Quick-process and refrigerator are two pickles you’ll want to be in

To the uninitiated, pickles can be off-putting. Any food that vies for blue ribbons at the state fair automatically implies a certain level of complexity. Couple this award-winning potential with the lore of champions relinquishing titles over softness, cloudiness or, God forbid, spoilage, and the intimidation factor is enough to cause seasoned cooks to gasp at the sight of a Mason jar. Sure, frequent visits to the recesses of the basement to check on the fermentation process or the consequences of an imperfect seal are legitimately scary. But these fears can be easily overcome by choosing the right pickling method and following a few simple preparation rules. As for the right method, let’s talk first about the various options. The pickling technique that causes the most trepidation involves fermentation, as in the making of Korean kimchi and German sauerkraut. In these preparations, the veggies are brined, covered and left to “stew” for several weeks in a cool, dark place, where they are closely monitored to make sure that only good types of bacteria develop. If all goes as planned, Lactobacillus plantarum will rule, generating the lactic acid that leaves the veggies so tart. The results may be tasty, but, frankly, I’ve never had the stamina to put this method to the test. Immediate gratification is my motivator, which brings me to the two techniques I prefer: quick-process, sometimes called fresh-pack, and refrigerator. Both methods produce pickles that can be enjoyed in a matter of days, not weeks. What may come as the bigger relief, however, is that neither approach relies on bacterial growth to impart tartness. To the contrary, vinegar is added in sufficient doses, after brining and draining the veggies, to kill off most bacteria. The rest of the buggers are either knocked off by boiling the sealed jars for 10 minutes (for quick-process), or prevented from growing to harmful levels by storing the jars in the fridge (for, you guessed it, refrigerator). While refrigerator pickles will be crisper and greener for having avoided the sterilizing bath, quick-process types promise sustained gratification and reduced energy consumption, since they can be “put up” at room temperature for as long as a year. Many fruits and veggies can be pickled, but for the sake of simplicity, let’s focus on cucumbers, which are pleasantly dominating the markets right now. To avoid soft pickles – the most persistent nemesis of beginners – there are several things you should do. First, start with fresh pickling cucumbers, such as Bush Pickle and Carolina, and confine everyday slicing cukes to salads. The latter not only have more seeds, but they also have a higher moisture content that will make pickles watery and limp. As a guide to freshness, the “24 hours from vine to brine” rule is memorable but rarely practical. If you don’t have a garden of your own, or a nearby one from which to poach, exact harvesting time is impossible to tell. Your best picks in the grocery are cucumbers that are firm, green and full of ugly warts. Those that are yellow or bloated to the point of being smooth and pretty will make squishy pickles. Some recipes also recommend adding a grape leaf to each jar to quash the enzyme that makes pickles soft. But, I ask, why run around in search of an esoteric ingredient when simply cutting off the blossom ends (the source of this enzyme) will yield the same result with less work? Skip the grape leaf; just trim the cucumbers first. The last word on softness is salt. Brining (achieved by either soaking the cukes in salted water or salting and covering them with ice for a few hours) draws out excess moisture that subsequently gets drained off. The pickles stay crunchy, and, as a secondary benefit, the vinegar doesn’t get diluted. Its acid concentration remains a risk-free 5 percent, precisely the level needed to fend off bacteria. If you’re prone to improvisation, by all means, play with the mustard seed, turmeric and other spices, but leave the prescribed amounts of salt and vinegar untouched. While on the subject of salt, we should address the issue of cloudiness as well. Nearly every recipe specifies pickling salt, because the normal table variety contains an anti-caking ingredient that makes the pickling liquid hazy – not to mention iodine, which turns pickles black. Should pickling salt prove elusive (I found it in only one of five markets in my neighborhood), kosher salt is a fine substitute. But, remember, it has larger grains than the pickling sort and packs less densely into measuring spoons and cups. When making a large quantity of pickles, you will therefore need to use slightly more, generally 1 extra tablespoon for every ¼ cup salt in excess of ¼ cup. Other chemicals and their reactions can also cause cloudiness. Hard water may turn pickles dark, and aluminum will adversely react with the vinegar in the pickling medium, imparting a gray color and distinctly metallic taste. If your tap water is suspect, substitute distilled water, and always heat the vinegar and spices using stainless steel or coated pans and utensils. For quick-processing, my advice is to follow the sterilization instructions that accompany the canning jars – though you can ignore instructions about using specialized equipment. Only fruits and veggies with low acidity – and therefore greater likelihood of harboring bacteria – require extra-high-temperature processing in a pressure cooker. (Peaches, pears, beans and anything with a pH above 4.5 fall into this camp.) Cucumber pickles can be safely boiled in a canner or, if you don’t have one, a deep kettle with a lid works perfectly well. Simply fit the pot with a collapsible steamer or rack (about ½ inch off the bottom), grab a pair of tongs to handle the hot jars, and go. Oh, one last word of advice: Recruit a good sous chef. (My husband Bryan is the best!) Confronting fears with a good friend or spouse is always reassuring. Plus, he or she can help with the chopping, which – once you get comfortable with pickling – can quickly amount to more than you thought.