Prepared pickled cucumbers today but they a floating

[SEEING-TO-BELIEVE]

i didn't had much of them. i've used very small ones..

i followed the instructions in hebrew and they said that they shouldn't be out of the salted water..

so i filled it even more with salted water to the rim and i don't know if that means they will still get bad..

i can take some photos to show you..

what does your experience says?

i guess if i had some more cukes i could stack them and put more of them until they won't move and float..

 

[Aunt Bea]

Try putting a weight on top of the pickles to hold them under the brine.

A saucer, small plate, or bowl might be heavy enough.

If the saucer is not heavy enough try topping it with a clean jar filled with water.

Good luck

 

[dragnlaw]

Follow Aut Bea's advice. Don't try just adding more. They will always float and stick above.
I'm surprised your recipe doesn't say to use a weight to weigh them down. It is very common and so I would even venture to say rather unprofessional for that recipe writer.

If you are going to put a recipe out into the world, you HAVE to assume it can and will be used by anyone - from novice to professional cook. You do not know who will try it and if you give bad instructions - you will not be popular when your recipes don't work because you neglected to expand.
People will just not trust your recipes anymore. and I personally would not try any more of that persons recipe. Food should not be wasted because of sloppy instructions.
A lot of sites have, at the end of the posting, places for followers to make comments. I would read them to see if most have success with the recipe and if not, hopefully they will say why. Of course, you can pretty much ignore praises from other food bloggers, they're just looking for praise back. If another blogger doesn't like your recipe, they will not comment - can't shoot a fellow foodie down, too dangerous for your own reputation, they just won't comment all.
You know the saying - "If you can't say something nice, Don't say anything at all."

OK, rant over (for the moment)

 

[SEEING-TO-BELIEVE]

it's the first recipe on the search engine

I've used espresso glass cup to dip them

 

[dragnlaw]

Dip them? Do you mean to submerge them? Keep them under in the brine?

 

[taxlady]

Sometimes the comments under a recipe have suggestions or tell you what to look out for.

 

[taxlady]

If the glass espresso cup isn't heavy enough, you can fill it with some brine. That way if any spills, it won't dilute your brine, like if you fill it with plain water.

 

[dragnlaw]

Sometimes the comments under a recipe have suggestions or tell you what to look out for.

If the glass espresso cup isn't heavy enough, you can fill it with some brine. That way if any spills, it won't dilute your brine, like if you fill it with plain water.

Both excellent comments taxy!

 

[medtran49]

Fill a plastic bag with the same brine mixture (salt and water) and use that as a weight to hold the pickles down.

I learned that trick when making sauerkraut, but it works for kimchi and pickles, and anything else that needs to be held under brine.

 

[dragnlaw]

absolutely medtran, and most recipes about brining say that!

 

[taxlady]

Fill a plastic bag with the same brine mixture (salt and water) and use that as a weight to hold the pickles down.

I learned that trick when making sauerkraut, but it works for kimchi and pickles, and anything else that needs to be held under brine.

I forgot about that trick, and I have used it. D'oh!

 

[SEEING-TO-BELIEVE]

Dip them? Do you mean to submerge them? Keep them under in the brine?

yes submerge

what happens if they are not submerged?

 

[SEEING-TO-BELIEVE]

here it is with the esspresso glass

 

[dragnlaw]

It's very difficult to tell from the picture. Is the liquid touching the bottom of the glass used to push down the contents? (meaning the cucumbers, peppers, dill everything that you might have inside the jar.)
All must be submerged.

 

[SEEING-TO-BELIEVE]

yes,
i put it horizontally
the dill and the rest can't be submerged because it is not fitting exactly.

what will happen otherwise?

i'm tired of this.....
i wish it was easy to find some weight that fits.


edit.. what is a good example of a recipe in english for small whole cukes? including what equipment to buy

 

[medtran49]

The plastic bag filled with brine works to submerge everything because the bag conforms to your container.

If everything isn't submerged, bad bacteria grow more easily, plus the vegetable(s) you are fermenting/pickling will start to go bad.

 

[dragnlaw]

The weight does not need to fit the opening exactly.

I believe someone mentioned earlier as medtran has just said. Use a plastic bag - fill it with some of the brine if you have extra, or just water is good.

2nd edit LOL:
when you fit the plastic bag into the opening, the brine will rise up, there should be no air bubbles under it and all your goodies inside the jar will be completely submerged.

come on! You can do this. It will suddenly all make sense. and there is no need to buy any special equipment!

 

[SEEING-TO-BELIEVE]

can i do it now? three days after?
if i will not do it. is there a way to say if the pickles are not good or do good?

tnx.. if it will not be ok i will make again with a plastic bag filled with brine as a weight.

but what will prevent the dill and the rest from floating around the bag to the top?

 

[taxlady]

can i do it now? three days after?
if i will not do it. is there a way to say if the pickles are not good or do good?

tnx.. if it will not be ok i will make again with a plastic bag filled with brine as a weight.

but what will prevent the dill the the rest from floating around the bag to the top?

You use a bag that is wider than the jar. Put the bag into the jar with top at the top and sticking out. Pour some brine into the bag. Carefully move the bag from the sides to let all the air out. Once all of the air is out of the jar, close the bag. I hope that made sense. If not, will someone else please explain it better.

 

[medtran49]

just water is good.

Actually, no it's not. You have to use the same brine that is in your container so that if the bag breaks then you are not diluting the brine.