Pro tip: I started freezing leftover pickle juice to stretch a jar of pickles

I was annoyed at how fast we went through a $3 jar of dill pickles. I saved the brine after they were gone, poured it into an ice cube tray, and froze it. Now I drop a cube into a bowl of sliced cucumbers from the garden, and in a day, I have cheap 'quick pickles'. Has anyone else tried this with other leftover brines, like from olives or peppers?

3 comments

3 Comments

aaron30517d ago

Honestly that's genius, I'm doing this next time. I've used leftover olive brine to marinate chicken before, works great for a quick Greek style dish. Pepperoncini juice is another winner, perfect for tossing with roasted potatoes. It feels less wasteful and adds a punch of flavor for free. Your pickle cube idea is next level though, definitely stealing that.

wadew5117d ago

Right? It's like finding free flavor hiding in your fridge. I felt so smart when I started saving my jalapeno jar juice for making quick nacho cheese sauce. That tangy heat just makes it.

wadew5117d ago

Oh man, this whole thread is making me hungry! I saw a cooking blog talk about using the juice from a jar of kimchi in fried rice, and it was a total game changer. It adds that funky, spicy kick without needing extra sauce. Seriously, saving those leftover brines is the best kitchen hack nobody talks about enough. I'm totally trying the pepperoncini potatoes now.