Imen Dridi Joy of Cooking Pickle Recipe is made with cucumber, vinegar, water, sugar, salt, and optional mustard seeds. It serves 16 and takes about 24 hours to pickle, providing a crisp, tangy snack that perfectly complements sandwiches, salads, or as a standalone treat.
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💚 Why You’ll Love This Pickle Recipe:
- Easy to Make: This pickle recipe is straightforward and requires no special canning equipment, making it accessible for beginners and convenient for those with more experience.
- Quick Pickling Time: Unlike traditional pickles that can take weeks, these pickles are ready to enjoy after just 24 hours in the refrigerator, offering instant gratification.
- Health Benefits: Made with simple, natural ingredients, these pickles can be a healthy addition to your diet. Cucumbers are low in calories and contain important vitamins and minerals.
- Long Shelf Life: When stored properly in the refrigerator, these pickles can last up to two weeks, ensuring you have a delicious, tangy condiment on hand.
- Satisfying Crunch: The quick pickling process helps retain the cucumber’s natural crunch, providing a satisfying texture that’s often lost in commercially processed pickles.
❓ What Is Joy Of Cooking Pickle Recipe?
Joy of Cooking Pickle Recipe is a simple, quick method for making tangy, crisp pickles using cucumbers, vinegar, water, sugar, salt, and optional mustard seeds. It’s an easy, customizable way to create delicious homemade pickles without needing canning equipment.
🥒 Joy Of Cooking Pickle Ingredients
- 1/2 Seedless Cucumber
- 1/2 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar, Distilled White Vinegar, or Unseasoned Rice Vinegar (120ml)
- 3/4 Cup Water (180ml)
- 2 Teaspoons Cane Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Mustard Seeds (Optional)
🥗 How To Make Joy Of Cooking Pickle
- Slice the ½ seedless cucumber into thin rounds or spears, depending on your preference.
- Measure ½ cup of your chosen vinegar – apple cider, distilled white, or unseasoned rice vinegar.
- In a saucepan, combine the ½ cup vinegar, ¾ cup water, 2 teaspoons cane sugar, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. If using, add 1 teaspoon of mustard seeds.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar and salt dissolve completely.
- Place the sliced cucumber in a clean, heatproof jar. Carefully pour the boiling vinegar mixture over the cucumbers in the jar, ensuring they are completely submerged.
- Let the jar cool to room temperature. Once cool, seal the jar with a lid. Refrigerate the pickles for at least 24 hours before eating. This allows the flavors to develop fully.
💭 Recipe Tips
- Vinegar Variety: The type of vinegar you use can change the flavor profile of your pickles. Apple cider vinegar gives a fruity tang, distilled white vinegar offers a sharp pickled taste, and rice vinegar is milder and slightly sweet.
- Add Flavorings: Mustard seeds are optional but add a nice flavor. You can also experiment with other spices and herbs, such as dill, garlic cloves, peppercorns, or red pepper flakes for a spicy kick.
- Slice Thickness: The thickness of your cucumber slices will affect how quickly they pickle and how crunchy they remain. Thinner slices will pickle faster but may become softer, while thicker slices retain more crunch.
- Ensure Cucumbers Are Covered: Make sure the vinegar solution completely covers the cucumbers in the jar to ensure even pickling. You can add a little more vinegar or water if needed.
- Cool Before Sealing: Letting the jar cool before sealing and refrigerating helps prevent the cucumbers from cooking and becoming too soft. It also allows you to handle the jar safely.
🍔 What Pairs Nicely With Pickle?
Pickles pair nicely with sandwiches, burgers, and hot dogs, enhancing flavors with their tangy crunch they’re also great with charcuterie boards, cheese platters, and as a garnish for cocktails like Bloody Marys additionally, pickles complement grilled meats and salads beautifully.
🎚 How To Store Leftovers Pickle?
- Refrigerator: Store leftover pickles in their brine in an airtight container or the original jar, ensuring they’re fully submerged they can last up to 2 weeks refrigerated.
- Freezing: Although not common, pickles can be frozen in airtight containers for up 6 months however, this may affect their texture, making them softer once thawed.
🚫 Can I Reheat Leftovers Pickle?
Reheating leftover pickles is not recommended, as pickles are meant to be eaten cold or at room temperature. Heating can alter their texture and flavor, making them less enjoyable.
FAQs
Can I use any type of cucumber for pickling?
While you can pickle any type of cucumber, smaller varieties like Kirby or Persian cucumbers are preferred for their firm texture and smaller seeds. English cucumbers are also a good option due to their thin skin.
Do I need to peel cucumbers before pickling?
No, you don’t need to peel cucumbers before pickling the skin helps retain the cucumber’s crunch. However, if using a variety with particularly tough skin, you might prefer them peeled.
What’s the difference between pickling and fermenting cucumbers?
Pickling involves immersing cucumbers in an acidic solution, typically vinegar-based, for preservation and flavor. Fermenting cucumbers relies on natural lacto-fermentation in a saltwater brine, creating lactic acid naturally, which preserves and flavors the cucumbers.
How can I make my pickled cucumbers crunchy?
For extra crunchy pickled cucumbers, ensure they are fresh and use grape leaves or a small amount of tannin, which can be found in black tea, in the brine to help maintain their crispness.
Are pickled cucumbers healthy?
Pickled cucumbers are low in calories and contain vitamins and minerals, they can be high in sodium, so they should be consumed in moderation, especially by those monitoring their salt intake.
Why did my pickled cucumbers turn mushy?
Mushy pickled cucumbers can result from using overripe cucumbers, not cutting off the blossom end, which contains enzymes that soften pickles, or from not using a crisp-preserving technique like adding grape leaves.
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Joy Of Cooking Pickle Nutrition Facts
Serving: 1serving
- Calories: 35.3 kcal
- Carbohydrates: 4.4g
- Protein: 1.2g
- Fat: 1g
- Sodium: 1095.1mg
- Potassium: 123.4mg
- Fiber: 1.5g
- Sugar: 1g
- Vitamin A: 105.7 IU
- Vitamin C: 5.4mg
- Calcium: 34.8mg
- Iron: 0.7mg
Joy Of Cooking Pickle Recipe
Description
Joy of Cooking Pickle Recipe is made with cucumber, vinegar, water, sugar, salt, and optional mustard seeds. It serves 16 and takes about 24 hours to pickle, providing a crisp, tangy snack that perfectly complements sandwiches, salads, or as a standalone treat.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Slice the ½ seedless cucumber into thin rounds or spears, depending on your preference.
- Measure ½ cup of your chosen vinegar – apple cider, distilled white, or unseasoned rice vinegar.
- In a saucepan, combine the ½ cup vinegar, ¾ cup water, 2 teaspoons cane sugar, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. If using, add 1 teaspoon of mustard seeds.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar and salt dissolve completely.
- Place the sliced cucumber in a clean, heatproof jar. Carefully pour the boiling vinegar mixture over the cucumbers in the jar, ensuring they are completely submerged.
- Let the jar cool to room temperature. Once cool, seal the jar with a lid. Refrigerate the pickles for at least 24 hours before eating. This allows the flavors to develop fully.
Notes
- Vinegar Variety: The type of vinegar you use can change the flavor profile of your pickles. Apple cider vinegar gives a fruity tang, distilled white vinegar offers a sharp pickled taste, and rice vinegar is milder and slightly sweet.
- Add Flavorings: Mustard seeds are optional but add a nice flavor. You can also experiment with other spices and herbs, such as dill, garlic cloves, peppercorns, or red pepper flakes for a spicy kick.
- Slice Thickness: The thickness of your cucumber slices will affect how quickly they pickle and how crunchy they remain. Thinner slices will pickle faster but may become softer, while thicker slices retain more crunch.
- Ensure Cucumbers Are Covered: Make sure the vinegar solution completely covers the cucumbers in the jar to ensure even pickling. You can add a little more vinegar or water if needed.
- Cool Before Sealing: Letting the jar cool before sealing and refrigerating helps prevent the cucumbers from cooking and becoming too soft. It also allows you to handle the jar safely.
