Why are homemade pickles mushy?!
Why are homemade pickles mushy?
Is there a way to avoid this? Pickles from the store are usually a little more crisp, but the pickles my mom and grandma used to make from sliced cucumbers when I was a kid were really soft and didn't taste so good like that. I would like to try making pickles sometimes, but I would like to have them come out good enough that I would want to eat them at the end. Any suggestions for a crisper pickle?
Answers:
I make fantastic, crunchy homemade pickles! I pick the cucs first thing in the morning, slice them, and then using a plastic trash bag, layer in a layer of ice, a layer of cucs and salt, a layer of ice, a layer of cucs and salt and so on... Let this sit for 3 hours, and then rinse and remove any left over ice and continue on with your recipe. I also never cook the pickles themself, but use recipes where you pour hot vinegar/water/salt over the pickles in the jar and then seal them for 10 mins in a water bath.
The fresh fresh fresh cucumbers and the ice are the key!
Having nice firm cukes helps.........and don't over cook them. I make mustard pickles, and I find that if I cook them too long, they are soft, and we do prefer them crunchy. Get good cukes to start.
use a cold brine instead of hot
My pickles are never mushy as I add "Alum" to each jar.
It's a white powdered product and found in the spice section (at my store anyway)
For each quart jar,I add 1/4 tsp of alum.Keeps dill pickles and bread and butter pickles really nice and crunchy.I'm sure you could add it to any type pickle you plan to make.
Good Luck.
Don't over add as it will leave pickles bitter.