Greek Food, Cooking and Recipe Community

Preparing cucumbers for tzatziki

1 - 7 of 7 Posts
dpappas87

dpappas87

Active member
The last time I made tzatziki, I forgot to do this and the texture was very off. So this is a friendly reminder to all of you who make this. I wish I took pics because it was so gross!

I usually chop or grate the cucumbers and then add them to a strainer with some salt and let them drain out. Then I put them in a towel and squeeze the rest of the juice out. I cut corners and just did the strainer part. It wasn't enough.

How do you all prep your cucumbers for tzatziki?
 
dpappas87 said:
The last time I made tzatziki, I forgot to do this and the texture was very off. So this is a friendly reminder to all of you who make this. I wish I took pics because it was so gross!

I usually chop or grate the cucumbers and then add them to a strainer with some salt and let them drain out. Then I put them in a towel and squeeze the rest of the juice out. I cut corners and just did the strainer part. It wasn't enough.

How do you all prep your cucumbers for tzatziki?
Click to expand...
I didn’t know about salting them, I just grate them, put them in a tea towel and squeeze them as hard as I can. I save the juice to drink, it’s nice with a drop of gin cocktail ??
 
Think salting is important as it draws out water and cucumbers are very watery. I peel and seed them and salt to draw out water.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Laura48
dpappas87 said:
The last time I made tzatziki, I forgot to do this and the texture was very off. So this is a friendly reminder to all of you who make this. I wish I took pics because it was so gross!

I usually chop or grate the cucumbers and then add them to a strainer with some salt and let them drain out. Then I put them in a towel and squeeze the rest of the juice out. I cut corners and just did the strainer part. It wasn't enough.

How do you all prep your cucumbers for tzatziki?
Click to expand...
I actually prefer it on the “soupy” side and serve it with croutons, à la Gazpacho.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Laura48
The


dpappas87 said:
The last time I made tzatziki, I forgot to do this and the texture was very off. So this is a friendly reminder to all of you who make this. I wish I took pics because it was so gross!

I usually chop or grate the cucumbers and then add them to a strainer with some salt and let them drain out. Then I put them in a towel and squeeze the rest of the juice out. I cut corners and just did the strainer part. It wasn't enough.

How do you all prep your cucumbers for tzatziki?
Click to expand...

Both these methods of extracting the water from the cucumber is great. The objective here is the extract as much of the moisture, from the cucumber so it won’t dilute the rich thick greek yogurt. On the other hand you don’t want your greek yogurt to be to to thick either. But you can play around with the thickness of your yogurt (as well as taste) with the addition of olive oil and vinegar and with how much you strained your cucumber.
With that being said, I use the method of grating and squeezing the cucumber ant not salting. I feel that I have more control over the amount of salt that ends up in the tsatsiki.
I know lots of people that like their tzatziki being on the thinner consistency, and I had tzatziki where the yogurt was so thick that it was like you were eating frosting. My preference is somewhere in between.
 
dpappas87 said:
The last time I made tzatziki, I forgot to do this and the texture was very off. So this is a friendly reminder to all of you who make this. I wish I took pics because it was so gross!

I usually chop or grate the cucumbers and then add them to a strainer with some salt and let them drain out. Then I put them in a towel and squeeze the rest of the juice out. I cut corners and just did the strainer part. It wasn't enough.

How do you all prep your cucumbers for tzatziki?
Click to expand...
I salt them and put them in a towel and squeeze them out. I put the juice in a cup and add it to smoothies.
 
I wanted to chime in to say that I have been taking the extra step of prepping the cucumbers and I am so much happier with the results! Thanks guys.
 
1 - 7 of 7 Posts
You must log in or register to reply here.

JOIN THE DISCUSSION AND READ OTHER GREEK INFO:

What herbs do you use when making Greek stuffed zucchini?

I've been thinking about making Greek stuffed zucchini (kolokithakia gemista), and I'm curious about which herbs everyone uses in the filling. I've seen quite a few variations, and it seems like the combination of herbs can really influence the overall flavor of the dish.

Some recipes use plenty of fresh dill and parsley, while others include mint or even a little oregano. I've also noticed that some people add green onions for extra flavor. I'm wondering whether certain herbs are considered more traditional, especially when making stuffed zucchini with rice and ground meat.

Do you use a combination of herbs, or do you prefer to keep the seasoning fairly simple? Does your family have a particular recipe that has been passed down through generations?

I'm especially interested in how the herbs complement the avgolemono sauce. What combination do you think gives Greek stuffed zucchini the best flavor?

Favorite Greek Cheeses Beyond Feta

Feta gets most of the attention when people talk about Greek cheese, but there are so many other varieties worth trying. I’m curious which Greek cheeses everyone enjoys most beyond feta.

Graviera is one of my favorites because it works so well on a cheese plate, grated over dishes, or just eaten with bread. Kasseri is another one I really like, especially melted. I’ve also been interested in trying more regional cheeses like metsovone, manouri, kefalotyri, and formaela.

Some Greek cheeses seem to be much easier to find outside Greece than others, so I’d also love to know which ones people regularly buy and where they usually find them.

What Greek cheeses do you keep coming back to? Are there certain ones you associate with a particular region, dish, or family tradition? And if someone has mostly eaten feta, which Greek cheese would you recommend they try next?

Do you put potatoes in your briam?

I've noticed that there are quite a few variations of briam, especially when it comes to which vegetables people include. One ingredient I'm particularly curious about is potatoes. Do you always put potatoes in your briam, or do you prefer making it without them?

I usually think of briam as a combination of zucchini, eggplant, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, and plenty of olive oil. I love how the potatoes absorb all those wonderful flavors as everything slowly roasts together in the oven.

However, I've seen recipes that leave the potatoes out entirely and focus more on the summer vegetables. I imagine that makes the dish a little lighter.

I'm also curious whether there are regional differences in how briam is prepared throughout Greece. Does your family have a particular way of making it? And what vegetables do you consider absolutely essential?

What is your favorite Greek potato dish?

Potatoes show up in so many Greek meals, and I think they are often at their best when they soak up plenty of olive oil, lemon, herbs, and cooking juices.

Greek lemon potatoes are probably the first thing that comes to mind for me. I love when they are roasted until they are soft inside, a little crisp around the edges, and full of lemon and oregano. Potatoes cooked alongside chicken or lamb are also hard to beat because they absorb so much flavor from the pan.

I also enjoy simple boiled potatoes dressed with olive oil, lemon, parsley, and salt, especially with fish or grilled meat.

What Greek potato dish do you make most often? Do you prefer lemon potatoes, potatoes roasted with meat, fried potatoes, or something else? And is there a particular seasoning or family method that makes your version especially good?

Greek cooking without a recipe?

I've been thinking about how much traditional Greek cooking relies on instinct rather than following exact recipes. Some of the Greek dishes I learned to make were taught to me by feel, with someone showing me what to do rather than measuring everything out.

I actually enjoy cooking this way, but I've noticed that it can make certain dishes difficult to recreate consistently! Sometimes everything comes together perfectly, and other times I wonder what I did differently.

I'm curious how others approach this. Did you learn Greek cooking by watching your yiayia, mother, or other relatives? Do you measure ingredients, or do you just know when something looks, smells, or tastes right?
Sign up for a free account and share your thoughts, photos, questions about Greek food, travel and culture!

WorldwideGreeks.com is a free online forum community where people can discuss Greek food, travel, traditions, history and mythology.
Join Worldwide Greeks here!

JOIN COMMUNITY FOR FREE

LOGIN TO YOUR ACCOUNT
Back
Top