Pickle Problems

[danpeikes]

I need a some guidance. I have been experimenting with pickles and they just are not coming out right. I have been working on infused (AKA refrigerator) pickles as well as fermented pickles. I have tried a few different recipes and nothing seems to come out right. Some are to sweet, some to vinegary, some to spicy. Now I know I can mess with the spices but can someone give some good rules of thumb for brines and pickling time and procedures for both fermented and infused pickles?

Thanks

[mcnerd]

It you are following published and tested recipes EXACTLY you should not be too off the mark from good pickles, so it is hard to say what might be "off" without knowing the recipe(s) you had a problem with.

Current recommendation is to stay away from the uncooked refrigerator pickle recipes unless they are fermented. It has been found that many of these recipes have a potential Listeria bacteria problem.

[danpeikes]

Originally Posted by mcnerd

It you are following published and tested recipes EXACTLY you should not be too off the mark from good pickles, so it is hard to say what might be "off" without knowing the recipe(s) you had a problem with.

Current recommendation is to stay away from the uncooked refrigerator pickle recipes unless they are fermented. It has been found that many of these recipes have a potential Listeria bacteria problem.

MCNERD so many things have gone wrong. I am looking for some good guidlines for pickles as fad as salt/vinegar/water ratios. Any other methods of major rules that can help are appreciated

[Alix]

My favorite site is ATCO Blue Flame Kitchen Home Page

Look in the Pickle section. Its really good stuff.

[Happy-by-the-stove]

One great tip for crunchy pickles is: scrub the pickles VERY well and make sure the stem is cut off (no more brown is showing, on either end of the cucumber)
I also use lots of dill seeds and crown, garlic cloves and hot pepper ( cut lengthwise) and a basic vinegar brine with cosher salt.