Pickles (cucumbers) came out a little soggy after canning
I was very excited to use my water bath for the first time, as so far I have only made refrigerator (cucumber) pickles. This was also the first time I did not use sugar in the brine (just wanted to see the taste difference) but they came out NOT as crispy as my refrigerator pickles. Is this because maybe the water was too hot in the water bath? I only left them in for 10 or 15 minutes. Or is this because I did not use sugar this time? Also is there anything I can do at this point? By that I mean can I add something like pickle crisp to the now opened jar or is it too late?
Best Answer
First off, processed and canned pickles are almost always going to be less crisp than refrigerator (acidified) pickles or those fermented at room temperature. If you really like crisp pickles, I'd recommend against canning. Recipes with proper levels of salt and acidity can keep for several months in the fridge without noticeable quality degradation. Also, reputable traditional brined/fermented pickle recipes should maintain safety for a year or more in the fridge, though they too can begin to soften after a few months, depending on the exact processing and storage conditions.
If you don't have room to store in the fridge or want to can for some other reason, this page has some tips on maintaining crispness. The lack of sugar in your batch should not have made a significant difference. The temperature of the water is, however, important. If you want to maintain crispness as much as possible, I'd recommend trying a low-temperature pasteurization bath (as described, for example, here), where you process for 30 minutes at 180F. Please note that this method should only be used with recipes from reputable sources and is only recommended for people experienced in pickling; it does require very careful monitoring and exact temperature control to prevent spoilage.
As for what you can do now? Not much. Soft processed pickles have essentially been "cooked" by the processing. There's no way to restore their crispness. Personally, if the lack of crispness was bothersome, I'd consider slicing them up in smaller pieces where the lack of crispness would be less noticeable or chopping them and using them for relish or something.
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Quick Answer about "Pickles (cucumbers) came out a little soggy after canning"
The temperature of the water is, however, important. If you want to maintain crispness as much as possible, I'd recommend trying a low-temperature pasteurization bath (as described, for example, here), where you process for 30 minutes at 180F.Why did my pickles come out soggy?
If the pickles are soft, they are spoiled from the yeast fermentation. Don't use them. Using too weak a salt brine or vinegar solution may cause soft or slippery pickles, as can using moldy garlic or storing the pickles at too warm a temperature. These pickles are spoiled and should be discarded.Why are my pickled cucumbers soggy?
The blossom-end of a cucumber is said to contain enzymes which can cause mushy pickles. Cutting it off is your best bet. Try cutting off at least 1/16 inch off the blossom end for crisp pickles. The blossom end is the opposite end of the pickle side that was attached to the plant.How do you keep cucumbers crisp when pickling?
The following items have natural tannins that will help to ensure canned pickles remain crisp for a longer period of time.What can you do with soggy pickles?
For one thing, the brine and pickles can be used in delicious Polish pickle soup. They can be worked into pickle hot sauce. The brine can be used as an amazing marinade and meat tenderizer, added to dressings, simply used for probiotic \u201cgut shots,\u201d and much more.Fermenting Pickles! || Canning Pickles for Long Term Storage || Preserving Cucumbers
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Answer 2
unfortunately it is too late for you to do anything now. Cause any cooking of the pickle will further makes it more soft. So you want to avoid it. Also to your first point of being soggy it is definitely not the sugar too. I am thinking that could either you missed to add vinegar or the vegetable must be of soggy kind. Sugar only helps staying it for long time along with vinegar.
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