Why it works: Cucumber and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,734 recipes. Both carry 2-methylbutyl acetate, which smells fruit. The science ↓
Salt Pickles
Ingredients
Directions
Make the brine
Make a brine by mixing equal parts of salt and water.
Cure the cucumbers
Place medium-sized cucumbers in a stone jar and cover with the brine.
Cover with a cloth and add a weight; let stand for six weeks, washing the cloth frequently to remove scum.
Drain off the brine and transfer cucumbers to fresh brine for preservation.
Serve
To serve, soak some cucumbers in fresh water and scald in hot water, then place in vinegar.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Cucumber + vinegartop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,734 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-methylbutyl acetate (fruit).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Coarse sea salt
- Draws water out of the cucumbers and preserves them through the long brining.
- Medium-sized cucumbers
- Form the body of the pickles, becoming firm and crisp-textured as they cure.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity and sharp flavour to the finished pickles.
The step that matters
Washing the cloth during the six-week cure. Scum forming on the surface is a sign of spoilage-causing microbes; frequently washing the cloth removes it so it does not spoil the brine or cucumbers.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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