Dill pickles are a staple in every American household. A classic topping on burgers and hotdogs, dill pickles epitomize summer for everyone.
However, if you love to make them at home, the problem is that you may end up with soft, mushy pickles instead of perfect, crispy ones.
As much as we’d like, it’s not possible to prevent pickles from going soft, especially if you didn’t pay attention during the canning process.
If left in jars for extended periods, your pickles will eventually begin to get mushy. That’s why it’s important to get the canning process right and leave the cans airtight.
Here are some tips to ensure you get that perfect crunch every time.
Choose The Right Pickles
Whether you buy them at the store or grow your own pickles, get fresh cucumbers that have the words ‘pickle’, ‘pickler,’ or ‘pickling’ in their name. Your local farmer’s market can help you find the right kind.
If you grow cucumbers yourself, try processing them the same day you plan on canning them. If you buy cucumbers from the store or farmer’s market, try asking the grocer how fresh they are and when they were picked.
Rubbery looking cucumbers should be avoided because there’s nothing you can do to save them. The best type of cucumber is a slightly curved one, that’s firm to touch and has a fresh green color.
Lastly, the smaller the cucumber, the crispier it’ll be when it pickles. Smaller and younger pickles tend to have fewer seeds as opposed to older, longer ones that also tend to get softer. More importantly, pick pickles that are all the same size when canning.
Soak Cucumbers In Ice Water Beforehand
If you’re not canning your cucumbers immediately, leave them in an ice bath or in your refrigerator overnight to maintain firmness.
Doing this before you start canning them will give you the crunchiest pickles you’ve ever had!
Cut The Blossoms Off
Cut off around a quarter of an inch of the cucumbers from the blossoming side as it contains enzymes that may cause it to soften during the canning process.
If you’re confused about which side is the blossom, cut off both ends.
Add Tannins
Adding natural tannins such as grape leaves, black tea, or oak leaves can delay the softening process and keep your pickles firm. This is entirely optional and only works if your cucumbers aren’t already soft.
Find Some Pickle Mix
Many pickle canners now buy ready-made pickle mixes to ensure that they get the best, crispiest possible pickles. Although it sounds daunting, these products are completely harmless and create flavors everyone will love! Combine the ready-made pickle mixes with Mrs. Wages® Xtra Crunch™ to achieve the crispiest pickles.
The calcium chloride reinforces the cell walls in the pickles, keeping them sturdy throughout the canning process. This is also optional but is a sure shot way to guarantee perfectly crisp pickles when canning at home.
It’s important to remember that these bits of advice will only delay the softening of your pickles, not permanently stop it. So make sure you don’t can too many cucumbers at a time, to enjoy the crunchiest, crispiest canned pickles all year round.
Also, try to make sure the jars are consumed within six months, at least.
FAQs
Soak Cucumbers In Ice Water Beforehand
How to make Mrs wages pickles crispy? ›
Use An Ice Water Bath
One of the best ways to prepare crispy pickles is to soak your cucumbers in an ice water bath for nearly five hours before starting the pickling process. Place water and ice in a large container and add the clean pickling cucumbers into it, letting them soak.
How to keep pickles crunchy when canning dill? ›
Add a Source of Tannin
Tannins work against softening enzymes and help keep pickles crunchier. They can be found in various sources, such as grape leaves, oak leaves, raspberry leaves, black tea, etc. Add some directly to your jars!
Why are my dill pickles not crisp? ›
Crispness can also be lost if cucumbers are stored longer than 24 hours in the refrigerator from harvest to pickling. Thoroughly wash each cucumber, especially around the stem area, where soil can be trapped. Any remaining soil may be a source of bacteria and can cause a soft pickle.
Can you use pickle crisp with Mrs. Wages? ›
I made the dill pickles with Mrs. Wages dill mix, which is pretty simple to do. I added Pickle Crisp, and can tell you that if you are a) not using pickling cucumbers, or b) not using freshly picked cucumbers, that even with the Pickle Crisp, you will NOT get crisp pickles.
What is the trick to crispy pickles? ›
The best way to keep your pickles crisp is by taking an extra moment to remove the blossom from the end of the cucumber. By adding this extra cut, you have a crisper pickle. Other ways to ensure a crisp pickle is by adding grape leaves to your jar. I tend to cut off both ends of the cucumber as I quickly process them.
What is the crisping agent for pickles? ›
In addition to crisping up pickles, calcium chloride can also give a bit of a salty taste, while not adding any sodium to your food. Home brewers who mistakenly add too much calcium chloride to their brewing mash complain that it tastes like sea water.
What makes pickles crunchy vs soft? ›
Mineral Rich Salt
Salt hardens the pectins in vegetables and this is what makes them crisp. Without enough salt, your vegetables, and especially pickles, will be soft and mushy. Pickles need more salt than my other cultured vegetables to keep them crisper.
Why do you soak cucumbers in ice water before pickling? ›
Better yet, grow them in the garden and ferment the day you pick them! Tasting the stem end can give you a sense of whether the pickle will be bitter since that's the end where bitterness concentrates. Soaking your cucumbers in ice water 30-60 minutes before fermenting seems to help keep crispness.
Does alum make pickles crisp? ›
Why do some older recipes call for alum? At one time it was added for crispness; however it is no longer recommended. If good quality ingredients are used and up-to-date methods are followed, firming agents are not needed. Alum has little crispness affect on quick-process pickles.
Using tea leaves isn't the only way to get a crunchy pickle. You can use a fresh grape leaf, oak leaves or horseradish leaves too.
Is Pickle Crisp really necessary? ›
“A lot of people use things like 'Pickle Crisp' and other additives but it's not necessary. If you start with the right cucumber then it's hard to go wrong.” Bronee shares 101 small batch home preserving recipes in her first cookbook, The Canning Kitchen (Penguin Canada, 2015).
How to use Mrs. Wages Xtra Crunch? ›
ADD Mrs. Wages® Xtra Crunch® granules to sterilized hot jars filled with vegetables and brine just before securing lid. Use ¼ tsp (1.2g) per quart and /s tsp (0.6g) per pint. PROCESS in boiling water bath canner as directed.
How do you keep dill pickles crisp when canning? ›
Soak Cucumbers In Ice Water Beforehand
If you're not canning your cucumbers immediately, leave them in an ice bath or in your refrigerator overnight to maintain firmness. Doing this before you start canning them will give you the crunchiest pickles you've ever had!
How long before you can eat Mrs wages pickles? ›
Product is ready to eat after 24 hours. Before serving, chill to enhance flavor and crispness.
How much Pickle Crisp per quart of dill pickles? ›
Calcium chloride aka pickle crisp is easier to use: you add 1/8 teaspoon along with the fruit or vegetable pieces and the pickling liquid to a pint jar, or 1/4 teaspoon to a quart jar and voila!
How do you make fried pickles crispy again? ›
Reheat leftover deep-fried dill pickles in an air fryer or place them under the broiler until they get crispy again.
What powder keeps pickles crisp? ›
Ball Pickle Crisp Granules are easy to use for crispier homemade pickles. Just measure and add to the jar, replacing pickling lime and the need for time-consuming pre-soak.
How to add Pickle Crisp? ›
It replaces pickling lime, which home picklers have long used to firm cucumbers into pickles . Calcium chloride aka pickle crisp is easier to use: you add 1/8 teaspoon along with the fruit or vegetable pieces and the pickling liquid to a pint jar, or 1/4 teaspoon to a quart jar and voila! Your done!
Will alum keep pickles crunchy? ›
If good quality ingredients are used and up-to-date methods are followed, firming agents are not needed. Alum has little crispness affect on quick-process pickles. Alum will increase firmness of fermented pickles when used at levels up to ¼ teaspoon per pint, but greater amounts will decrease firmness.
