What to do with soft pickles?

I made a batch of pickles last year with cucumbers that were a little too old, so they've all turned out soft. Rather than tossing them all, I'm wondering if there is anything I can do to salvage them. Turn them into relish? Seem sort of dip? Any ideas?

GreenEats
  • 19213 views
  • 1 Comment

1 Comment

beejay45
beejay45 June 15, 2013
If you feel like experimenting, you could try doing the "fire 'n' ice" pickle thing: dump out the brine and replace it with sugar and hot pepper flakes. Everyone says that the pickles come out crispier than they were to start. According to Harold McGee, "...the sugar draws water out of the cucumber tissue so that it's less wet and floppy, and denser. It may also firm up the cell walls to some extent..." So, that's a bit of the science behind it.
Here's a link to a recipe which apparently appeared in Southern Living in 2004:
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/no-cook-sweet-and-spicy-pickles-10000000671429/
and a video demonstration that gives a bit more info:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1sebJVZzgI
Good luck!
 
Recommended by Food52

Popular on Food52