Reusing pickle brine

Question

So I just finished a jar of home-made pickles. They were excellent! Not too salty, a bit spicy, very good. They were so good that I'd like to get some more pickles out of that jar. I was thinking of pickling some eggs in that same brine. Is reusing brine ever done? Are there any reasons I shouldn't do it? I've never heard of this being done, but I don't see why not.

Asked by FrustratedWithFormsDesigner

Answer

I have done some experiments pickling eggs with left over cucumber pickle brine.

Just to be safe I reboiled the brine to sterilize it.

It tasted great.

I don't do this with my eggs anymore simply because pickled eggs have more potential than cucumbers. I pickle my eggs now with different vinegars, like balsamic, for more interesting flavors and colors.

Answered by Sobachatina

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How long should I wait before I lift the lid of my sauerkraut crock?

Question

I have 5 - 6 lbs of sauerkraut in a crock with a water vacuum seal. I read that the first 24 - 48 hours are crucial to the success of the kraut. I also read that the kraut should develop its own liquid during this time, and that one can pour boiled water on top if it doesn't. However, I also read that it shouldn't be disturbed for a fairly long period of time. I am a bit confused. Should I check on the progress after a few days, or not?

Asked by mamadalgas

Answer

Don't check on it.

When I lived in Virginia I used to drive up to Pennsylvania every year to this little Amish farm to buy a gallon of the best sauerkraut I've ever tasted. They showed you how they made it, and I remember the farmer stressing two things: (1) sterilize the jars, (2) don't touch it for 2 months.

Answered by hobodave

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My sauerkraut brine seems slightly slimy but the batch otherwise seems normal--is it ok?

Question

Recently I started a batch of sauerkraut, the first after several years. Unlike my previous batches this one is much smaller (half a head of cabbage, as opposed to several full heads), uses Morton's Kosher salt as opposed to sea salt, and fermentation was started in a large bowl as opposed to a crock.

Today I received a new crock, and transferred the batch from the bowl into the crock. The sauerkraut is about 72 hours old, and seems to be progresssing and expected--however as I transferred the kraut I noticed that the brine appeared slimy as it dripped. Aside from it's appearance when dripping it seems normal (I tasted a small amount, it smells like it should, and when the brine is standing still it appears normal. I also ran some of the extra brine through my fingers and it didn't feel slimy).

I'm curious if this is normal--perhaps either because the the kraut is relatively young (at only 3 days), or perhaps because of using "plain" kosher salt which may have additives such as anti-caking agents. Or perhaps it is perfectly normal and I've just never noticed it before, as I've never transferred a batch between vessels before.

Asked by STW

Answer

I recently made a batch of kimchi and had the same experience - slimy looking brine. That said, I had added red pepper slices (which was new for me).

The kimchi tasted normal and I ate it and experienced no ill-effects.

I say it's good. IANADr

Answered by Trey Jackson

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Can you pickle avacados?

Question

I wanted to see if anyone has tried to pickle avocados?

Mostly I am interested to use only vinegar, and/or salt.

Answer

I've never heard of it being done and I can't imagine why you'd want to try. An avocado is 70-80% water and 15% fat. That means you would basically be making pickled fat.

Compare to cucumbers and peppers which are both in the range of 0.1 to 0.2% fat, and much firmer than even an unripe avocado when raw.

I'm sure that it would be safe as long as it's done properly and the pH is under 4.6, and the acidity would kill or slow down the enzymes enough to prevent it from turning black. But I don't think it would be edible, even if you added oil to the mix. We are biologically hardwired to perceive sour fat as being rancid, and unlike certain pickled meats, there's no umami in there to compete with that sensation.

If you feel you must try this, at least start with an unripe avocado and see what it's like after a few days. A ripe avocado would almost certainly disintegrate in a pickling brine.

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Pickling without Sterilization - Is It Safe?

Question

Is this recipe safe? The author is making pickles without sterilizing the jars first and I've ALWAYS read that you have to sterilize the jars first.

Answer

The recipe appears to be close to a standard Summer Pickle recipe. It's about a 9% brine with 3.75% acetic acid, which should effectively discourage human pathogens. It is not a fermented product. They're meant to be refrigerated for at most a few months, not stored on some dusty basement shelf. Refrigerated properly, I'd eat them without concern.

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How to sweeten pickled ginger to be served with sushi?

Question

I bought a jar of pickled ginger from the local asian food market to go along with the sushi I have been preparing at home. This texture of this ginger is harder, and the taste much bitter. This is not the gari I am used to tasting from the sushi bar.

The ingredients of the jar read "Ginger, water, vinegar, sugar, salt, FD&C red no 40. as colour, saccharin as sweetener, sodium benzoate and sodium metabisulfite as preservatives."

Do sushi restaurants do anything special to sweeten their gari?

Answer

There are two common varieties of pickled ginger in Japan (and a bunch of less common ones). The "gari" is "amazu-shouga" (甘酢生姜 or 甘酢しょうが) it's usually thinly sliced and often, though not always, left uncolored, or just colored enough to leave it slightly pink instead of yellowish-white. Due to generous use of sugar or other sweeteners, it's usually somewhat sweet, and that's right there in the name, which roughly translates as "sweet vinegar ginger".

Another variety, which typically comes in the shape of thick matchsticks, is a bit saltier and, because of the thickness, a bit firmer. It's called "kizami-shouga" or (きざみ生姜 or きざみしょうが). Kizami refers to the shape, not the flavor. Occasionally this will be labeled "beni-shouga" (紅ショウガ), which means red ginger. It's generally used to garnish and season things like yakisoba or okonomiyaki, but is not typically served with most types of sushi. The amazu shouga is more common for most sushi.

So it's possible that you've picked up kizami-shouga instead of amazu-shouga. While there's nothing stopping you from adding sugar or other sweeteners from the brine, that probably won't help that much. If you do have amazu-shouga, it's also possible you've just found one that doesn't taste that good. The quality of packaged Japanese pickles I've found in the US isn't all that great, though I've occasionally found decent umeboshi.

You might try a different brand, or consider pickling your own ginger. The basic process for pickling the ginger is a hybrid between salt pickles and vinegar pickles: You peel and thinly slice the ginger, and rub it with salt, leaving it for at least an hour or overnight to sweat. You'll then add a solution of sugar and rice vinegar, occasionally with a little bit of ume-zu, which is the salty brine extracted from umeboshi-making, or beet juice, if you want to guarantee a pink color.

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