I love (Kenji’s recipe for pickled red onions)[https://www.seriouseats.com/pickled-red-onions]. I have a batch in the fridge that’s almost gone, and another red onion I want to pickle, so I was wondering if I can take the juice from the previous batch, reheat it, and use it to make another batch? Has anyone tried this before? I assume it wouldn’t be good to resuse indefinitely (a la “perpetual pickling liquid”) but for one or two reuses?
by StoneAgeModernist
10 Comments
Why not
I use the pickling liquid for marinades and salad dressings. I do not reuse it for pickling because osmosis means the proportion of water to acid will be off. This means that your pickles in the reused liquid will not pickle properly, the flavors will be off and you’re at risk of bacterial/fungal growth on the pickles and in the liquid.
I do when I’m going to use them soon. For long term storage, make a new batch of liquid.
I use is two or three times at least. I strain out any old onions bits before adding new. I do not re-heat it.
I do it all the time. Sometimes you can top it up with a little more acid. I think over-attention to food safety pieties are a little silly when we’re talking about something that you’re leaving in the refrigerator anyway. I mean: a totally unpickled sliced red onion would last a good long while in the fridge. One in pickle juice, even reused pickle juice, will last much longer.
1. I would not do it because you are going down a very slippery slope towards unsafe to eat, based on a number of factors.
2. You are really sacrificing a lot of quality of the pickled for an extremely small amount of work. Just whip up a new fresh batch, you will thank yourself after.
I’d prefer you didn’t.
I’ve done it before and the second batch went bad – not enough acid left to preserve :/
It’s fine. No need to reheat it, either.
Boil and add fresh vin