The Best Brine for Cucumber Pickles
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no cooking times; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Make the brine
In a large pot, combine water, coarse sea salt, and white vinegar.
Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until the salt dissolves.
Remove from heat and let the brine cool completely.
Once cooled, add pickling spices and stir well.
Pickle
Pour the brine over cucumbers in a jar, ensuring they are fully submerged.
Seal the jar and refrigerate for at least 24 hours before serving.
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.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Coarse sea salt
- Seasons the brine and draws water out of the cucumbers, helping them stay firm and crisp.
- White vinegar
- Provides the acidity that gives the pickles their sour flavor and helps preserve them.
- Pickling spices
- Adds aromatic flavor to the brine that infuses the cucumbers as they sit.
The step that matters
Let the brine cool completely before adding the pickling spices. Adding spices to hot brine can dull their aroma and make the flavor harsh or muddy, since volatile aromatic compounds escape with heat. Cooling first keeps the spice flavor clean and fresh.
“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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