How to Crisp Cucumbers

Last Updated: June 9, 2022

Making cucumbers crisp for the salad increases their appeal and crunch factor. Ready to make yours even more fresh and delicious? We've put together a quick tutorial to help get you on your way.

1

Cut the cucumbers.

Slice the cucumbers as you usually do.^{[1]
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2

Place the slides in a colander.

You'll probably need to layer them—that's fine.

3

Put the colander into a bowl.

Keep the cucumbers in the colander.

4

Add salt and ice to the cucumbers.

Sprinkle the cucumbers with salt and cover the slices with ice cubes.

5

Place the bowl and colander into the refrigerator.

Leave them in the refrigerator one hour.^{[2]
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6

Remove the cucumber from the refrigerator and pat dry.

The cucumber is now ready to serve. If you're not quite ready to serve, simply pop the slices back into the fridge; they'll stay crisp.^{[3]
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Community Q&A

Question

How do I deal with excess salt?

Community Answer

I put the sliced cucumbers into a bowl filled with heavily salted ice water and let it stand for about 1/2 hour. Then I rinse the slices in a colander with cold water, making sure all the salt is rinsed off. Then I pat all the slices dry with paper towels (plain white ones). This may take some time and can be done in several batches. The cucumbers are now ready to use. They stay crisp and are not salty.
Question

How do I keep sliced cucumbers fresh to use the next day?

Community Answer

You can just put them into a sealed bag or plastic container and keep them in the fridge.