Quick and Simple Vinegar Pickles

I love pickles. It's a shameless love that has often resulted in stained shirts and unhappy stomachs. To feed this insatiable hunger for these tart snacks I've fiddled and fussed until I found the simplest recipe with the best results. But what good is having a recipe if I don't share it? So join me as we delve into the world of vinegar pickles and the wonders held within.

For this recipe you will need:

Tools:

• Electric Kettle* (or a pot, but the kettle is faster)
• Digital Scale
• Container With A Lid

Brine - For 800 ml

Wet Ingredients

• Water ------------------------------------------ 50% -------------------------- 400 ml
• Rice Wine Vinegar ------------------------- 33% -------------------------- 264 ml
• Apple Cider Vinegar ------------------------ 17% -------------------------- 136 ml

Dry Ingredients - these add up to more than initial volume which is why we always account for extra headroom

• Spice Mix ------------------------------------- 5% ---------------------------- 40 g
• Salt ---------------------------------------------- 6% ---------------------------- 48 g
• Sugar 4% 32 g

Spice Mix - For 40 g

Equal By Weight:

• Turmeric Powder ---------------------------- 20% --------------------------- 10 g
• Black Pepper --------------------------------- 20% --------------------------- 10 g
• Allspice Powder ----------------------------- 20% --------------------------- 10 g
• Chili Powder ---------------------------------- 20% --------------------------- 10 g

By Count

• Cinnamon Stick Pieces ------------------ 3-5 / liter ------------------------- 3 pieces
• Cloves --------------------------------------- 3-5 / liter ------------------------- 3 pieces
• Bay Leaves --------------------------------- 3-5 / liter ------------------------- 3 pieces

Before we can devote the whole ten or so minutes it takes to make these bad boys we need to gather our components. Since everyone has different containers, we'll use percentages rather than one specified amount.
Since we're working with volume, your container will determine exactly how many cucumbers it takes. In my case I could fit 8 medium cucumbers (sliced 1/8 in or 4 mm) into my container along with 10 cloves of garlic (halved). Then, I filled the container with water until they were just covered and weighed them.

This gave me a volume of 800 ml, which is how much brine we need to make. Of course, with some some additional flavor components we will go over that a little but, that is why we leave some headroom. Above I have included the full breakdown of what went into the brine, as well as the percentage of the original 800 ml used to calculate it.

Now I personally like to measure everything in the kettle, zeroing out using the tare function. In this way I don't have to dirty too many dishes and save quite a bit of time.

*If you use a plastic electric kettle the turmeric will stain it, so be aware of that. Of course, it won't leave any lingering flavors so if you don't mind a slightly yellow kettle don't worry too much about it.

With all of our tools and ingredients acquired here's all we have left to make some excellent pickles.

• Put everything into your kettle or pot and bring to a boil
• Carefully pour over veggies until fully covered
• Take out cloves, bay leaves, and cinnamon that may have gotten stuck inside the kettle and put in the container
• Let sit until cooled to room temperature
• Refrigerate overnight for best results

That's all folks, with maybe twenty minutes of work you'll have a nice batch of pickles cooling on your counter. Remember to let them reach room temperature before putting them in the fridge or risk spoiling some other foods and a higher energy bill as your fridge struggles to bring equilibrium to itself.

Don't forget that you can use this recipe for almost any vegetable you could think of! Daikon radishes are personal favorite of mine.

If you prefer sweeter pickles to salty ones, just flip the percentages of sugar and salt and they'll be just right.

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it and make some delicious pickles yourselves! If you have any questions feel free to ask me in the comments or through direct message.