Pickles Are Dandy

If they're really good, sure. As a side.

I assume Buddy Sorrell ate Pickles.....

And fried pickles with BBQ are effin amazing.

Love Pickles... All kinds of pickled vegetables really. For cucumbers picled, other than Deli Kosher Dills with garlic, my favourites are Israeli pickles. They simply are the best. One common brand easy to find are Osem Cucumbers in Brine. About twice a year I find them on sale for $1 a tin. All Israeli brands are good in my experience.

Fried pickles? Is that breaded and deep-fried?

r2, come over here and let me kiss you.

Yes, R5. Lightly fried. Soooo good.

My neighbor makes his own pickles and shares them with me. They are delicious. He swears that it's all about the snap.

Yeah, a good pickle should snap. Should be crisp.

Famous Dave's Signature Spicy are the perfect blend of sweet and heat. Chips or Spears.

I remember picking them out of a barrel as a kid. It was a local deli. They snapped.

Do pickles in a barrel still exist?

Dick jokes aside, I could live off pickles. I love them.

I haven't seen them in a long time but I remember my grandma had them, R11.

Pickles. I love pickles.

Strub's full sour: WOW.

Do you know what are difficult to find? Watermelon pickles. I think you can get them from Walmart, but they aren't in any of the chain grocery stores around me.

I love half sour dill pickles.

What makes an Israeli pickle an Israeli pickle? I'm serious, no racist responses sil vous plait.

Ok, since we're doing questions here, what makes something pickled? Is it the vinegar? Is it a process?

I believe it's the vinegar, r19. There are different processes one can use, but I think the vinegar is the constant.

Love pickles but never put them on a great burger. They take over the beef, cheese and any other flavor.

Like bananas in a fruit salad, r21.

Joan Crawford explained that her mouth watered only for a nice, juicy, kosher pickle.

R18 I cannot be sure, but I suspect lower acid, less vinegar so they are actually fermented naturally. Most good Deli style pickles are like that too. Beginning with a simple brine, rather than immediately putting in vinegar gives a different flavour. Someone once told me the vinegar is added later to preserve them after natural bacteria is allowed to ferment them, a la sauerkraut. I have only done a quick picling process myself for onion and carrots, so perhaps someone with more technical knowledge could chip in? The Israeli pickles are definitely saltier, and many have more garlic. They are never all uniform in size either; I like that some are smaller. Sometimes you want a big one, other times not! They're always whole too. I don't care for chips or spears. They're cheap, try some! BTW, They're Israeli because they're product of Israel.

Oh that deceptive Joan, r23. Tell me another one.

What did she say about her mango lady-tango, r23? Joan choked up Persian carpets daily. Ask her handlers: each one of them needed to feed an inch-long vaseline stretch daily or it was So Long, Sister.

J'adore les cornichons.

Cornish hens are gross.

Sweet pickles are fabulous in tuna salad.

I love pickles but only Kosher dills, I HATE sweet pickles with a passion!

There's a place between sweet and sour pickles that I long for. Part sweet, part sour.

Those are my favorite.

It would appear someone forgot the Kosher pickles................Mamacita?

I ate a lot of pickles as part of my very low calorie diet when I was a model. I don't like celery. Popcorn - meh. After 8 pm I would eat pickles. And smoke. Seltzer water with angostura bitters. Pickles are tasty so its satisfying. I ate the less sweet ones. I ate no diary, no white sugar and no white flour. It was the 80's, we had basic no-nos, not like the food fascists of today.

R26 J'adore Cornichons ainsi que!

R32 Did you know fellow models who ate paper or cotton balls to feel full? Have read about it, but couldn't believe it was that prevalent. It reminds me of the TV shows about people eating non-food items...

r34, i am not r32 but yes! We ate cottonballs to fill ourselves up, we were told "it's maintenance."

R34 no guys I knew ate cotton - but maybe crazy women might do that. Most male models were naturally thin. The metabolism is fast well into the 20s. But had to get skinny to keep the best definition in the face. Built models were a different group. I wasn't "hunky". The muscle guys had to have low body fat too, though.

Those little red pepper flotsam are amazing, OP.

Once I use all the pickles I always want to save that juice for something else. Any ideas? Seems a shame to waste it.

Put onion, carrot, or celery in the liquid... bring to boil, simmer a minute or two, when cooled, refrigerate R37

I hate flushing that juice down the sink! What can be done?

You can add it to vinaigrette too R39/R37.... just go easy on salt, or omit.

R39, put fresh cut up cucumbers in the brine.

I grew up in the UK and everything was pickled. Onions, beetroot, red cabbage, eggs, Grandma.

Flush it down the toilet R39

R42 I'm British and picled onion and carrot was always in our fridge, but could never get down with pickled eggs... But give me a Scotch egg with some picles on the side... Heaven!

^ sorry my "K" isn't functioning properly!

Pickle juice is a great hangover cure.

I mix a 1/2 cup of the brine into steamed kale. Too much salt, but no way I can pour it down he drain.

R46 Have heard that before, but never tried it. A great cocktail mixologist friend of mine always adds pickle juice to her stellar Bloodies.

Pickle juice is a standard secret among Bloody Mary makers, r48.

I do eat my diary, but only when all the pages are filled.

Gosh, you guys are some pickle aficionados. My mother loved pickles but the only time I remember her serving them was when she would make us a grilled cheese sandwich.

R49 I did not know that... My British & Canadian friends do not add it, am thinking it is an American secret!

r52, it makes all the difference, you just have to be very careful while pouring and add the brine in small doses. Experiment. It's great.

^^ r49

Where do you get Israeli pickles in the USA? I've never seen them for sale & would like to try them.

I love any & all pickles but I've never learned how to can them (& am kind of afraid to try). This is a good & easy recipe for the freezer variety (I found it in some newspaper or cookbook sometime somewhere & wish I could remember enough to give credit), which tastes like bread & butter pickles. It's a good way to use up the vast amounts of zucchini that appear in the summer, & they look beautiful with all the colors:

FREEZER SQUASH PICKLES

2C zucchini (unpeeled, sliced in thin 1/2 moons)

2C yellow squash (unpeeled, sliced in thin 1/2 moons)

1 large white onion (sliced in thin 1/2 moons)

1 red bell pepper (sliced in ribbons)

1 tsp salt

1C white vinegar

3/4C sugar

1 tsp mustard seed

1 tsp celery seed

Put all vegetables in bowl -- sprinkle w/salt -- let stand 1 hr -- press liquid out.

Combine all else in large pot -- bring to boil.

Add vegetables to pot -- bring just to boil -- reduce heat -- simmer 7-8 mins -- cool.

Put in glass or plastic -- freeze until ready to serve.

Pickles, it turns out, are dandy.

I was skeptical once seeing the thread, now I am intrigued.

My grandfather made pickled everything, carrots, onions, tomatoes. I have store bought pickled green beans in the frig now. I love sweet gherkins. Nothing like grandpa's pickles, tho.

Are pickles&ice cream for pregnant ladies a 1950's joke? This seemed to be a thing.

I swear I only hear it on I Love Lucy.

I put up my own sweet pickles every summer with cucumbers I grow. This summer I plant to also do watermelon rind pickles. I had some at a farmer's market last year and they were fantastic. Literally made from the white rind of watermelons. But if you want a taste sensation just look for pickled okra in your grocery store. I can sit and eat a whole jar! I don't know if they sell them outside the south or not, but if you see them definitely buy a jar.

OP it’s a false flag, R56! Its a disgrace, all this pickle-related fake news. I thought we settled this at the link!

The Middle Eastern ones seem to have a nicer crunch. What’s the secret?

In NYC, don’t miss pickle heaven at The Pickle Guys on Essex St. Lots of choices, including the excellent aforementioned okra and pineapple and mango too.

R55 I bought the Osem pickles at Jewel, a Chicago Metro-area chain, in the Jewish/Kosher foods section on $ale 10 for $10.... They carry several other brands at many markets. You just probably won't find them in regular pickle aisle. The Osem are in tins, but some Israeli brands are in glass too. Maybe try a Deli near you that has a little market area inside?

R57 I love pickled green beans as well, but haven't seen them in awhile. Pickled white asparagus is delicious too.

The Middle Eastern pickles are probably lyme pickles which are extra crispy. We had them when I was growing up. They're fabulous. Something about using lyme makes them oh so crispy.

These are expensive but delicious.

Bubbies are good, and popular amongst other Jews I know.

Gherkins.

Thread closed.

Has anyone tried that new sandwich thing of pickles, peanut butter, and white bread?

About using the brine leftover when you've eaten the pickles:

Can you put raw cucumbers in the brine and thus pickle them yourself? Or do you have to cook the cucumbers first?

Just slice thin and you'll get good results R69... I prefer to boil, simmer a minute or two because the flavours penetrate better.

It’s all about CLAUSEN if they still make them. Haven’t bought in a while cuz too high in salt. Dill, refrigerated and crunchy.

I loathe sweet pickles! Especially relish. Especially in any cold salad or on burgers.

Claussen much better than Vlasic for sure R71

I'm going to eat some pickles now, while R67 is jerkin' his gherkin.

MODELS: START A THREAD PLEASE. YOUR BEHIND SCENE KNOWLEDGE OF LIFE, INDUSTRY AND EIGHTIES IS FASCINATING.

NOT BEING FACETIOUS/JOKING! HONESTLY!!!

after taking a Jameson shot Its a pickleback

To sweet pickle haters, try just a bit chopped finely in a tuna sandwich. Magnificent. And I'm a Kosher Dill guy.

Ive been taking a daily shot of Wildbrine Probiotic Live Shots. Its essentially delicious citrusy Japanese liquid Kimchi. . Like drinking pickle brine.

Oh! a lady OP wants us to know she is special about her commercial pickled products because she used the word "tufts."

God, these DL interloping women.

R77 I dare you to start photo bombing this thread

R77 you sad and sorry turd.

I'm a guy AND pickle enthusiast. I can be both.

Snap~!

Why are some pickles a deep-green color while others are light green? I like the darker variation for aesthetic purposes. How do I keep them dark green?

I still want to know if you can fish a pickle out of a barrel at the store.

That was a thing, is it still a thing?

R81 Get the Israeli ones then....regardless of brand, they're always dark green

My grandma use to make her own. They were delicious!

I like pickles, but not on my burgers.

I've seen eggs in a jar at neighborhood bars, r82. A barrel full of pickles doesn't seem that far off.

The eggs in a jar, though. Is that a hardcore alcoholic thing?

R85 is Mike Pompeo, thinking a happy middle will burnish his résumé. I don’t thing so!

I want to know who rolls up his sleeve to retrieve an egg from a jar. That is disgusting.

I want to know who you are. Who are you? I shun you, you are shunned.

Pickles!

Pickles in a Bush are the bomb.

What are those little seedy things floating around, OP?

I like pickles, but since I also have high blood pressure, I limit how many I eat. They have an insane amount of sodium. You would be much better off if you rinsed them under tap water to remove some of the sodium before eating them.

Are you kidding me? Pickles on a hamburger, BLISS.

My two favorite pickles are kosher dill and sour pickles.

This is the only kind of PC thread that can weather the DL storm.

Not enough people respect pickle, r95.

You fuckers are turning me into a frau.

I need to know from r64 how to incorporate lime for a snappy finish. You spell it LYME, is that something different?

There are two kinds of pickles: Vinegar pickles and fermented pickles.

Most store bought pickles, certainly the ones that are on the shelves, are vinegar pickles. Salt, vinegar, cucumber, spices. These pickles are cooked to some degree during the pressure canning process.

Lacto-fermented pickles (Kosher pickles) are made with salt, WATER, cucumber, and spices. Lactobacillus bacteria (the same ones the turn milk into yogurt) that are present on the skin of the cucumber (or added by the pickler) multiply and convert the sugars in the cucumber to lactic acid. This makes the salt-water brine acidic.

The flavor of fermented pickles is completely different from that of vinegar pickles. "Half-sour" kosher pickles are fermented for half the time that "full-sours" are fermented. Fermented pickles are NOT pressure cooked. They have a long shelf life (when refrigerated) due to the good bacteria that predominate.

Almost any fruit or vegetable can be fermented and pickled. I have made amazing watermelon pickles. You expect them to have watermelon qualities because they retain their beautiful red color, but they are totally sour. Same for apples. Jicama makes for a fantastic and crunchy pickle. I'm not sure what would happen to a banana. Fermented cabbage (sauerkraut) is so good that I can't stop eating it. It sounds gross, but it tastes great, and it's really good for you, because of the probiotic nature of the process.

An easy, at-home vinegar pickle is made with cucumber, vinegar, dill, garlic, clove. Slice the cucumber into spears or slices, place in a jar, cover with vinegar, spices, garlic clove and salt and refrigerate. By the next day, you'll have pickles. If you want them to be crispy, add a small amount of calcium chloride, available in the pickling section of the grocery store. These are called refrigerator pickles. They are not fermented and are not pressure canned. Easy.

[91] the little seedy things floating around (if you mean the round tiny balls) are mustard seeds. My mother makes pickles all the time, and I used to help when I was a kid.

Thanks, r99. You're right: it's mustard seed. Meanwhile I'm sitting here all blown away by r98.

Where does the sugar come in?

I want to make my own but I want a barely-there taste of sweetness. Do I add sugar right away in a small dose, or do I add it at the very end in a larger dose?

I like anything with a tufting of red peppers.

When I heard there was a pickle thread on Datalounge, this is not how I imagined it.

I want to know why they're called Bread & Butter pickles. Surely that isn't a thing.

I’ve had Spanish pickled garlic - and it’s seriously good! Really found it hard to stop popping clove after clove of them - def try if you see them!

Years ago, I was staying with a friend who had a copy of Gloria Swanson’s autobiography in her bookcase. I read it over the course of the weekend - fascinating stuff! So completely ‘Little Me’.

Anyway - one of her anecdotes was how she had been made an offer or had to make a big decision about something - I forget exactly! - but it was a hot day and so she stopped at the deli to buy a pickle from a barrel while she thought it over...

Apparently they were cheap and thirst quenching - she explained that though mostly forgotten now, this was quite common back then - far more so than ice cream or some refrigerated thing. At least for people who didn’t have a lot of money!

I made a “quick pickle” tonight, which I know some DL philistines will have a problem with, but they were delicious. Thinly sliced cucumbers in apple cider vinegar with fresh chopped dill, crushed peppercorns, and just a pinch of salt. Let sit in the refrigerator for a few hours, overnight is best. Very tangy and has a bite to it. Not for people who like the bread and butter stuff.

You can use pickle brine in your potato salad dressing.

I love Mt. Olive brand dill spears. Maybe because they are a bit milder than other brands.

Tufts?

I like to take a large uncut dill pickle and microwave it for 15-20 seconds, until it feels warm in my hands, add a drizzle of a good organic coconut oil- and Voila! The texture is amazing.

Afterwards, I like to make a lovely egg salad with said pickle and serve it to the fraus in my book club. They simply can't get enough.

R69 I do that all the time. I make what I call "half sweets" and "half dills". Your pickles will not be as strong as the ones cooked and canned properly, and you won't be able to keep them very long (make sure you eat them within a few days), but I like the trace of still raw cucumber when I make them that way.

Also R69 if you'll slice your cucumbers and lay them flat on a layer of paper towels for a couple of hours and soak as much of the water out of them as possible your half pickles won't be as diluted. Remember a cucumber is 95% water. All that water in the brine just dilutes it.

R68- Growing up I'd eat peanut butter and pickle sandwiches for lunch at school. They're pretty good-I prefer dill to sweet, but either is good. Make sure you blot dry the pickle with a napkin or paper towel because the wet pickle slices will make your bread soggy.

r104 From Wikipedia:

[quote]Bread-and-butter pickles are a marinated pickle produced with sliced cucumbers in a solution of vinegar, sugar and spices which may be either be processed by canning or simply chilled as refrigerator pickles. The origin of the name and the spread of their popularity in the United States is attributed to Omar and Cora Fanning, a pair of Illinois cucumber farmers who started selling sweet and sour pickles in the 1920s and filed for the trademark "Fanning's Bread and Butter Pickles" in 1923 (though the recipe and similar ones are probably much older).[12] The story attached to the name is that the Fannings survived rough years by making the pickles with their surplus of undersized cucumbers and bartering them with their grocer for staples such as bread and butter.[13]

R111: I ran out and bought two big cucumbers, cut them in half, sliced the four halves into quarters, and dumped them into the brine left over from a jar of store-bought. (It was the Bubbies brand; Whole Foods had them on sale.) After about three hours, I was too excited to wait any longer, so I started in on them.

They were great! Crunchy and kind of half-raw cuke and half-pickle. The only problem is all that salt.

Thanks, R62 -- I'm nowhere near Chicago (Silicon Valley, Calif), but just remembered that we have a couple of small Middle Eastern markets here & they might carry the Osem (or other) brand of Israeli pickles. I've bought good produce & pita bread at one of them but never paid attention to the stuff in jars on their shelves -- that's worth a try if I'm looking for something specific. I've never had a pickle I didn't like (though I do draw the line at okra!) & the descriptions here make me eager to try the Israeli versions.

Cheers R116, hope you get to try them, enjoy!

We used to call highway rest areas "pickle parks"

Thanks for that background R114. I had assumed people ate them with bread & butter! I did have a neighbour who ate the slices or chips on bread with cream cheese. BTW chopped pickle is a nice addition to a potage, or Vichyssoise too.

Basic vinegar dill pickles are pretty easy to make--main thing is having a big enough pot for canning (and powerful enough stove to heat that amount of water and keep it boiling.) There are various ways to make sure the pickles stay crisp. I've had my best luck with fresh grape leaves, which contain alar. I use cider vinegar, kosher salt, mustard, dill, cloves, fennel and black pepper. Sometimes garlic, sometimes hot peppers.

If you want lower hassle pickles you can just do refridgerator pickles. They don't last as well, but they'll work.

Tried the long-brine method once and it didn't come out right--the pickles tasted a little odd--fermentation and I have an iffy relationship.

I make quick cucumber and onion salad all the time. It's great as a salad dressing. My dad did this all the time growing up as he had a large vegetable garden.

Peel and half cucumbers lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Slice into half moons. Slice some Vidalia onion into the same size. Put in a jar cover with mixture of apple cider vinegar and water. I add a splash of white vinegar too. A little sugar and salt. Easy and delicious. They keep for several days in the fridge.

You can experiment with your vinegar ratios. Sometimes I'll add peppers or tomatoes but those need to be eaten more quickly as they break down and discolor the cucumbers and onions.

And my mom and dad canned a lot of pickles while I was young. Bread and butters were great. Always had onion in them too with the mustard seed and spices.

But what we're really good were their crystallized pickles. The water had to be changed a lot as they were being soaked. Probably lime soak but I really don't remember. They were spiced with clove. Very unusual and hard or impossible to find commercially. They were, as the name implies, almost see through at the end. But still crisp.

Her canned figs were incredible too. On a slice of buttered toast in the morning. Arghhh.

Apple cider vinegar/balsamic vinegar =much too sweet. Yuck. Only white please.

Pickle some radishes in the refrigerator using vinegar, salt, and sugar. They're awesome. Use glass, not plastic, since the red from the radishes stains very easily.

Drink a bit of pickle juice every day and your stomach will never ache.

A giant dill pickle and an ice cold Budweiser, delicious on a hot summer day.

Has anyone ever heard of drinking pickle juice for a hangover cure?

For all your big pickle needs, Wegmans sells an extra large square plastic jug of quite long and thick Claussens.

I can see there is a lot of pickle-love on DataLounge, which is a disgrace, btw, so I am trying to surpress my need to comment.

Has anyone ever tried these giant, overpriced pickles in a pouch?

Drinking a tablespoon of dill pickle juice is a great remedy for a sore throat. All that vinegar coats the throat all the way down to kill the bacteria, where mouth rinses and gargles can't reach.