# That's A Fine Pickle I've Gotten Myself In **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [August 1, 2021, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-a-fine-pickle-ive-gotten-myself-in/947763 "2021-08-01T14:06:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-a-fine-pickle-ive-gotten-myself-in/947763/21 "2021-08-05T03:27:32Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > My mother used to make pickled watermelon rind. She loved it, but I was a picky kid and wouldn’t try it. I used to like it as a kid (in the ‘60’s, you could find it by the jellies and spiced apple at the grocery store). I’ve made it as an adult a few times for old times’ sake. It’s okay, but _far_ too sweet for adult tastes. (The fleshy rind really has no flavor of its own, so it just picks up the flavor of whatever spices you add.) ---
**Author:** ![tavaritz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/71e660/32.png) [@tavaritz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tavaritz)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2021, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-a-fine-pickle-ive-gotten-myself-in/947763/22 "2021-08-07T05:57:22Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Is that enough vinegar? Most I’ve seen are 50/50. Plus there’s no salt in there. I thought you had to have some proportion of salt in there as well. It’s enoug vinegar and what comes to salt you can add it but why? Salt is itself a preservative. Use salt or use pickling. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2021, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-a-fine-pickle-ive-gotten-myself-in/947763/23 "2021-08-07T18:24:19Z")
Are you fermenting them? If you are, then you use only salt, and let the bacteria generate the acidity as lactic acid. If not, then you do need both vinegar and salt for preservation purposes. That low vinegar:water ratio with no salt is likely to be unsafe. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2021, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-a-fine-pickle-ive-gotten-myself-in/947763/24 "2021-08-08T06:52:28Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Also, for fridge pickles, leave them uneaten for a minimum of 30 days to allow flavor to fully develop. 30?!? Did you mean to type “3”? I make fridge “kosher dills” with pickling cucumbers, and 3-4 days in the fridge is all they need to get to their full flavor and consistency. I can’t imagine that they’d be edible after 30 days in the fridge, but they get eaten long before that anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2021, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-a-fine-pickle-ive-gotten-myself-in/947763/25 "2021-08-08T18:36:50Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > 30?!? Did you mean to type “3”? I make fridge “kosher dills” with pickling cucumbers, and 3-4 days in the fridge is all they need to get to their full flavor and consistency. I can’t imagine that they’d be edible after 30 days in the fridge, but they get eaten long before that anyway. I have dills that have been in the fridge for more than six months and they’re perfectly fine. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2021, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-a-fine-pickle-ive-gotten-myself-in/947763/26 "2021-08-09T00:33:21Z")
Okay, wow! Ordinary fridge-pickle technique, where you just pour boiling brine over cucumbers and spices in non-hermetically-sealed jar and keep in fridge? Or are you doing hot-bath canning and sealing the jars to produce your fridge pickles? I had always assumed that “fridge pickles” were by definition preserved only by refrigeration rather than by sterilization and vaccuum sealing as for shelf-stable preserves, but I am no canning guru and I may just have that wrong. But I still can’t imagine that my own “regular fridge pickles” would be better after 30 days than 5, or even still edible by then. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2021, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-a-fine-pickle-ive-gotten-myself-in/947763/27 "2021-08-09T02:49:01Z")
I’m having a disconnect on this. Yes, we use a hot spiced brine but no canning bath. Putting the lids on right away provides a seal. The 30-day thing is actually for the hot-bath sweet pickles, so that’s my mistake above, but yeah, the dills keep fine. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2021, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-a-fine-pickle-ive-gotten-myself-in/947763/28 "2021-08-09T19:13:15Z")
Okay, ignorance fought, thanks! Anybody have any opinions/warnings about reusing pickle brine for fridge pickles? That is, strain and re-boil it with fresh garlic, but don’t add more vinegar or salt? I haven’t tried this but it seems a pity to waste the old brine. On the other hand, it would be even more of a pity to waste the fresh cucumbers by pouring off-tasting old brine on them, if the re-use would make it taste off. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2021, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-a-fine-pickle-ive-gotten-myself-in/947763/29 "2021-08-10T17:13:59Z")
Don’t reuse the brine for more pickles, but save it anyway. It’s the secret ingredient in all sorts of things I make. A splash of brine can _make_ a Bloody Mary, and it really livens up sauces, dips and salads. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2021, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-a-fine-pickle-ive-gotten-myself-in/947763/30 "2021-08-10T17:24:58Z")
And it’s excellent for hydration during a long run on a hot day. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2021, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-a-fine-pickle-ive-gotten-myself-in/947763/31 "2021-08-10T18:08:37Z")
Thank you, because there is just no way in the world I would have known that fact from personal experience! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2021, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-a-fine-pickle-ive-gotten-myself-in/947763/32 "2021-08-10T18:18:19Z")
Making a new batch right now, this time with carrots. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2021, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-a-fine-pickle-ive-gotten-myself-in/947763/33 "2021-08-10T18:40:15Z")
Also great for a hangover. Standard Eastern European (and I imagine other cultures) home cure. (Salt + water + acid is excellent in killing that hangover thirst.) ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2021, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-a-fine-pickle-ive-gotten-myself-in/947763/34 "2021-08-10T18:42:46Z")
> **[Amazon.com : PickleAde, Dill Pickle Brine Juice, Replaced Electrolytes and...](https://www.amazon.com/PickleAde-Pickle-Replaced-Electrolytes-Reduces/dp/B08N89MGGT)** > > Amazon.com : PickleAde, Dill Pickle Brine Juice, Replaced Electrolytes and Reduces Muscle Cramps, 1 Gal (128oz) : Grocery & Gourmet Food ---
**Author:** ![SacFly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@SacFly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SacFly)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2021, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-a-fine-pickle-ive-gotten-myself-in/947763/35 "2021-08-10T20:54:07Z")
The refrigerator dill pickles that we make are fantastic. The brine we pour over the jars is the following: 3 qts of water, 1 qt white vinegar, 4 tablespoons canning salt (1 T salt for each qt of liquid). Between that and the fridge, nothing is going to grow in there. We do 3 or 4 quarts each fall and they are gone long before they go off. But I’d expect top quality for six months or more. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2021, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-a-fine-pickle-ive-gotten-myself-in/947763/36 "2021-09-16T16:58:24Z")
Just made some half sours - no vinegar, just salted water. Similar but not quite like the NYC half sours that I love. ---
**Author:** ![teelabrown](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teelabrown/32/8412_2.png) [@teelabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teelabrown)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2021, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-a-fine-pickle-ive-gotten-myself-in/947763/37 "2021-09-16T17:10:40Z")
I make what I term “kosher pickles”, even if I have no idea if that’s accurate. I slice pickling or Persian cucumbers in half lengthwise, and put them into a solution of salt water, garlic slices, bay leaves, and peppercorns. Maybe a few mustard seeds, too. A couple of days in the fridge and they’re ready to eat with pastrami sandwiches. ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2021, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-a-fine-pickle-ive-gotten-myself-in/947763/38 "2021-09-16T18:05:36Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > And what beyond cucumbers, carrots, and garlic do you recommend? I second the suggestion to try using cauliflower. Red bell pepper, too. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2021, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-a-fine-pickle-ive-gotten-myself-in/947763/39 "2021-09-16T18:24:46Z")
Radishes. Sliced radishes, carrots and jalapenos are a common pickle at Mexican restaurants. ---
**Author:** ![TheKingOfSoup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/34f0e0/32.png) [@TheKingOfSoup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheKingOfSoup)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-a-fine-pickle-ive-gotten-myself-in/947763/40 "2021-09-17T19:45:46Z")
Broccoli stalks make good pickles. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-a-fine-pickle-ive-gotten-myself-in/947763.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-a-fine-pickle-ive-gotten-myself-in/947763.md?page=3)