Pickles...refrigerate or not?
My gf likes her pickles at room temperature. So, we started having a conversation over dinner last night about whether pickles need to be kept in the refrigerator.
Do they?
Thanks in advance!
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16 Comments:
The "fresh" pickles, like Vlasic, that are sold in the refrigerator case of your grocery store SHOULD be kept in the fridge. If allowed to warm, they'll lose their crunch. The ones that aren't sold out of a fridge can probably be kept at room temp.
DaveFaris at 12:31PM on 05/22/07
Call the pickle police. I make all my pickles and they are stored in the refrigerator. The cold makes them crisp and keeps them longer than if you set them out in room temp.
Read what is on the Vlasic or any other pickle label. It is embalming fluid for crying out loud. Make a pickle. It is easy boil the vinegar water salt and spices, pour it over your cuke pieces in a jar and when the jar cools put it in the refrigerator. Takes all of 20 mins.
With cuke season coming and prices will go down make a few jars.
Come on people be one with the pickle.
JerzeeTomato at 12:36PM on 05/22/07
I do like to make my own, but the prices of the pickling cucumbers at the grocery store seems daunting, and the quality of the pickle seems lousy. Trader Joes sold these small packages of finger sized cukes when I was in the store a few weeks back, but the resulting pickle didn't produce a very satisfying crunch.
Also, I've read recipes that say that cider vinegar is the only way to go, but I find that it gives the pickle an off flavor, so I stick with the white vinegar.
DaveFaris at 1:10PM on 05/22/07
I agree with "Tomato" . . . homemade pickles are easy and are the best.
But, if we have to buy 'em, we buy the Claussen Kosher Dills sold in the refrigerated section of the supermarket. Of course, they have to "always" be kept refrigerated.
If you read the "chemical soup" that most non-refrigerated pickles are packed in (calcium chloride, sodium benzoate, alum, artificial flavors, ploysorbate 80, yellow #5 food dye, etc) . . . you may want to store those in the garbage disposal!
DocChuck at 1:10PM on 05/22/07
Anyone pondering a plunge into pickle-making (oy, I'm channeling Frank Bruni) might be interested in Quick Pickles: Easy Recipes for Big Flavor by Chris Schlesinger and Doc Willoughby. Most of the pickles can be put together fast and are ready to eat after a night in the fridge.
Cathy at 1:56PM on 05/22/07
...this is why I read this blog. Now I can make my own pickles. Thanks!
skigil at 2:20PM on 05/22/07
I learned something today too. I make my own relish, but have been buying shelf stable pickles for years because I'm not a big pickle fan. That is one of the few items I've never read the label on! I'm going to save some of those cukes I use for relish to make some good pickles for my husband this year. Thank you!
mepolo at 2:39PM on 05/22/07
I don't mean to sound self-promoting but since we're talking about making pickles on your own, there is an article on this site all about just that: http://www.seriouseats.com/2007/02/in-letting-vegetables-sit-in.html
Hooray for homemade!
Cathy@noteatingoutinny at 3:35PM on 05/22/07
Thanks, Cathy@NotEatingOut: I was just going to jump in and link to that article. I'm going to use it as a cue to start making my own pickles for burgers. ;)
Adam Kuban at 4:09PM on 05/22/07
I mentioned this post in an earlier thread:
http://offthebroiler.wordpress.com/2006/08/18/makin-pickles/
jperlow at 4:30PM on 05/22/07
Hey thanks for all the info, guys. I've been making little batches of refrigerator pickles for a while and wanting to graduate to more serious pickle making. I'm going to take the leap.
ceres at 4:40PM on 05/22/07
Rice wine vinegar, it is mild and flavorful and I use it for my fresh pickles.
Give it a try.
JerzeeTomato at 1:34AM on 05/23/07
I love pickles and prefer them cold. I've never read the label on a pickle jar because I naively assumed they contained nothing more than cukes, vinegar and spices/flavorings. Now I am scared. I have a full, large jar of store-bought dill slices in the fridge which will probably be gone by the summer unless I go home and read the label. A moral dilemma, for sure.
AuntJone at 9:05AM on 05/23/07
Pickle juice is not "embalming fluid" despite what some retards may say, and the ENTIRE POINT of pickling things is to preserve them so that they will last longer. It was done before fridges, freezers, or even ice boxes were invented. All pickled products can be kept at room temperature. That's the point of pickling. As long as they're floating in the pickle juice they will not spoil. They'll keep for months as long as they're not exposed to much heat and light. The pantry is usually a better place for pickle storage than the fridge if you make your own in large numbers.
The same is true of jellies, jams, and preserves. No need to refrigerate them, but keep them in a resealable jar nevertheless.
It's sad that these days even people who don't know the point of certain food preparation methods still know how to perform them, and think that makes them qualified to give good advice.
Honestly, it's like you've never heard of the germ theory of disease, or anything about the life cycle of bacteria. Do you think things just magically decay and go bad when left out? No, microorganisms are necessary for that to happen, and the point of picking is that it's a preservative fluid that bacteria cannot live in. Jellies, like honey, are too sugary for bacteria to multiply in them. You can actually clean a wound with honey, because it's sterile.
"Embalming fluid" is formaldehyde and alcohol. It's a smell you'll never forget if you ever smell it. Head to the nearest funeral home and ask them. It's also highly poisonous.
sciencedude at 3:42PM on 11/21/08
Ice cold pickles are so much better than room temp! I was surpised to learn that Movie Theatres up north don't sell pickles. I can't see a movie without one! Down here in the south, every theatre has an enormous jar of jumbo dill pickles in a bowl of ice at every concession stand. Anyone else addicted to movie pickes?
ginakaye at 3:17PM on 12/09/08
@sciencedude, bacteria may not be fond of jellies and jams, but mold sure likes it. I've gotten moldy growth on jellies that have been in the fridge, because I simply don't use it fast enough. So when I have it, it's going to be staying in the fridge.
dbcurrie at 3:39PM on 12/09/08