Basic Quick Pickle Brine

I quite like the recipe & my issue is really my fault - I don't recall anywhere in this article mentioning these are SWEET pickles. Even though I added the half cup of sugar, I did not expect this to be a sweet relish recipe. Otherwise, this went off without a hitch - I'll just skip the sugar next time.

• JesseW

• San Diego, CA

• 8/30/2022

Yum! I made as written and used the brine to make both fennel and celery pickles. The celery pickles are great to have on hand to make tuna and chicken salad sandwiches. The pickled fennel is good on sausage pizza or sandwiches.

• moneta_

• Boston, MA

• 6/27/2020

Why is kosher salt needed compared to regular table salt if it is going to dissolve anyway?

• benalt

• 5/4/2020

Can you process these for shelf life?

• hiwoodward

• Avondale,PA

• 5/4/2020

I separately cooked carrot sticks, whole green beans, and purple sweet potato wedges in the brine till crisp-tender. Removed each veg when done, to cool and not overcook. Once the brine was cool, I poured over each veggie in separate containers to maintain bright colors. Very pretty and delicious!

• jansan1

• Orange County, CA.

• 2/3/2020

i changed the recipe slightly, sorry! after talking to a friend who has pickled before, i decided to substitute acv for white vinegar with 5% acidity. however, i followed everything else exactly and it was fantastic! i would definitely use this recipe again.

• hannahmattina

• michigan

• 5/15/2017

I pickle so many things. I teach pickling at a cooking school for home cooks and a good base is great! I've pickled red flame grapes, sweet peppers, green beans and just about anything I can think of. One thing that wasn't mentioned is that the vinegar must be no less than 5% acidity--it says it on the bottle otherwise it will not pickle nor will it be safe.

• madkitchenscience

• Redondo Beach, CA

• 5/11/2016

This is a good starting point, but the vinegar/sugar/salt ratio will have to be adjusted with each batch. There's a lot of tasting and tweaking involved in pickling because the acidity levels of different vinegars vary widely from brand-to-brand and type-to-type. And I find that most recipes don't use enough salt. The more inventive you are with the seasonings the better the pickle. Try adding coriander seed, allspice, fennel, dill, garlic cloves, jalapeno slices, red chile flakes, onion, etc. I got phenomenal results with my okra pickles when I added smoked paprika! This basic recipe will only yield basic results.

• worldbeat

• Oakland, CA

• 4/7/2016

I make this often, I use thinly sliced onions which turn out great. Almost anything I have on hand is fair game, saves on a lot of food waste. They are all great as a side with burgers, sausages, etc. Also great to add to a plain old salad.

• cordeste

• Pickering (Toronto) ON

• 1/6/2016

what do the carrots do for it, except satisfy the current trend to have carrots in every recipe. I like baby carrots in pot roast only! period.

• bbos42

• Orange Beach, AL

• 8/5/2015

For some reason mine came out more of a blue-ish color? I found that odd, but the recipe was still really delicious!

• doodlesbydanny

• 7/1/2015

I just found this recipe, so I haven't made it yet. My question is: Can you process this in a water bath? There's no way we're eating a lot of pickled veggies in a few days.

• Nonni2

• Pa

• 6/28/2015