How to Core a Cucumber

The interior temperature of a cucumber may be as much as 20 degrees cooler than the exterior temperature, which gives rise to the phrase, “cool as a cucumber.” Use either a spoon or a corer to remove the seeds from this favorite summertime vegetable.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:
Coring Cucumber Halves With a Spoon

To remove seeds for salads or to create stuffed “cucumber boats,” slice the cucumber in half and remove seeds with a spoon. Leave the tips intact for the best visual presentation.

1
Wash the cucumber under a stream of cool water.
2
Lay the cucumber on your cutting board in a vertical position. The cucumber should be perpendicular to the edge of the countertop.
3
Slice the cucumber in half starting at the top and ending at the bottom.
4
Place your spoon near the top end of one cucumber half so that the tip of the spoon rests on the light green flesh.
5
Scrape the seeds out with the tip of your spoon, starting at the top of the cucumber and finishing at the bottom.
6
Discard the seeds.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:
Coring Whole Cucumbers with a Handheld Vegetable Corer

Some recipes require you to stuff and core whole cucumbers. For this type of recipe, you should core your cucumber with a handheld vegetable or apple corer.

1
Wash the cucumber under a stream of cool water.
2
Slice the top and bottom ends off of the cucumber.
3
Stand the cucumber up on your cutting board with its widest flat end on the bottom. Keeping the widest part at the base will stabilize the cucumber as you core it.
4
Grasp the cucumber in your non-dominant hand and use your dominant hand to position the tip of the corer against the top of the cucumber. The corer should be centered directly over the seeds and should be pointing downward.
5
Push the corer through the cucumber until the tip of the corer reaches the cutting board.
6
Rotate the corer one full turn while it is still inside the cucumber.
7
Pull the corer out. The center of the cucumber and its seeds should come out at the same time.
8
Remove the seeds from the corer and discard them.

Community Q&A

Question

Where can I get that kind of corer in method 2?

Qamar

Top Answerer

You can usually find that a local store where they sell cooking equipment. That corer is a normal handheld vegetable corer, and is a common tool to core vegetables.

Warnings

Unwaxed cucumbers will quickly lose moisture. Wrap unwaxed cucumbers tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate them in your crisper for up to a week.

Thanks!
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