Trying Pickling for the first time? Avoid these mistakes

We all love to savour homemade pickles. But when it comes to preparing them, most people don’t know how to pickle them. You will find some people making amazing pickles, no matter which pickle they are preparing. Some people have been making pickles for a long time, but they still tend to make many mistakes.

Whether you have to make spicy pickles or make sweet and tangy pickles, it is essential to know the right method to prepare them. Some people do know the proper technique, and they do follow it also. But they tend to make some mistakes that they are not aware of and ruin the taste of pickles. We will guide you about those mistakes to avoid them in the future while making homemade pickles.

• Adding too much vinegar

Some people make pickles in mustard oil, while some prepare them in vinegar. For proper fermentation of raw vegetables and pickles, vinegar is being added to them. It also enhances the taste of pickles. But as they say, that excess of anything can ruin the taste; the same applies here. If you feel that adding more vinegar or preparing pickles only in vinegar will make them better, you are wrong. Due to the excess of vinegar, the taste of your pickle will become too much acidic. That is why it is being suggested that either make pickles in mustard oil. If you are making them using vinegar, add the water to it, according to the recipes.

• Mixing all the vegetables or fruits when pickling

When making pickles, we do have a habit of mixing all the vegetables. Pickling every vegetable or fruit together is a big mistake. Even when you are preparing a mixed vegetable pickle, keep all the vegetables separately for fermenting. Remember that different vegetables take different time for fermentation. Keeping them together will not let all the vegetables pickle properly. Like, the fermentation of carrot takes more time than the fermentation of cucumber. So, please keep all the vegetables separately and give them proper time for pickling.

• Adding sugar in every pickle

We know many of you are fond of sugary and sour pickles. But not every pickle will taste good when sugar is added to it. We need to understand that pickles are liked because of their spiciness and tanginess. Adding sugar to every pickle is somewhere killing the purpose of making pickles. So, next time when you go for preparing any pickle, avoid adding sugar to it. Add sugar only in those pickles whose recipes need sugar in them. You can buy homemade pickles in Delhi and see that they do not add sugar to all the pickles.

• Not preparing enough brine

This is one such mistake that most people do while making pickles. Even though they are experienced, but people forget to take proper measurement when making the brine. Ensure you make enough of it that you can add it in the right quantity to the vegetables or fruits for pickling. To get the right quantity, read the recipe and add vinegar and water in proper balance. If you are preparing it using mustard oil, ensure that you have enough of it for adding in the pickle. Also, when measuring brine, do not only measure it according to the vegetables or fruits. But also look at the spices to get the right flavour when adding them all together.

• Giving less sitting time to pickles

Have you ever bought a jar of homemade pickles from the market? If not, then go and buy pickles in Delhi and taste them properly. You will feel that these pickles have been appropriately fermented in every bite, and then only they were canned. It is because; these brands know exactly how much time they should give their pickles for pickling. Some pickles can be prepared in a short time only. But this is not the case with every pickle. So, you need to allow your pickles to sit and pickle for some time. Check the sitting time for different pickles and give them that proper time to get the best flavour.

Next time, when you start making some spicy pickles, do keep all these mistakes in mind. Try to avoid these mistakes if you want your pickles to taste delicious.