333 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (140g)
- Sodium 5584.30914937615 mg
- Sugar 2.88461199317084 g
- Trans Fat 0.0389993333333333 g
- Calories 21 calories
Step-by-step
- Combine water, sugar, salt, vinegar and dill into a large bowl.
- While mixture is dissolving and blending, thinly slice cucumbers and add to the marinade.
- Thinly slice onion (if desired) and add to mixture.
- Chill in fridge until ready to serve.
- I find the longer you can let the cucumbers sit and absorb the better, but you can also enjoy right away.
- I also make sure to give it a good shake every once in a while.
- Also once you devour the cucumbers, there is plenty of marinade left to toss in some more cucumbers!
Acid-Base Chemistry
Unlike creamy mayonnaise-dressed slaws, this vinegar-based brine relies on osmotic pressure to draw water out of the cell walls. White vinegar combined with one cup of sugar creates a hypertonic solution. This environment rapidly pulls moisture from the sliced vegetables while forcing the sweet and acidic liquids inward.Managing Texture
Osmosis softens structural pectin over time. To maintain an audible crunch, slice the cucumbers uniformly at two millimeters thick using a mandoline. Thicker cuts resist the brine longer but fail to absorb the dill aromatics effectively. Salting the vegetables thirty minutes prior to serving helps firm up the cellular matrix before the final chill.Second-Day Transformation
Extended refrigeration past the initial twenty-four hours deepens the flavor profile as the onions mellow significantly in the high-acid medium. Discard the spent batch after four days once the cell walls collapse entirely. Retain the leftover liquid to pickle a fresh batch of sliced vegetables immediately.
