# Pickled eggs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 18, 2008, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pickled-eggs/460498 "2008-08-18T23:57:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2008, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pickled-eggs/460498/1 "2008-08-18T23:57:11Z")
My husband likes pickled eggs. I think this comes from being in a bar after the kitchen has closed, and the choices are peanuts, jerky, or pickled eggs. I found [some recipes](http://www.helpwithcooking.com/egg-guide/make-pickled-eggs.html) which lead me to think that I could kill two birds here. There’s always lots of juice left when we’ve finished a jar of pickles or olives. I’ve been pouring it down the drain. Couldn’t I pickle eggs by putting them in that juice? Has anyone done this? I will totally understand if there are no replies. Pickled eggs? Ewww. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pickled-eggs/460498/2 "2008-08-19T00:02:46Z")
I’ve done it. It turned out okay to my tastes, but I’m not a pickled egg connoiseur, so your mileage may vary. I wouldn’t recommend reusing the brine after it had been used for eggs. But if it’s only been used for vegetable pickles, and hasn’t spent much time sitting at room temperature, I think it should be fine. I’d also make sure the pickled eggs stayed in the refrigerator. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pickled-eggs/460498/3 "2008-08-19T00:27:37Z")
Thanks! We’re good to go then. 😃 (If there’s such a thing as a pickled egg connoiseur, I’d stay upwind of them.) I wonder what else I could pickle like this. Probably veggies, cauliflower, etc. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pickled-eggs/460498/4 "2008-08-19T00:33:40Z")
[QUOTE=AuntiePam] My husband likes pickled eggs. I think this comes from being in a bar after the kitchen has closed, and the choices are peanuts, jerky, or pickled eggs. I found [some recipes](http://www.helpwithcooking.com/egg-guide/make-pickled-eggs.html) which lead me to think that I could kill two birds here. There’s always lots of juice left when we’ve finished a jar of pickles or olives. I’ve been pouring it down the drain. Couldn’t I pickle eggs by putting them in that juice? Has anyone done this? I will totally understand if there are no replies. Pickled eggs? Ewww. [/QUOTE] Never done it, never had a pickled egg, but it’s something I’d like to try someday. I see no reason not to reuse the pickle juice ,as it is vinegar based and might fall into line with the flavor of popular pickled egg recipes. I’m sure one could also use olive juice, but generally olive juice is just a brine (salt and water), containing no vinegar. And the olive flavor might be a bit harsh and incongruous with the traditional flavor profile of vinegar pickled eggs. If I were to try it, I might do this… I’d probably repurpose the pickle juice by sieving it through a coffee filter, first (mostly for cosmetic purposes}. Bring the juice to a boil with some sugar(seems like all of the recipes I’ve seen for pickled eggs,use sugar), maybe a few extra tablespoons of vinegar and some salt to reinforce the pickle juice, maybe add a couple of tablespoons of prepared mustard and some celery seed. Cool the pickling juice, and pour the pickling juice into a bleach and hot water sterilized jar stuffed with the peeled hardboiled eggs. Leave in the fridge for a few days and eat. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pickled-eggs/460498/5 "2008-08-19T00:48:17Z")
There are a bunch of recipes online for eggs pickled in the juice from pickled beets. That sounds good, and it looks nice, too, especially the ones where they cracked the hard-boiled egg shell and did them like tea eggs. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pickled-eggs/460498/6 "2008-08-19T01:10:35Z")
**devilsknew** , for someone who’s never eaten a pickled egg, you have some potentially delicious ideas. 🙂 Except for using bleach to sterilize the jar – seriously? Is that particular to pickling? **cher3** , what’s a “tea egg”? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pickled-eggs/460498/7 "2008-08-19T01:12:18Z")
> [@](#): > > I wonder what else I could pickle like this. Probably veggies, cauliflower, etc. Slice up chunks of kielbasa and pickle them. ---
**Author:** ![LiveOnAPlane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@LiveOnAPlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiveOnAPlane)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pickled-eggs/460498/8 "2008-08-19T01:53:52Z")
[QUOTE=AuntiePam] … I wonder what else I could pickle like this. Probably veggies, cauliflower, etc. [/QUOTE] Pig’s feet. I’m serious. My dad loved them. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pickled-eggs/460498/9 "2008-08-19T03:13:06Z")
I love pig’s feet too! Kielbasa, yes! My husband loves pickled stuff. I bet I could pickle an Oscar Meyer wiener and he’d eat it. ---
**Author:** ![ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pickled-eggs/460498/10 "2008-08-19T03:23:37Z")
My father cooked up a pickled egg recipe years and years ago, when he spent a few months working as a cook at our small town bar and grill. Devilish Dan’s Pickled Eggs. They were on the hot and spicy side. He even wrote some elaborate story on the label, involving my brother and I. The label was lettered with my Mom’s calligraphy and covered most of the large mayonnaise jars that he’d fill with batches and sell. I will try and dig up the recipe. I can’t say that I ever cared for them myself. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pickled-eggs/460498/11 "2008-08-19T03:26:47Z")
[QUOTE=AuntiePam] I wonder what else I could pickle like this. Probably veggies, cauliflower, etc. [/QUOTE] Long thin veges lightly cooked like carrots, zuchini and asparagus and uncooked celery, cucumber sliced lengthwise. Cut to uniform lengths the sameas the height of the jar. You can reuse the pickling solution a few times. Great in summer for eating dips/salsa. ---
**Author:** ![ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pickled-eggs/460498/12 "2008-08-19T04:25:27Z")
My neighbor, the same ones we buy half a cow from every year, makes the BEST pickled green beans. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pickled-eggs/460498/13 "2008-08-19T07:21:18Z")
[QUOTE=AuntiePam] **devilsknew** , for someone who’s never eaten a pickled egg, you have some potentially delicious ideas. 🙂 Except for using bleach to sterilize the jar – seriously? Is that particular to pickling? [/QUOTE] Normally, in classical “put up” pickling one would sterilize the jar by boiling for a good 15-20 minutes in water. For a short “fresh pickle” like this that is refrigerated and has a three week time frame at the outside, I might wash and soak the glass jar in scalding hot water, detergent, and sanitizer (1-2 tbsp. bleach) for ten minutes. Then thourougly rinse them and let dry bottoms up on paper towels… then don’t touch the lip or inside of the jar. Chances are you could get by with just soap and water, but I’m a little cautious. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pickled-eggs/460498/14 "2008-08-19T12:06:09Z")
[QUOTE=AuntiePam] … what’s a “tea egg”? [/QUOTE] Take hard boiled eggs, lightly crack the shells but don’t peel them. Bring enough water to cover the eggs in a large pot to a boil, add tea, Chinese five spice powder, soy sauce, salt, fresh ginger, etc (there are lots of variations in the [recipes](http://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&newwindow=1&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&hs=6Y4&q=Tea+egg+recipe&btnG=Search), [here’s](http://www.recipezaar.com/127310) [two](http://www.recipezaar.com/161291)). Let those ingredients steep for 10-15 minutes, add the eggs and simmer for an hour or so. Remove from heat and (optionally) place saucepan in the refrigerator overnight or for up to 2 days. The longer they simmer (and cool) in the tea the stronger the flavor gets, so you might want to remove single eggs at intervals to get a variety of different strength tea eggs. CMC +fnord! ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pickled-eggs/460498/15 "2008-08-19T12:36:33Z")
I had pickled eggs in Ohio’s Amish Country and they were delicious. They looked like they’d been pickled with beetroot. They were pink. Mmmmmm. I want pickled eggs now. ---
**Author:** ![Shark\_Sandwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Shark\_Sandwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shark_Sandwich)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pickled-eggs/460498/16 "2008-08-19T13:14:58Z")
I can tear through come pickled jalapenos, and I’d always felt bad about pouring all of that delicious brine down the drain, so one day I decided to pickle some eggs with it. My process was similiar to what **devilsknew** said; I brought it to a boil, added a bit of sugar to cut the acidity, and then added some liquid smoke. Threw the eggs in there for a couple of weeks, and enjoyed. It’s a great quick breakfast or snack on the golf course. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pickled-eggs/460498/17 "2008-08-19T18:00:05Z")
[QUOTE=AuntiePam] devilsknew, for someone who’s never eaten a pickled egg, you have some potentially delicious ideas. Except for using bleach to sterilize the jar – seriously? Is that particular to pickling? [/QUOTE] [QUOTE=devilsknew] Normally, in classical “put up” pickling one would sterilize the jar by boiling for a good 15-20 minutes in water. For a short “fresh pickle” like this that is refrigerated and has a three week time frame at the outside, I might wash and soak the glass jar in scalding hot water, detergent, and sanitizer (1-2 tbsp. bleach) for ten minutes. Then thourougly rinse them and let dry bottoms up on paper towels… then don’t touch the lip or inside of the jar. Chances are you could get by with just soap and water, but I’m a little cautious. [/QUOTE] **AuntiePam** , I just want to stress that no, this is not particular to normal pickling or canning methods. It is a home method, not a commercial method, and an alternative shortcut that I have only used for high acidity foods or foods with enough sugar to prevent bacterial growth that I also keep refrigerated and consume quickly. For example, I have used this method for high acidity fresh chile sauces that I have made and a particularly tasty, sweet and sour, peach and habanero sauce. If I were making the eggs to give away to friends or family, I would go through the whole canning process from proper “boiling” sterilization to hot sealing. ---
**Author:** ![masterofnone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@masterofnone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/masterofnone)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pickled-eggs/460498/18 "2008-08-19T19:39:20Z")
[QUOTE=AuntiePam] **devilsknew** , for someone who’s never eaten a pickled egg, you have some potentially delicious ideas. 🙂 Except for using bleach to sterilize the jar – seriously? Is that particular to pickling? [/QUOTE] Lots of people seem to have issues with using bleach to sanitize (not = sterilize) things that will be in contact with food, but it is perfectly safe. You can even use it to [sanitize drinking water](http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/bleach.asp) at 1/8 to 1/4 tsp/gal. It is actually much safer than the traditional method of boiling the jars, as boiling does not kill spores of _clostridium botulinum_, which causes botulism. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pickled-eggs/460498/19 "2008-08-19T21:58:21Z")
[QUOTE=cher3] There are a bunch of recipes online for eggs pickled in the juice from pickled beets. [/QUOTE] Once in a while I’ll buy a jar of pre-made borscht ( **Gold’s** is the local brand here in Brooklyn), tip a cupful out, and drop a half-dozen shelled hardboiled eggs in. After a couple of days fermenting in the fridge, you have lovely purple pickled eggs.