Quick Pickled Cucumbers | Easy Refrigerator Pickles Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the ratio of vinegar to water for refrigerator pickles? ›

The basic ratio for quick pickles is 1:1 vinegar to water, and includes some combination of salt and sugar. Another ratio that is commonly followed is the 3:2:1 method, using three parts vinegar, two parts water, and 1 part sugar.

If you like sweet pickles, you can add sugar to the brine (I personally don't). What kind of vinegar to use? I prefer white distilled vinegar because it is colorless and offers a great tart flavor.

Sterilizing jars and standing over a steamy water bath for hours is not the most pleasurable way to spend a summer day! You can skip that whole process and make the next best thing – refrigerator pickles.

Quick pickles are not shelf stable and must be stored in the refrigerator, where they will last for up to one month. The exception being onions and shallots which will last in the fridge for about two weeks.

The classic ratio is super easy to remember and is easily scale-able depending on how many pickles you're making. It's 100% vinegar, 50% water, 25% sugar and 12.5% kosher salt by weight. So for example, 200g vinegar, 100g water, 50g sugar and 25g kosher salt (again, you can scale this up or down!).

Shriveling happens most often in very sweet or sour pickles. Using too strong a salt, sugar or vinegar solution at the beginning of the pickling process causes shriveling. Measure ingredients carefully when preparing a cucumber pickle that requires the addition of sugar, vinegar or salt over a 3-day to 2-week time.

Most pickle recipes call for distilled white vinegar. This is the clear, colorless vinegar made by fermenting grains. It has a mellow aroma, tart acid flavor and does not affect the color of light-colored vegetables or fruits.

Cider Vinegar

It is often milder and sweeter in taste than white vinegar which can be quite harsh. Its rich honey colour can turn pickled items brown, so it is best to pair with darker coloured produce if you don't want this effect.

You take all of your ingredients, apart from the product that is being pickled, and bring them to a boil. The heating process helps activate the flavors in the brine and marry them together. This hot brine is then poured over what is to be pickled and then stored in the refrigerator.

The cucumbers will start off bright green, but will become darker and more "pickle-colored" as they cool. Place them in the refrigerator. Wait at least 24 hours before eating the pickles in order to let the flavors develop. Enjoy them within 1 month.

Are refrigerator pickles supposed to seal? ›

The pickles are brined and turned upside down on the counter for one hour. They are then stored right side up in the refrigerator where the heat and the pressure have created a seal on the jar. Pickles done this way can last a few months in the refrigerator, and … they stay crispy!

Not only does the heat treatment kill off bacteria, it also makes them shelf-stable—meaning you'll find these spears on the shelves of your grocery store's pickle aisle. Refrigerator pickles, on the other hand, are not heat-processed and need to be kept cold.

An easy pickling recipe to follow is the 3-2-1 method; three parts water, two parts vinegar, and one part sugar. This 3-2-1 pickle brine is on the sweeter side, making it great for bread and butter pickles or spicy pickled beets. For a more savory pickle, use less sugar.

Quick-process pickles differ from fermented pickles because the pickling process uses acetic acid from vinegar rather than lactic acid from fermentation. Quick-process pickles are ideal for those who want to make pickles, start to finish, in a few days.

Most applications call for a 1:1 ratio of water to vinegar so the strength of the acid isn't too intense or damaging, and it can be stored in a jar or a spray bottle for easy access. Here's how we use white vinegar to clean 18 things in our kitchens.

Picklers should look for a pickling vinegar with 5% acetic acid concentration or higher. This is to ensure your vinegar is acidic enough to prevent the growth of bacteria and mould in your pickle jars. The more acidic the vinegar, the longer your pickles will last.

Regarding how to clean a refrigerator with vinegar, fill a spray bottle with a cleaning solution of one part white vinegar to three parts water. Apply using the same cleaning method as the baking soda solution.

If a pickle recipe comes out quite sour for your taste, don't be tempted to dilute the vinegar with water (or more water than called for) the next time you make it. That would reduce the safety. Instead, there's an easy way to fix the taste: just fool the taste buds by adding sweetener to mask some sourness.