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Quick and Easy Dill Pickle Chips for Hamburgers and Sandwiches Recipe

The Food Lab

Unraveling the mysteries of home cooking through science.

J. Kenji López-Alt
Published: Last Updated:
Quick and Easy Dill Pickle Chips for Hamburgers and Sandwiches Recipe

[Photograph and video: J. Kenji López-Alt]

These quick and easy pickles are a snap to make and will have better crunch and brighter flavor than any store-bought pickle you'll find. They're perfect for burgers and sandwiches.

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Why It Works

  • A balanced mix of vinegar and water gives you pickles that are sharp and fresh, but not overwhelmingly tart.
  • Heating the brine before pouring it over the cucumbers speeds up the flavoring process.
  • Covering the cucumbers with a paper towel ensures that they stay submerged.

Read more: How to Make Quick Dill Pickles to Top Burgers and Sandwiches

  • Yield:Makes about 1 1/2 pints of pickle chips (enough for a dozen hamburgers)
  • Active time: 5 minutes
  • Total time:35 minutes
  • Rated: 5

Ingredients

  • 2 Kirby cucumbers, thinly sliced (about 8 ounces; 225g total)
  • 1 cup (240ml) water
  • 1 cup (240ml) distilled white vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon (about 15g) kosher salt (see note)
  • Pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 2 medium cloves garlic, roughly sliced
  • 2 teaspoons (6g) black peppercorns
  • 2 teaspoons (6g) whole yellow mustard seed
  • 2 sprigs fresh dill

Directions

  1. 1.

    Place cucumber slices in a bowl that just fits them. Heat water, vinegar, salt, pepper flakes, garlic, black peppercorns, mustard seed, and dill in a skillet over high heat until salt has dissolved and mixture is simmering. Immediately pour brine over cucumbers. Cover bowl with a paper towel pressed directly against the surface of the liquid to keep cucumbers submerged. Wait at least 30 minutes before serving (do not drain brine). Pickles can be stored in their brine in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to a month.

This Recipe Appears In
How to Make Quick Dill Pickles to Top Burgers and Sandwiches

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J. Kenji López-Alt Chief Culinary Advisor

J. Kenji López-Alt is a stay-at-home dad who moonlights as the Chief Culinary Consultant of Serious Eats and the Chef/Partner of Wursthall, a German-inspired California beer hall near his home in San Mateo. His first book, The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science (based on his Serious Eats column of the same name) is a New York Times best-seller, recipient of a James Beard Award, and was named Cookbook of the Year in 2015 by the International Association of Culinary Professionals. Kenji's next project is a children’s book called Every Night is Pizza Night, to be released in 2020, followed by another big cookbook in 2021.

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