Cucumbers are Cool

There’s nothing quite like a crisp slice of cucumber. A salad favorite, it adds a pleasant crunch without the effort of too much chewing. Cucumbers are great in combination with onions in a sweet vinaigrette or with yogurt and chopped radishes as a cool-down to accompany a spicy curry.

Typically, Americans buy the dark green slicing cucumbers, the plump, waxed 6- to 7-inch-long ones or the longer and thinner hothouse, or English, cucumbers. The young, unwaxed Kirbys are our pickling cucumbers. They’re small with pale green bumpy skin. Eaten raw, Kirbys are crisp and refreshing. Gherkin cucumbers can be as tiny as a little finger; they’re most often pickled sweet or tart with onions (cornichons).