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Uncooked Pickles

A pickling method using raw cucumber slices, onions, hot pepper, salt, alum, olive oil, and vinegar.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
By Norton, Caroline Trask · From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 9 ingredients
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Why it works: Olive and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 29,779 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓

Uncooked Pickles

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Cut medium-sized pickles into one-fourth inch thick slices.

  2. Pack the slices in quart jars, adding three medium-sized onions sliced very thin and one hot red pepper to each jar.

  3. Add one tablespoonful of salt.

  4. Fill the jars with water.

  5. Add one-half teaspoonful of purified alum.

Soak and rinse

  1. Let stand overnight.

  2. Drain the water and rinse the pickles.

Pack and seal

  1. Fill the jars full of pickles.

  2. Add two tablespoonfuls of olive oil.

  3. Fill with a good sharp vinegar.

  4. Seal the jars.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

180Calories
2 gProtein
14 gFat
13 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By Norton, Caroline Trask. Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Olive + oniontop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together29,779 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

  2. Olive + vinegartop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together12,297 recipes

    Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, fruity).

  3. Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together68,474 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  4. Olive + peppertop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together30,263 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

  5. Onion + vinegartop 14% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together18,226 recipes

    Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Pickles (in the method)
The main vegetable, whose firm, crisp slices give the finished pickles their texture.
Salt
Draws water out of the cucumber slices, firming them and seasoning the brine.
Pulverized alum
Helps the pickle slices stay firm and crisp during soaking.
Vinegar
Adds sharp acidity that preserves the pickles and gives them their tang.
Onions
Add sweetness and aroma as they soften in the jar.
Hot red pepper
Adds heat and colour to each jar.

The step that matters

Drain the water and rinse the pickles. Rinsing removes the salt and alum brine left on the slices, so the vinegar you add later sets the flavour and the pickles are not overly salty or harsh.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (olive, pepper, vinegar):

  1. Capsicumfits better
  2. Tomatofits better
  3. Mustardfits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against olive, pepper, vinegar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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