Creamy Cucumber Salad
This is a great side dish for a barbecue! Refreshing summer side dish! My grandmother taught me how to make this when I was young. It's so easy and delish! I'm so glad I got the recipe before she passed away so that I can keep her tradition.
This is a great side dish for a barbecue! Refreshing summer side dish! My grandmother taught me how to make this when I was young. It's so easy and delish! I'm so glad I got the recipe before she passed away so that I can keep her tradition.
- Carbohydrate 81.668070875534 g
- Cholesterol 56.4000000476778 mg
- Fat 62.9749325015179 g
- Fiber 2.91651115666697 g
- Protein 8.76096447429026 g
- Saturated Fat 10.4981318323837 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (795g)
- Sodium 1339.72604564696 mg
- Sugar 78.751559718867 g
- Trans Fat 2.95406880375534 g
- Calories 901 calories
Step-by-step
- Mix all ingredients.
- Better the longer it sits.
Crisp, water-rich slices enveloped in a dense, tangy emulsion yield a dish defined by sharp contrast between structural crunch and heavy creaminess. Mastering this preparation requires paying close attention to tool selection and chemical interaction rather than complex cooking techniques. Utilizing a mandoline fitted with a safety guard ensures uniform thickness of approximately two millimeters, allowing the dressing to coat each piece evenly without breaking down the cellular walls too quickly. When slicing firm vegetables by hand, a sharp 8-inch chef's knife prevents bruising the flesh, which would otherwise release excess moisture and dilute the dressing into an unappealing watery pool. Because dairy and vinegar emulsions react predictably over sustained periods, letting the mixture rest in a non-reactive glass or stainless steel bowl for at least two hours allows the sugar to dissolve completely while the cell walls of the onions soften.
Equipment and Preparation Mechanics
Processing high-volume produce efficiently demands the right hardware to maintain structural integrity. A mandoline remains the gold standard for achieving the necessary thinness, though a food processor fitted with a 2mm slicing disc offers a viable shortcut when handling large quantities. Plastic containers should be avoided during the resting phase, as porous surfaces retain residual oils and aromas from the vinegar and onions. Stainless steel mixing bowls prevent chemical leaching and maintain a stable internal temperature when transferred directly to the refrigerator.Storage and Make-Ahead Behavior
Extending the resting window beyond the initial two hours transforms the flavor profile as the vegetables release their internal juices into the surrounding emulsion. This specific preparation holds safely in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours, though textural degradation occurs rapidly past that window due to osmotic pressure drawing water out of the plant tissue. Freezing is strictly discouraged, as the high water content of cucumbers causes cellular rupture upon thawing, turning the crisp slices completely limp and separating the dairy emulsion into an oily mess.
