English cucumbers, Cucumis sativus, were actually bred to create a cucumber without some of the more undesirable characteristics that this vegetable has, such as a tough outer skin, large seeds, and a bitter taste. They are also known as hothouse cucumber, burpless cucumber, seedless cucumber, and European cucumber.
What is a hot house cucumber?
Hot House cucumbers are classified as burpless which means they have thinner skins and are sweeter than traditional cucumbers. To preserve the cucumber’s texture and water weight, it is shrink-wrapped in plastic wrap, which doubles as visual recognition in the supermarket.
What’s the difference between a cucumber and an English cucumber?
Main Difference Between Slicing and English Cucumbers
The slicing cucumber is shorter, fatter, with thicker skin, and has larger seeds. De-seed this cucumber before eating as the seeds can taste bitter. The English cucumber is typically a darker green, longer, more slender, with fewer seeds.
What can I substitute for English cucumber?
Meanwhile, the Persian cucumber or sfran is good for stir fries because it can tolerate high heat. It tastes and looks quite similar to the English cucumber, but it’s usually shorter in length. These three are quite similar overall, so you can freely use them as substitutes for English cucumbers and for one another.
What is an English cucumber?
English cucumbers — also known as seedless, greenhouse, burpless, or European cucumbers — are long and straight with fewer seeds and thin skins, averaging about a foot in length. For these reasons, they are considered the crème de la crème of cucumbers.
Can you eat the skin on hot house cucumbers?
The thin skin, unless waxed, does not require peeling. Melissa’s Hot House Cucumbers are available year-round out of California and are “burp-less” cucumbers that are practically seedless. Usually eaten raw, Melissa’s Hot House Cucumbers are not waxed, so no peeling is necessary.
Why are English cucumbers wrapped in plastic?
Plastic wrap serves as an extra layer of protection for cucumbers that have particularly thin skin, like English cucumbers. This snug seal reduces and prevents rehydration and potential damage that can occur during packing and transit, and continues to play an important role even once you get them home.
Do English cucumbers taste the same as regular?
These are longer and more narrow than Slicer cucumbers. Most of the time they are not waxed and, instead, wrapped in plastic. Their seeds are much smaller and easier to eat so they do not require de-seeding. The taste is less bitter than slicers, milder and almost sweet.
Are English and Japanese cucumbers the same?
Japanese cucumbers are similiar to English cucumbers. They are, long, narrow and have a prickly exterior. They were bred to be “burpless” and tend to be much less bitter than some types of cucumbers.
Are mini cucumbers the same as English cucumbers?
These varieties exist within two categories – Long English Cucumbers and Mini Cucumbers. Long English Cucumbers are considered the classic Cucumber, whereas Mini Cucumbers look the same as Long English – just in a miniature, snackable form!
Are English cucumbers and Persian cucumbers the same thing?
The main difference between Persian and English cucumbers is the size — Persian cucumbers typically range from five to six inches, while English cucumbers have an average length of 12 inches.
What are the long skinny cucumbers called?
Persian cucumbers are thin-skinned and only grow to be about five to six inches long and remain quite narrow. These baby cukes are nearly seedless and extra crisp rather than watery, and have a mild, sweet flavor that’s easy to fall for. You’ll often find them in packages of a half-dozen or so.
What is the best variety of cucumber?
33 of the Best Cucumber Varieties
- Salad Bush.
- Spacemaster.
- Straight Eight.
- Sugar Crunch.
- Sweet Slice.
- Sweet Success.
- Tanja.
- Tendergreen Burpless.
Should you remove the plastic from English cucumbers?
The tight plastic wrapping also helps cucumbers last longer in the fridge at home. It acts as both an insulator to protect against cold injury and prevents and slows dehydration and spoilage.”
Is English cucumber the same as zucchini?
Differences Between Zucchini & Cucumber. Fruit or Vegetable: Though they may look similar, cucumbers and zucchini do not belong to the same family. Cucumbers belong to the gourd family while zucchini belongs to the Cucurbita family.
Are hot house cucumbers healthy?
Nutritional Value
Hot House cucumbers are an excellent source of vitamins A, K, C, and potassium.
Why do you remove seeds from cucumbers?
Why? Like tomato and pepper seeds, cucumber seeds add excess moisture to recipes if they’re left intact. This can cause your crunchy cucumber salad boats or cheese-stuffed cuke snacks to get soggy.
Should you peel an English cucumber?
You don’t need to peel English cucumbers or remove the seeds the way you would with other varieties. The compound in cucumbers that can cause a bitter taste—and unpleasant digestive side effects—is called cucurbitacin; it’s also common in other members of the gourd family, like pumpkins, squash, and melon.
Are English cucumbers already washed?
The majority of cucumbers on the market today have been washed, waxed, or shrink wrapped and are clean, meaning that the cucumbers are practically free from dirt or staining.
Do you have to wash wrapped English cucumbers?
Both regular cucumbers and English cucumbers, are slicing cukes. Standard cucumbers are short, wide and their skin is usually covered in a waxy film used to help them retain their moisture and look pretty in the produce pile. Always wash the skins really well or peel waxed cucumbers.
Are English cucumbers easier to digest?
Long English Cucumbers have a good crunch with thin, delicate skin that’s easy to digest. The best part: you don’t even need to peel them—just slice ’em up and eat them as the perfect quick snack. This type of Cucumber is great in salads as well as a ton of other things, too!