Cucumber: how to use it, from cooling infusions to skin care

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Cucumber is the most watery vegetable on the plot, and that single fact explains almost everything it is used for: cool drinks, light summer plates, and slices laid on hot or dry skin. This page covers which part to use, how to prepare it, what it tastes like, how to keep it from turning bitter, and when to leave it alone.

What it is credited with

• Refreshment above all. Because water is its main constituent, cucumber has a long-standing reputation as the most cooling food of the summer table.
• Light eating. Its very low calorie intake is why naturopathy regularly places it on the plate of anyone keeping an eye on their weight.
• Cucumber juice is traditionally described as extremely refreshing and slightly laxative.
• Cooling the skin. In folk cosmetic practice, cucumber pulp is used to soothe skin that feels inflamed, irritated or rash-prone, and to calm the sting of very light burns.
• Chapped and dry skin. Cucumber is an ingredient in countless lotions, where it has a reputation for easing chapped lips, itchiness and dry patches.
• Rehydrating the face. Herbal beauty tradition credits a few slices laid on the skin with giving back some freshness to any skin type.

Most of the traditional uses for cucumber are external. It is a topical plant far more than an internal one.

How to use it

Cucumber water, the everyday form

• Wash the cucumber, leave the skin on if it is unwaxed and homegrown, and slice it thinly.
• Drop a handful of slices into a jug of cold water.
• Leave to steep in the fridge for two to three hours, or overnight for a stronger flavour.
• Drink through the day; refresh the slices after a day, as the flavour fades.
• Pairs well with mint leaves, a strip of lemon peel or a few crushed juniper berries.

Fresh juice

• Blend peeled, deseeded cucumber and strain through a fine sieve.
• Drink it the same day, chilled; it separates and loses its taste quickly.
• Taste is very mild, so most people lift it with lemon, mint, celery or a pinch of salt.
• Start with a small glass if you are not used to it, since the juice is traditionally held to be slightly laxative.

On the skin

• Slices: cut thin rounds, chill them, lay them on the face or on tired eyelids for ten to fifteen minutes, then rinse.
• Pulp compress: grate the flesh, wrap it in a clean cloth and hold it against a dry or itchy patch for a quarter of an hour.
• Lip and hand care: rub a freshly cut slice over chapped lips or knuckles, leave a minute, pat dry.
• Always use fresh cucumber on skin, and never on broken, weeping or blistered skin.

In the kitchen

• Choose fruit that is firm, with deep green skin that is not shiny. Smaller cucumbers, around 10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm), have the best flavour.
• Most often eaten raw in mixed salads, dressed with yoghurt, dill, mint or vinegar.
• It also cooks well: baked with cheese in the oven, or added to a stew towards the end of cooking, where it turns soft and mild like a courgette.
• Salting sliced cucumber for twenty minutes and draining it removes excess water before dressing.
• If cucumber sits heavily on you, peel it and scoop out the core with a spoon. Bear in mind the skin is where most of the nutrients sit, so peel only if you need to.

Frequently Asked Questions

The one thing to remember: slice a fresh cucumber into a jug of cold water and let it steep in the fridge for a few hours, and you have the plant’s most useful everyday form.

Should I peel cucumber or not?

The skin is where most of the nutrients are held, so leave it on whenever you can, especially on homegrown, unwaxed fruit. Peel only if cucumber sits heavily on you, and scoop out the core with a spoon at the same time. Shop-bought cucumbers with a waxed, shiny skin are usually better peeled.

Do cucumber slices really do anything for the skin?

Folk cosmetic practice has used them for generations to cool irritated, itchy or dry skin, and cucumber is an ingredient in many commercial lotions. Chilled slices left on the face or eyelids for ten to fifteen minutes are the classic form. Use fresh cucumber, and never apply it to broken or blistered skin.

Why do my cucumbers taste bitter?

Two common reasons: they were left on the vine too long, or they were stored next to fruit. Apples and other fruit release ethylene, which pushes cucumbers towards bitterness. Pick them young and firm, and keep them away from the fruit bowl in the fridge.

Can cucumber be cooked?

Yes, and it is worth doing if raw cucumber does not agree with you. Bake it with cheese in the oven, or drop it into a stew near the end of cooking. It turns soft and mild, much like a courgette.

How long does cucumber keep?

One to two weeks in the vegetable compartment of the fridge, kept away from fruit. Once cut, wrap the remaining portion in film or seal it in a box. Infused cucumber water is best drunk within a day.

This information is provided for general interest and reflects the traditional use of plants. It is not a substitute for medical advice. If you are on medication, pregnant, or in any doubt, ask a healthcare professional.