The most delicious preparations of pickled cucumbers with citric acid
Do you like pickled cucumbers, but don’t buy them in the store because of the acetic acid in the composition? Or have you grown your own crop of cucumbers and are looking for the most delicious marinade recipe? From this article you will learn how to prepare delicious cucumbers marinated with citric acid.
Why is citric acid in pickled cucumbers?
The most common recipes for pickled cucumbers involve the use of vinegar. But many people do not like its pungent smell and taste. Mothers prefer not to treat small children to this dish because of the pungency and harmful acetic acid in the composition.
Many inexperienced housewives often refuse to pickle cucumbers because they are afraid of overdoing it with vinegar. An excellent solution to these problems is to replace the vinegar in the marinade with citric acid.
What does it give
Thanks to citric acid, the marinade becomes transparent, the cucumbers have a pleasant crunch and acquire a pleasant sourness.. In addition, citric acid is an excellent preservative that increases the shelf life of pickled cucumbers.
With citric acid in the composition, the marinade does not become cloudy, and jars of cucumbers will not explode on the shelf or in your hands. And most importantly, mothers are not afraid to give such cucumbers to children who really want to crunch on something sweet, sour and tasty, especially in winter and spring.
The best winter recipes in jars
For those who decided on their own preserve cucumbers for the winter, this article contains five of the best recipes with citric acid - the simplest and most delicious, without adding vinegar, to the delight of you and your children.
Before rolling the cucumbers, they must be placed in cold water for 3-4 hours - this will restore their elasticity, and in the future they will absorb less marinade.
Always cut the ends off both sides of cucumbers before placing them in jars. It is better to pickle small fruits whole. If the cucumbers are large, they can be cut in half lengthwise or crosswise.
We sterilize the jars before sealing. To do this, wash them with baking soda, and then place them neck down over steam for 7–25 minutes, depending on the volume. After sterilization, place the jars upside down on a dry towel. Boil the lids for 5 minutes.
Additional sterilization takes place during the procedure for pickling cucumbers, but not all recipes provide for it. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully consider the sterilization of jars during preparation for rolling.
A simple recipe for sweet pickled cucumbers
Ingredients (for one liter jar):
- fresh cucumbers 600 g;
- water 400 ml;
- citric acid 10 g;
- dill 1 umbrella;
- garlic 3 cloves;
- sugar 70 g;
- salt to taste.
Place dill and finely chopped garlic at the bottom of a clean liter jar, then place cucumbers on top, shaking the jar periodically so that they settle more tightly. Pour boiling water over it and set aside for 15 minutes. Next, pour the water from the jar into a saucepan and boil. Add salt and sugar to boiling water.
At this time, pour citric acid into the jar. Pour the resulting marinade into the jar again and roll up the lid. Next, you need to place the jar on the lid upside down and leave to cool.
Quick crispy cucumbers with garlic and mustard seeds
Ingredients (for two liter jars):
- cucumbers 2 kg;
- dill 3 umbrellas;
- garlic 2 cloves;
- allspice 14 peas;
- mustard seeds 2 tsp;
- water 1 l;
- sugar 2 tbsp. l.;
- salt 1 tbsp. l.;
- citric acid 1 tsp.
We take two 1 liter jars and sterilize them. At the bottom of each of them we place an umbrella of dill, a clove of garlic, 7 peas of allspice and 1 teaspoon mustard seeds. Place the cucumbers tightly in jars and place half a dill umbrella on top.
Pour a liter of water into a saucepan and boil. Pour it into the jars with cucumbers and immediately set a new liter of water to boil. Pour salt and sugar into boiling water and stir.
After 10 minutes, drain the cooled water from the jars into the sink, and pour new marinade from the pan into the jars. Leave for 7–10 minutes.
After this time, pour the marinade from the jars back into the pan and boil again. Add ½ teaspoon of citric acid to the cucumber jars, then pour the boiling marinade into it. Roll up the lids and turn the jars upside down.
Recipe with chili pepper and horseradish and cherry leaves
Ingredients (for one liter jar):
- cucumbers 600-700 g;
- water 500 ml;
- garlic 3 cloves;
- dill 1 umbrella;
- pepper Chile 1 cm;
- salt 1 tbsp. l.;
- sugar 1 tbsp. l;
- citric acid 1 tsp;
- cherry leaves, basilica, currants, tarragon and horseradish.
Dip all the greens into boiling water once, then line the bottom of the jar with it. Add chopped garlic and pepper. Dip the cucumbers in a colander into boiling water three times and place tightly in a jar. Sprinkle salt, sugar and citric acid on top.
Pour boiled water into the jar up to the very edge of the neck, roll it up, turn it upside down and wrap it in a blanket, let it cool completely.
Cucumbers with citric acid and onions
Ingredients (for one liter jar):
- cucumbers 1 kg;
- carrots 1 pc.;
- onion 1 pc.;
- sugar 2 tbsp. l.;
- salt 1 tsp;
- citric acid, 1 tsp;
- water, 500 ml;
- greens to taste.
Chop the carrots and onions and place them at the bottom of the jar. Place cucumbers in it, alternating with herbs. Fill with cold water. Add salt, sugar and citric acid on top. Close the lid.
We take water into a saucepan and place our jar in it. Bring to a boil. Then remove from the stove and leave to cool at room temperature. After cooling, do not forget to turn the workpiece upside down.
Recipe with citric acid and vodka
Ingredients (for one 3-liter jar):
- cucumbers 2 kg;
- water 1.5 l;
- vodka 50 g;
- sugar 50 g;
- salt 50 g;
- citric acid 5 g;
- parsley 6 sprigs.
Place the greens and cucumbers in a jar and pour boiling water over them for 15 minutes. Then pour the water from the jar into a saucepan, bring to a boil, add salt and sugar, mix thoroughly and cook for 2 minutes.
Add citric acid directly into the jar, pour in vodka and marinade from the pan. Roll up the jar, place the lid down, and let cool.
Pickled cucumbers with citric acid without sterilization
Ingredients (for one 3-liter jar):
- cucumbers 2 kg;
- water 1.5 l;
- garlic 5 cloves;
- dill 2 umbrellas;
- currants and cherries 5 leaves each;
- horseradish 1 leaf;
- celery, 2 sprigs;
- salt 2 tbsp. l.;
- sugar 2 tbsp. l.;
- citric acid 2 tsp.
Chop the garlic and herbs and put them in a jar. Place the cucumbers on top, compacting them, and pour boiling water over them for 20 minutes. Pour the water from the jar into a saucepan, boil it, add salt and sugar to the boiling water, stir. Then pour into the cucumbers, add citric acid and roll up. Turn the jar upside down, wrap it in a blanket and leave to cool.
Important! We remove the sample from the cucumbers after a couple of weeks, when they are sufficiently saturated with the marinade.
Adviсe
A few tips from experienced housewives:
- Be sure to pre-soak the cucumbers in cold water for 3-4 hours, or better yet, overnight.
- Always cut off the ends of cucumbers on both sides.
- All recipes are different, but try to adhere to the rule that for 1 liter of water there is 1 teaspoon of citric acid.
- Cucumbers pickled with citric acid should not spoil even at room temperature, but just in case, housewives recommend storing them in the cold. After opening the jar, be sure to store the cucumbers in the refrigerator.
- For more crunch, you can add cherry leaves and horseradish root to the marinade.
- There is also a completely natural way to pickle cucumbers - with lemon juice. But be careful: cans often explode.
Reviews
Housewives who have already tested the salting method with citric acid in practice leave positive feedback on the end result.
Galina, Volgograd: «Another wonderful recipe for making our favorite pickled cucumbers is with citric acid instead of vinegar. Why this option? It’s less harmful and can be given to children.”
Vlada, Barnaul: “Last year I made several jars to try. The jars stood perfectly, did not become cloudy. I liked the taste too. Crispy, slightly sour! Thank you!"
Evgenia, Omsk region: “I was looking for a recipe without vinegar, and it turned out so easy, casual, and quick. True, out of four jars, two became cloudy, but this did not affect the taste in any way. They didn't become spoiled. The transparent ones lasted from the summer until the spring of this year, I tested them. The taste is very delicate and cannot be compared with store-bought cucumbers.Absolutely not cloying, crispy, somewhat reminiscent of lightly salted ones, delicious! This year I’m preparing to roll several times more!”
Conclusion
Recipes pickled cucumbers with citric acid have long been loved by housewives. Such cucumbers have excellent taste and crunch, the jars do not explode and become cloudy less often. And most importantly, this marinade does not contain vinegar.
Never before has the process of rolling up cans for the winter been so simple and enjoyable. Anyone can handle these recipes; even a beginner in preparations can easily pickle cucumbers for the winter. And the taste and benefits of the resulting dish cannot be compared with the purchased one! Now you can always surprise your guests by simply opening a jar of homemade pickled cucumbers - an excellent addition to any dish on the holiday table.
These cucumbers are suitable for salads and various snacks. It’s delicious to eat them with boiled potatoes and butter, or just grab one and crunch it as you pass by the refrigerator. Bon appetit!