Brining Cucumber (jabara-cut, serpent belly cut) to take water out VS

[skyhskyh]

Brining Cucumber (jabara-cut, Serpent belly cut) to take water out VS MC book on brining:

I have seen chefs especially Japanese chefs and books, do the jabara-cut on cucumbers, and then soaked them in salted water, they say this will take water our of the cucumber.

After reading the Modernist Cuisine book on Brining, it touches on how meat and seafood gain water in brining, once reaches 6% salinity, water leaks out, ... blah blah blah

Now obviously cucumber is not meat nor seafood, I wonder if brining vegetables also actually add more water rather than take water out?

Also: about Brining ovals such as fish male "sperm"

Some Japanese chefs I have seen, after they fillet a fish, they place the fish "sperm" (or male organs, whatever the name is) into salted water to take out water, then blanch and cook it in liquid, etc...

Is this brining ovals also really adding water rather than taking out water?

Edited February 19, 2012 by skyhskyh (log)

[Shalmanese]

cucumbers float in water but pickles sink so obviously, water is being absorbed.

[Michael S.]

According to Ideas in Food, the first part of the brining process involves the water in the meat/vegetables being drawn out into the brine before the brine itself can be drawn in in it's place. By that logic there may be a small amount of liquid removed from the cucumber if only allowed to sit in the brine for a short time, but it's not likely to be much. They also note that after a short brining period fish will not expel as much albumen (the white stuff that comes to the surface during cooking) and that might be the logic behind brining fish offal.

ETA: I'm not familiar with these preparations, what length of time do the cucumbers/fish offal spend in the brine? To answer your original questions, If it's anything significant it's almost definitely going to be adding water content rather than removing it.

Edited February 19, 2012 by Michael Speleoto (log)

[Mikels]

I have never brined cukes. HoweverI do salt them to draw our water.