Instructions: COOL, torpedo-shaped cucumbers are the Popsicles of the produce world - they oblige people by cooling them off.

Biting into a refreshingly crisp, moist, juicy cucumber on a steamy afternoon is like sending your throat and stomach to a spa. Thats why cool cukes co-star in dishes from hot climates, such as the yogurt-based raita from India.

They can work their magic outside the body as well, as cooling ingredients in face potions and laid as slices on eyelids to ease weariness.

But exactly how cool are cucumbers? Thats ripe for debate.

Although claims abound that the temperature inside a cuke can be as much as 20 degrees cooler than the outside air, there is no scientific proof, according to several cucumber researchers.

In fact, Sheldon Margen in "The Wellness Encyclopedia of Food and Nutrition" (Random House, $29.95), states that cucumbers are cool simply because theyre mostly water - and because theyre usually served refrigerated.

Nevertheless, on a really hot day, its far more pleasant to be eating cucumbers than taking their temperature. With their moistness, mild flavor, low caloric value and satisfying crunch, cucumbers are naturals in salads, sauces, relishes and soups, often teamed with onions, dill or mint, and sour cream or yogurt.

Cucumbers originated in India or Thailand and have been grown for at least 3,000 years. They were popular among the Greeks as well as the Romans, who made pickles in crocks, according to vegetable historian William Woys Weaver. Their appeal spread to Europe, England and, with Columbus, to America.

Cucumbers grown in greenhouses, also known as English or European cucumbers, often are sold in plastic sleeves. They have thin skins, no seeds and a mild flavor - "a very pleasant eating cucumber," says Zandstra. Mild cucumbers are sometimes called burpless.

Cukes will last about a week in the refrigerator. Picked for eating at a modest size, theyre good, skin and all, although some artistic cooks peel away long strips of skin all around the cuke so each cut slice has a striped edge.

The skin of cucumbers that have been waxed for shipping should be removed, as well as the skin and seeds of older cukes, which can be bitter.

All that water inside a cucumber means they can be made to weep, as in this recipe for Wilted Cucumbers from the 1971 edition of "The Joy of Cooking":
Layer sliced cukes with salt in a colander. Put a plate or other heavy weight on top. Cover and refrigerate for several hours. Rinse off the salt, drain the cukes and dry them. Then put them in a bowl with 1/4 cup vinegar and a tablespoon of sugar dissolved in a tablespoon of water. Chill an hour and serve with chopped dill.

So let the cukes weep over the heat while you kick back, crunch on a salad and keep cool.

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