Fresh and pickled cucumbers: useful and not very good properties. The benefits and harms of pickles

The most popular vegetables on our table have been cucumbers for many years. Salted and lightly salted, pickled and cask - they are present at every festive event. Like all foods, they have different effects on the body. The benefits and harms of cucumbers depend not so much on the composition, but on the method of preparing a fragrant snack.

Pickled cucumbers are an invariable dish of all hospitable tables

Pickled cucumbers - a source of nutrients

The benefits of cucumbers are due to the presence of beneficial trace elements and prebiotics in the product. The most valuable part of cucumbers is the presence of easily digestible iodine compounds. Therefore, those who like to eat pickles are much less susceptible to thyroid diseases. The presence of fiber prevents the appearance of tumors, so the benefits of pickles are undeniable.

Antioxidants Forming Calcium, Magnesium and Iron Provide Immense Benefits lightly salted cucumbers the body. Lightly salted cucumbers contain more vitamins than pickled or pickled ones. Pickled cucumbers contain beneficial bacteria that control the appearance of various microbes in the intestines. Lactic acid, produced during fermentation, lowers blood fat, improves blood circulation in general, and lowers blood pressure.

Pickled cucumbers: benefit or harm

Undeniable dignity canned cucumbers is the convenience and durability of storing a tasty product. But also flowers from cucumbers placed in jars can be beneficial for the body. "What is the use of cucumbers that have passed heat treatment? " - many will ask. Turns out, beneficial features all cucumbers have, pickles are no exception. The advantages of this snack include:

preservation of some trace elements and vitamins;
high fluid levels oxygenate the body;
acid enhances digestion and increases appetite;
pickled cucumbers have a mild laxative effect;
pickles neutralize the harmful effects of alcohol on the body.

Pickled cucumbers: benefit or harm to the body

What do pickled cucumbers contain - benefit or harm? It is impossible to say unequivocally, since each organism is individual.

The harm of pickled cucumbers consists in the following points:

the harm of pickled cucumbers to tooth enamel is due to the presence high level acetic acid content;
the property of increasing appetite is dangerous for people prone to overweight;
diseases of the liver, gastrointestinal tract, kidneys and of cardio-vascular system are direct contraindications to the use of pickled cucumbers;
pregnant women should also avoid pickled cucumbers. Salty foods significantly increase the secretion of the pancreas, which is undesirable.

It is worth noting that the harm of cucumbers is manifested only with uncontrolled eating of canned vegetables. Insignificant quantities of a "prohibited" product for a group of contraindications do not harm the body.

Pickled cucumbers in cosmetology

Many women know about the benefits of cucumber for the face. But only fresh cucumbers are suitable for cosmetic purposes. The benefit of putting pickled cucumbers on the eyes is zero.

Calorie content of pickled cucumber

Girls and women who control their weight through diet are interested in the calorie content of pickles. Considering the fact that cucumbers are 95% water, it is safe to say that the calorie content of the product, even taking into account the addition of sugar from the brine, does not exceed the level of 11 kilocalories per 100 grams. Therefore, most dietitians allow 1 cucumber to be eaten before each meal throughout the day. But after 18-00, patients can only eat cucumbers.

It is believed that the pickled cucumber diet can be a panacea for many diseases of mankind, but the duration of the diet should not be less than 5 days. In addition, pickles are part of the popular Six Petal Diet, which consists of 6 stages. Such a diet allows you to lose about 5 kg, normalize metabolism, cleanse the body of toxins and improve skin condition.

Probably not a single feast, especially in winter, takes place without such a delicious delicacy as pickled cucumbers. People use this product as a separate dish or add it to other tasty dishes, such as, for example, olivier, vinaigrette, pickle, etc. Ready-made pickles can be bought, but it is most pleasant to cook them yourself, because this requires very little time and costs ...

There are a lot of recipes for pickling cucumbers. Some of them are more complex, requiring more time and effort, while others are quite simple. Below on the House of Knowledge, I will share one of the simplest recipes for salting delicious cucumbers, which I use every year. In pickled cucumbers prepared in this way, you do not need to add vinegar harmful to humans, and they will be ready for use as lightly salted in 2-3 days. If they stand for a few more days, they will be salty.

Ingredients for pickling cucumbers.

Ingredients that you need to pickle one 3L can of cucumbers according to this recipe:

Cucumbers- 1.6-1.7kg
Salt- for a 3L can (1.5L of water) - an incomplete 100g glass or 90g (based on 60g per 1L of water)
Capsicum hot pepper- slice
Garlic- 1 clove
Horseradish leaves- 1pc of medium size
Black currant leaves- 3 pcs
Tarragon (tarragon)- 1 branch
Cherry leaves- 3 pcs
Water(spring or peeled) - up to 1.5 liters (for a 3 liter jar) or how much is required to completely cover the cucumbers
Dill seeds- 1 dec. a spoonful of seeds or ripe inflorescences (2-3pcs)

Read also: Salted tomatoes.

Cucumber pickling recipe.

Before you start putting the ingredients in a jar (or other container), they must be thoroughly rinsed running water... You also need to remove dried flowers and tails (if any) from the cucumbers.

Pickle for pickling cucumbers.

For brine, dissolve 90g of salt in 1L of water, then pour it into a jar filled with cucumbers and other spicy ingredients. If the brine is not enough, and it does not completely cover the cucumbers, then add clean water without salt. Remember that the cucumbers must be completely covered with brine, and those that remain on the surface will deteriorate.

Then add a small portion of clean water.

And at the end add the second part of the brine (0.5L).

The salted brine should completely cover the cucumbers and the horseradish leaf placed on top.

Cover the future pickles with a plastic lid and leave them in the room (for example, in the kitchen) for 2-3 days. At the same time, I recommend substituting a plate, a tray or, like me, a cut 6-liter eggplant under the jar. This is necessary so that when the cucumbers sour, excess liquid does not come out to the floor.

After 2-3 days after the start of pickling, the cucumbers must be placed in the cold (in cool place). After the cucumbers are kept warm, they will be lightly salted, and after a few more days they will be like salted.

The end of summer is the traditional time for pickling and preserves. Each experienced housewife has her own proven recipe, and yet there are secrets in pickling cucumbers that few people know about.

Non-pickled cucumbers

For pickling, choose only cucumbers suitable for this variety with a high sugar content. For example, cucumbers of the Nizhinsky variety are considered the most popular for pickling. If they cannot be identified by name, then they should be chosen by type. Salad-type cucumbers with smooth skin and white thorns are not salted. It is best to use small cucumbers with bumps and blackheads. But vegetables should not be soft and hollow, as well as long and too large. Pickled cucumbers usually have skin that is not very thick and not too dark. And you can't choose cucumbers. different sizes, otherwise they will not be salted equally and too large or too small will not taste good.

Iodized salt and soft water

What it is impossible to do without when salting cucumbers is water and salt. But you should be aware that soft water cannot be used, therefore filtered water is excluded. It is best to bring a good spring or well water, clean and hard, or take tap water and let it stand for several hours. Cucumbers salted in soft water will themselves be soft and bloated. Those that are salted in hard and unsettled water will get a metallic taste.

All vegetables are salted only with coarse table salt. If you use iodized salt, then cucumbers in jars will initially become slimy, covered with a gray bloom, and mold will spread on them. This will happen because the iodine, which is part of such a salt, will act on the lactic acid fermentation of cucumbers as an antiseptic and delay their salting.

Condiments and spices

Someone loves spicy pickles and uses allspice, mustard seeds, garlic in salting. Others love fragrant cucumbers and put dill branches in jars, different plants... When salting, many add oak leaves or even pieces of oak bark, due to which salted vegetables retain their firmness - but you should be aware that their taste will also change. When salted with oak leaves, the cucumbers seem to become sour. The real taste of pickles has minimal acidity. To keep the cucumbers firm, it is best to put currant and cherry leaves in the jars.

Cucumbers turn out to be bitter if you add chilli peppers, dried yellow dill umbrellas or too much garlic, mustard, basil and celery to the jars during salting. All herbs, especially garlic, should be put in a little.

Mint and tarragon are very rarely added when salting, the taste of pickles with mint is for a big fan, and tarragon contains a female sex hormone and should not be consumed just like that.

Vinegar and tablets

There are recipes for pickling cucumbers with acetic acid, but this is already a marinade - acid is still not required when salting.

There is also a variant of pickling cucumbers with the addition of acetylsalicylic acid tablets. Housewives who practice this recipe assure that the cucumbers are very tasty. However, this drug itself is very dangerous, and when interacting with salt water, it is not the kidneys that negatively affect. Still, when salting cucumbers, it is better to do without "chemistry", all the more so. But adding two tablespoons of vodka to the brine will not hurt, this will protect the jar from "explosion" during fermentation. And it is important to salt vegetables not in a gloomy mood, but with a feeling of joy, then the taste of the resulting products will be excellent.

Recently I can't guess with salt, I buy medium grinding, but when I open the pack, fine salt often appears inside. The family loves pets lightly salted cucumbers, if I oversalted them, what to do, how to correct the taste, is it a pity to throw away my ground cucumbers?

Ekaterina Maksimova asks

Miracle Chef answers

You can fix the taste of salted lightly salted cucumbers with simple and affordable home methods. We offer three effective ways how to fix salted salted cucumbers.

Method 1... If lightly salted cucumbers are salted without brine, then an effective salvation will be to cut the cucumbers into circles and put them in a container up to half or in a clean bag.

Sprinkle with a spoonful of sugar, close the container (or tie a bag), shake to dissolve the sugar and soak the cucumbers.
Add fresh chopped dill to the salted lightly salted cucumbers, squeeze 2 cloves of garlic through a press and mix the contents of the container.
Leave the cucumbers on the table, after 20-30 minutes the excess salt from the salted cucumbers will come out, then they can be eaten or seasoned like a cucumber salad.

Method 2... What to do if salted cucumbers are too salty? You can correct the taste of slightly salted salted cucumbers.

To do this, the cucumbers should be removed from the jar along with the herbs, rinsed under the tap, discarded the herbs and replaced with fresh dill, garlic, currant leaves.
Drain half salted brine into the sink, you will no longer need it, put the cucumbers back into the jar and add the herbs, which are used to make lightly salted cucumbers. Pour tap water to the top of the can.
Place the cucumbers in the refrigerator for 1-2 days so that excess salt comes out of them, and you can again enjoy the slightly salted taste of cucumbers.

Method 3... What can be done if salted cucumbers are too salted? If from turned into, you can advise using them in cooking, a salad called or from salted cucumbers to cook a delicious, any not salty dish. But, if the hostess's goal was to salt lightly salted cucumbers, and oversalt happened, then you can do the following.

Drain the brine completely from the cucumbers, rinse the fruits.
Put in a clean jar fresh garlic, a set of herbs for pickling.
Place the pre-washed cucumbers.
For 1 liter of unboiled water, take 1 tablespoon of sugar, stir to completely dissolve the sugar.
Pour cucumbers with sweet filling and refrigerate for 2 days.

We hope these three ways will help save the situation, and resuscitated lightly salted cucumbers will be to your taste.