At least once a week, someone asks me if they can reuse the brine that’s leftover in the jar when all the pickles have been eaten. I’m here to say, yes! You can absolutely reuse that brine as long as…
- You’re only using it to make refrigerator pickles. Once a brine has been used to can something, that’s it. You can’t do it again because you can’t guarantee the acidity level once it has been heated up, hot water processed, absorbed by vegetables and refrigerated for an unknown amount of time.
- It doesn’t look murky or cloudy. I typically find that the maximum number of times you can replenish the veggies in a jar is three. After that, you’ve lost too much brine volume and it’s developed an unhealthy scum.
One tip when refilling your pickle jar is to take out the last of the pickles from the previous batch before popping the fresh veg in. I forgot to do it last time, and now all my wonderfully cured pickle slices are trapped at the bottom of the jar.
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Comments ( 8 )
The most I’ve ever had the courage to do was twice, but I am glad that you have tested this for science.
Just made a batch of my favorite asian-inspired cucumber and carrot pickles this morning and was very sad I didn’t have any onions to slice in. (I had pantry moths, and I think they liked the onion skins, so I’m trying not to buy more until 6-8 weeks from when I had them… my resolve is weakening)
1. Livia added these pithy words on
Aug 28 09 at
10:38 am
Hmm I have always wondered about this. Of course I tend to DRINK my pickle brine, soo…:x
2. wynk added these pithy words on
Aug 28 09 at
1:29 pm
This post came at such an opportune time–I literally just pickled some quick red onions. I didn’t let them sit in the brine for too long, and was under the impression that I could reuse the liquid. In fact, was going to do it tomorrow! Who knows, perhaps you’ve scared me off. We’ll see when I face my fridge, and my onions
http://www.biggirlssmallkitchen.com/2009/08/whats-in-bag-turkey-burgers-with-beet.html
3. BigGirlPhoebz added these pithy words on
Aug 28 09 at
11:32 pm
So…how long after placing new cucumbers into brine will they be ready to eat!!!
4. David added these pithy words on
Apr 26 10 at
7:34 pm
David, when you reuse pickle brine, it really depends on the strength of the brine. If it’s really pungent and vinegar-y, you should be able to eat the pickles within a couple of days. If it’s less strong, it might take a bit more time. The best thing to do is to taste them after a few days and see for yourself whether you like their level of pickle-ness.
5. Marisa added these pithy words on
Apr 27 10 at
7:45 pm
When you reuse the brine, do you have to boil it again or just throw the cucumbers in and go with it?
6. Abby added these pithy words on
May 18 10 at
12:38 am
i just bought some cucumbers to use with pre bought brine.
i sterilized the jar, lightly boiled the brine and put them in…
its been 24 hours. the cuckes have just started to turn dark green and the taste is still far off…will update in a few days time…
7. ziggy added these pithy words on
Jun 04 10 at
10:38 pm
what about leftover brine that was not used. I used too much vinegar/spices and did not have enough cukes to use it all. I put it all back into the jug after cooling. Can I reuse it as well?
8. ron added these pithy words on
Aug 23 10 at
5:17 pm
