Safe pickling
As it goes with anything you cook up at home, there’s a right and a wrong way, and a safe and unsafe way, to pickle. To prevent any cross-contamination, we recommend the following:
- Always presterilize jars before pickling, even if they’re right out of the box.
- Sterilize the jars by boiling them in water for at least 10 minutes.
- Throw out or repurpose any jars that have chips or cracks.
- Use jars that have a two-piece vacuum cap for a good, safe seal that will keep out bacteria.
- Don’t use containers made of copper, iron, zinc or brass, which could react with the acid and salt.
Flavor additions
You can customize your pickles any way you want to by enhancing the basic recipe. Try a few of these additions for a twist on the traditional pickle flavor:
- Substitute a different vinegar. Try cider vinegar, rice vinegar or red wine vinegar for extra tang.
- Add whole peppercorns, whole peeled garlic cloves, coriander seeds, mustard seeds or dill seeds for a big boost in flavor.
- Add hot sauce, red pepper flakes, fresh chopped jalapeños or other chili peppers for spice.
- Add whole cloves, cinnamon sticks or whole allspice for hints of baking spice.
More: The perfect old-school Italian hoagie sandwich, done right
In a pickle
Onions, carrots, cauliflower, celery, sweet or hot peppers, asparagus, green beans or zucchini all make great pickled vegetables. Experiment with what’s in your produce bin… you never know what you might stumble upon!
Some things are quicker to pickle than others. Thinly sliced onion will go much faster than whole carrots will, so if you’re in a hurry to use your pickled veggies, keep pieces smaller and sliced thin.
Besides eating your pickled vegetables straight out of the jar, you’ll find plenty of other ways to use them. They make perfect tangy additions to burgers, sandwiches and tacos or add a little pizzazz to an antipasto platter. Any way you serve them, they’re sure to be a hit.
Originally published April 2012. Updated September 2016.
Leave a Comment