Argamemnon
Senior Cook
I have never made pickled vegetables myself. Can I use lemon juice instead of vinegar? And would it be better if I added some sea salt?
Pickling vegetables with lemon juice?
- Thread starter Argamemnon
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Are you canning or just pickling and putting them in the fridge? I've not heard of a canning recipe that is safe to use that has lemon juice in it. You need to have the correct balance of acid to keep your food from developing bacteria etc.
Long answer, sorry. I think my answer would be a no to the lemon juice. Can you post the recipe you plan to use?
Long answer, sorry. I think my answer would be a no to the lemon juice. Can you post the recipe you plan to use?
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
The acid levels of vinegar and lemon juice are about the same but how much time do you want to spend squeezing lemons to get enough juice to make pickling worth while?
Argamemnon
Senior Cook
I mean pickling but I think it's usually done with vinegar and somehow wouldn't work with lemon juice. I have no recipe but that's not hard to find.
Argamemnon
Senior Cook
I thought by using a juicer. But all the pickled vegetables I've bought so far were made with vinegar.
I did a google search and found a lot of information about pickling with lemon juice. Looks like it can be done.
Argamemnon
Senior Cook
Strange, I couldn't find any English site, but a Turkish site says that pickled vegetables in lemon juice can't be preserved very long. So that's probably the reason that it's usually done with vinegar.
Vinegar is used because it has a know acidity - the acidity of lemons can vary between varieties, growing conditions, how ripe when picked, etc. I have seem some things in middle eastern cooking that used lemon juice but they were not for long term shelf storage.
You should use "pickling salt" for your pickles ... it will not cause your brine to get cloudy - caused by minerals in table, kosher or sea salts. Some of the minerals can, in addition to clouding, cause softening of your pickle or can impart a bitter metallic flavor. Of course, that is for long term storage pickles - probably not as important for a short term refrigerator pickle.
You should use "pickling salt" for your pickles ... it will not cause your brine to get cloudy - caused by minerals in table, kosher or sea salts. Some of the minerals can, in addition to clouding, cause softening of your pickle or can impart a bitter metallic flavor. Of course, that is for long term storage pickles - probably not as important for a short term refrigerator pickle.
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