Can pickles be made in brine without sealing them in vacuum but kept in the refrigerator for a few weeks?
If you sterilize a glass container in boiling water, add cucumbers + spices with a 3.5% salinity brine and close the container without creating vacuum, can you let it pickle for a few days and then keep it refrigerated for consumption over the medium-term? Many of the recipes seem to either speak of preserving the vegetables or using vinegar, which gives a different flavor.
So what process would be safe using a regular container without special vacuum and for how long may the pickles be consumed?
Best Answer
A vacuum is not necessary for either quick pickles or lacto-fermented pickles. Pickles made with vinegar are usually in the "quick" or "refrigerator" pickle category. The brine flavors the vegetable. This type of pickle should be kept in the refrigerator and consumed within about a month, especially if you keep your fingers out of the jar (which, introduces a mold risk). Though, the vegetables often get mushy over time, and you may not enjoy that. Because these are "quick", I often only make what I will consume in about a week.
Lacto-fermented pickles are usually prepared at cool room temperature (or cellar temperature, as a wine analogy). Vegetables are placed in a brine (or in the case of cabbage, simply salted and allowed to create its own brine from the leached water). A vacuum is not necessary, but the fermentation takes place in the absence of oxygen, so the product should be submerged. This type of pickle has a longer shelf life given the salt and acidity produced in the fermentation process. They can remain at cellar temperature, though the fermentation will continue. Refrigeration can be used to slow the process and preserve the "sourness" that you like.
Almost any container can be used for either process, though glass is useful because it doesn't retain flavors/odors.
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Quick Answer about "Can pickles be made in brine without sealing them in vacuum but kept in the refrigerator for a few weeks?"
If the vegetables are submerged in the brine, the pickles can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.Can you pickle without sealing?
The 1:1 ratio of vinegar to water keeps my vegetables crisp in the fridge, but is also acidic enough that they can be canned safely if I choose to. And don't let a fear of canning slow you down: instead, try making refrigerator pickles-no canning required!Do you need to vacuum seal pickles?
Vacuum-sealing is also a good way of quick pickling \u2013 it simplifies everything from kosher dills to Peter Piper's preferred pimientos. With traditional canning, jam and pickles become shelf-stable after processing in a water bath or pressure canner.How long do homemade pickles last without canning?
How long do refrigerator pickles last? Homemade pickles should last for two months in the refrigerator in their jar. However, the longer they sit, the less crunchy they become.Does refrigeration stop fermentation of pickles?
MYTH #2: Fermented Vegetables Must Be Stored in the Refrigerator. Fact: Fermented vegetables were actually born as a method of food preservation in the absence of refrigeration. A cool place is all that is required.How to Make Dill Pickles
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