Techniques
How to Quick Pickle
↓ Jump to recipe
Prep
10 min
Cook
5 min active (+ 1 hour to overnight)
Total
1 hr 15 min
Serves
Makes 1 pint
Quick pickling is the fastest way to make vegetables bright, sharp, and ready to use. Heat a vinegar brine, pour it over your vegetables, and within an hour you have something that cuts through rich food and keeps for weeks in the fridge. The process is always the same regardless of what you're pickling.
Ingredients
- 1 cup vinegar (white, apple cider, or rice)
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp sugar (optional)
- Optional aromatics: garlic, peppercorns, bay leaf, dried chile, fresh herbs
Instructions
- 1Prep your vegetables. Slice thin for fast results (1 hour ready); cut thicker for crunchier pickles that peak overnight.
- 2Combine vinegar, water, salt, and sugar in a small saucepan. Stir to combine.
- 3Bring to a simmer over medium heat, just until the salt dissolves. Remove from heat.
- 4Pack your vegetables tightly into a clean jar or container.
- 5Strain the brine and pour it over the vegetables. Press down to make sure everything is submerged.
- 6Let cool to room temperature, then seal and refrigerate.
- 7Ready in 1 hour. Peaks overnight. Keeps 2 to 4 weeks refrigerated.
How to Use This
Quick pickles work anywhere you need something acidic and bright. Red onions over tacos. Jalapenos alongside anything fatty. Cucumber slices on sandwiches. Watermelon rind as a side with pork. The brine is always the same. What you put in it is up to you.
Why This Method Works
Hot brine does two things: it fully dissolves the salt and sugar, and it gently opens up the exterior of the vegetable so the brine absorbs faster. The acid draws moisture out of the vegetable and seasons it from the inside out. Straining before pouring keeps the aromatics clean and prevents any bits from floating.
Make It Yours
- Jalapenos and carrots: White vinegar brine with garlic and Mexican oregano. The classic taqueria jar.
- Red onions: Thinly sliced into apple cider vinegar brine. Ready in 30 minutes, great on tacos.
- Cucumbers (bread and butter style): Add 2 extra tsp sugar, use a 1:2 vinegar-to-water ratio. Good on sandwiches.
- Watermelon rind: Apple cider vinegar with a cinnamon stick. Use the white and light green rind only.
- Beet: Red wine vinegar, a few peppercorns, one clove. Deep color and earthy.
Keep Cooking
