All varieties of cucumbers can theoretically be used as salad cucumbers, also known as slicing cucumbers, or as pickling cucumbers. However, some varieties of cucumbers are much better suited for one type of preparation than the other. Regardless of whether a cucumber is to be sliced and eaten as is, or pickled and then consumed, the most important qualities of any cucumber are that it is fresh and crisp, not overripe and soft.

Certain varieties of cucumbers have been bred specifically for use in pickling. By using these varieties, the home pickling enthusiast will end up with a crisper and more flavorful result. If growing cucumbers at home, be sure to select seeds that are labeled as "pickling" or "good for pickling" on the seed packet. Good choices for pickling cucumbers include: Pioneer, National Pickling, Saladin, Bush Pickling, County Fair Hybrid, Liberty Hybrid, Ballerina, Boston Pickling, and Eureka Hybrid. For salad cucumbers, recommended varieties include: Sweet Slice Burpless, Salad Bush, Straight 8, Burpee Hybrid, Sweet Success, Poinsett, Indio, and Dasher II.

Pickling cucumbers typically have thinner skins than salad cucumbers, allowing for the vinegar, brine, or other pickling solution to better penetrate the skin and flavor the meat. Cucumbers intended for pickling are short and squat, whereas slicing cucumbers tend to be long and lean. Pickling cucumbers usually have "warts," the little bumps on the skin that are the trademark of the classic dill pickle; salad cucumbers usually have much smoother skins. Good pickling varieties will also have fewer seeds than salad cucumbers, unless they have been left too long to ripen.

Cucumber varieties bred for pickling are typically gradient in color: dark green at the stem end of the cucumber that fades to light green at the blossom end. Salad cucumbers will be a more uniform dark green from tip to tip. The belly of a cucumber is the side where the growing cucumber was in contact with the soil before harvest. A pickling cucumber will typically be a lighter green in that area than a salad cucumber.

As a general rule, salad and so-called burpless varieties of cucumbers do not make outstanding pickles, except for relishes or bread-and-butter pickles where a softer texture is desirable. Garden-grown cucumbers should be refrigerated immediately upon harvesting, and at least within 24 hours. Refrigeration will minimize moisture loss, which is the key to crispness. Store-bought pickling cucumbers should always be refrigerated as soon as possible in order to increase the likelihood of producing a crispy, crunchy pickle.