TOP 14 recipes for pickling cucumbers so they're crispy

What could be better than a crispy salted or pickled cucumber at a holiday or dinner table? Delicious pickles are enjoyed whole or as an addition to salads and various appetizers. But not every home cook knows how to salt or pickle cucumbers so they're crisp and firm. To achieve this result, there are a few tricks, described below.

The specifics of preparing crispy cucumbers

To ensure firm and crisp vegetables, it's recommended to salt or pickle them immediately after harvesting. If cucumbers are purchased at the market or store, soak them in a large container of cold water for 4-5 hours to restore moisture balance.

What ingredients make vegetables crispy?

Experienced home cooks recommend adding the following ingredients to the brine or marinade to get firm, crispy pickles:

1. If you add a small piece of oak bark to the brine or marinade, the cucumbers will acquire not only a crispy texture, but also an unusual, pleasant flavor.
2. A fresh horseradish leaf will add firmness and a sharp flavor to pickles. For a more pungent taste, add a small piece of horseradish root to the brine.
3. To make cucumbers crunchy, housewives add aspirin to the brine or marinade.
4. Mustard will also help preserve the firmness of pickles. Mustard seeds or powder are added to the brine or marinade.

Tip! Fresh currant, oak, or cherry leaves will enhance the flavor of pickled vegetables.

Selecting and preparing cucumbers

The main task before starting to pickle vegetables is to choose the right cucumbers:

1. The fruits selected are small, uniform in size, and firm.
2. Young cucumbers with multiple dark-colored pimples and spines are best for pickling and marinating.
3. The fruits should be a uniform green color, without yellow tips, with thin and not bitter skin.

When choosing vegetables, always taste them. Cucumbers with a bitter taste will remain bitter even after pickling.

If the vegetables are freshly picked from the garden, no additional preparation is required before pickling. Store-bought cucumbers should be soaked in a large container of cold water to restore moisture balance.

Recipes for delicious and crispy cucumbers for the winter

Over the long history of cucumber cultivation, many recipes for pickling or marinating the fruit have accumulated.

Classic cooking option

To enjoy the taste of real pickles all winter long, use the classic pickling method. These pickles can be added to salads, soups, sauces, and main courses.

For a 3-liter jar you will need:

• fresh cucumbers of the same size – 2 kilograms;
• non-iodized salt – 70 grams;
• drinking water – 1.5 liters;
• dill sprigs or inflorescences – 1-2 pieces;
• allspice peas – 2 peas;
• peeled garlic – 2 cloves;
• a few fresh cherry, oak or currant leaves;
• carrots and bell peppers are added as desired;
• a leaf of young horseradish, a small piece of root.

Greens and spices are placed in a pre-prepared container, and cucumbers are placed on top.

To make the brine, bring the liquid to a boil and mix with salt. Pour the hot liquid over the vegetables, and cover the container with lids. The pickles are left to rest for 5-7 days, after which they are ready to eat.

To preserve pickles longer, on the seventh day, drain the brine from the jar into a saucepan, bring to a boil, and pour it over the vegetables again. The jars of cucumbers in the new brine are sterilized and canned.

Important! To ensure firm cucumbers, avoid overusing garlic, as it softens the texture of the vegetables.

Crispy cold pickled cucumbers for a 3-liter jar

To prepare pickles using the cold salting method, you will need:

• fresh vegetables – 2 kilograms;
• liquid – 1.5 liters;
• spices and garlic to taste;
• dill inflorescences, young horseradish leaves and oak or fruit tree leaves;
• non-iodized salt – 1.5 tablespoons.

Spices, herbs, and vegetables are placed in clean, sterilized jars. The water is divided into two equal parts. One half is thoroughly chilled, and the other is used to make a hot brine. Once the water and salt come to a boil, ice water is added, and the resulting brine is poured over the vegetables. The jars are sealed with lids and stored in a cool place. The product is ready for consumption in 4-5 weeks.

Marinate with citric acid

You can pickle cucumbers without vinegar, replacing it with citric acid.

For a 3-liter jar, use the same quantities of cucumbers, herbs, and spices as in the previous recipes. For the marinade, you'll need the following ingredients:

• drinking water – 1500 milliliters;
• salt, without added iodine – 50 grams;
• sugar – 75 grams;
• a few bay leaves and allspice berries;
• citric acid – 1 heaped tablespoon.

Greens, spices and cucumbers are placed in sterilized containers, after which the containers are filled with hot marinade and closed with lids.

We pickle cucumbers

For pickling cucumbers A cold brine is prepared, poured over the vegetables, and kept in a warm place for 5-7 days. The brine is then drained, boiled, and poured over the cucumbers placed in sterilized jars again. The finished pickled vegetables should be sealed with nylon lids and refrigerated for storage.

Pickled cucumbers with vodka

To roll up pickled cucumbers with an unusual piquant taste for flavor, instead of vinegar, add vodka to the marinade at a rate of 50 milliliters of vodka per 3-liter jar.

Otherwise, this recipe is no different in terms of the number of ingredients from classic pickled vegetables.

For 2 kilograms of vegetables, use 2.5 tablespoons of coarse salt and 1.5 liters of drinking water. Spices, seasonings, and herbs are added based on taste preferences.

Method without sterilization

Place vegetables and spices in clean jars and pour hot brine over them. For the brine, use 50 grams of coarse salt per liter of liquid.

Next, cover the jars with lids and leave them at room temperature for 7-9 days. After this time, add brine to the jars containing the vegetables and can them.

Recipe with mustard

For a liter jar you will need:

• fresh cucumbers – 600-700 grams;
• coarse salt – 50 grams;
• sugar – 75 grams;
• drinking water – 500 milliliters;
• spices and herbs to taste;
• a leaf of young horseradish;
• hot mustard, prepared – 1 teaspoon.

Place the vegetables and herbs in a prepared container. Prepare a marinade from water, salt, and mustard, and pour it over the cucumbers. Preserve the jars and store.

Dry salting in its own juice

To make cucumbers in their own juice you will need:

• vegetables – 1 kilogram;
• fresh dill to taste;
• coarse salt – 1 tablespoon;
• sugar – 1 teaspoon;

Place the cucumbers in a sturdy plastic bag or container. Sprinkle the mixed spices over the vegetables, shake the container well, and refrigerate for 3-5 hours.

Crispy cucumbers like those from a barrel

To prepare pickled cucumbers like those from a barrel, place the vegetables, spices, and herbs in a prepared container. For the brine, you'll need 1500 milliliters of liquid, 1 tablespoon of salt, and the same amount of sugar.

Bring the mixture to a boil, cool slightly, and then pour into the container with the vegetables. Let the cucumbers sit for 3-4 days, then drain the liquid from the container into a saucepan and rinse the vegetables with cold water without removing them from the jar. Boil the drained liquid for 15-20 minutes, then pour it back into the jar and seal the lid.

Important! When boiling, a white foam will form in the brine; this must be skimmed off.

We prepare it in jars using the hot method

For this type of preparation, it is best to use liter jars, then the vegetables will be salted faster.

The canning brine is made using 1 tablespoon of salt per liter of water. All other seasonings and spices are added to taste.

Recipe in aspirin packets

Aspirin in tablets or powder will help you quickly make pickles for the holiday table.

Place the cucumbers in a plastic bag or container and sprinkle with a spice mixture containing a crushed aspirin tablet. This will give the vegetables a crispy texture and a marinated flavor.

Pickled cucumbers with carrots, bell peppers and horseradish

To pickle cucumbers with carrots and bell peppers, use a standard pickling or marinating recipe, but add chopped vegetables to the jar along with the herbs and spices and a leaf of young horseradish.

Method without vinegar

Experienced home cooks have long since abandoned pickling cucumbers with vinegar. Instead, they use citric acid, a not-so-healthy ingredient, at a rate of 1 tablespoon per 3-liter jar of cucumbers. The proportions of the remaining ingredients remain the same as for regular canning.

Is it possible to pickle and preserve overripe and soft cucumbers?

Overripe vegetables are suitable for slicing and salads. But if there's no other option and they need to be preserved, place the cucumbers in a deep container with cold brine for 24 hours. The brine is prepared with cold water, salt, 2 tablespoons of salt per liter, horseradish, herbs, and garlic.

After 24 hours, the vegetables are salted in jars according to the usual recipe.

Duration and storage conditions of winter preparations

Preparations made using the cold salting method are recommended to be stored at a low temperature for up to 5-6 months.

Cucumbers, salted or pickled using the hot method, can be stored at room temperature throughout the year.