"Refrigerate After Opening" REALLY???

[Midnightmom]

I mean, they're PICKLES! Aren't food items preserved in vinegar supposed to be shelf stable?

 

I bought this huge, ginormous jar of pickles at Costco tonight that absolutely positively will NOT fit in my fridge, but I wasn't thinking they would have to be refrigerated at any time. 

Can I repackage some pickles in smaller jars and use my Food Save to establish a vacuum in the jar to make them remain "shelf stable?"  Or would the open jar be just fine in my pantry?

It seemed to work for my Vlasic pickle chips, but then, I didn't read the label and am not sure if they were supposed to go in the fridge after opening. I only refrigerated a small amount in a different jar - which I kept replenishing from the main jar. 

[euphrasyne]

Pickles will usually sit on the shelf for a long period of time but they do better in the fridge. The low sodium types are much less shelf stable since the salt is important to preservation.  Although the term pickling often includes fermented dishes, they are actually different and a true pickle with a longer shelf life will have a brine with a lot of salt rather than just vinegar and spices which is just fermenting.   I usually buy 1 and 5 gallon buckets of pickles.  I then grab quart mason jars and process them into whole pickles, spears, circles, and sandwich flats with some of the juice over each.  That way everyone in the house can get what they want and it lasts until they are gone.   If any are going to sit in the pantry open (whole and uncut b/c I put the processed ones in the fridge,) I make sure that they are in a good salty brine that completely covers the pickles rather than just vinegar.  I've never had them go bad, but we eat a lot of pickles.

Edited September 3, 2020 by euphrasyne

[Ambergris]

They have new processes now that are not full pickling, which is how you get the extra crisp and low sodium and other advertising claims come true.  Those will go bad on the shelf.  Other companies are being paranoid.  You just have to figure out which is which.

Edited September 3, 2020 by Ambergris

[Midnightmom]

I like Mt. Olive pickles, but I like them COLD. They are too "soft" straight out of a newly opened jar, but seem to crisp up once refrigerated. I've been buying whole pickles in the gallon "straight neck" jar, cutting them into chips and sandwich slices, then packing them into empty coconut oil (plastic) jars so they will fit in my fridge. 

 

Found this vid on YouTube. Is the process they describe here considered pickling or fermenting???

 

 

[euphrasyne]

"We start with the base ingredient, usually vinegar and water"

 

That is pickling.  Pickling adds acid.  Fermenting lets the bacteria sour the food without added acid. 

 

I love that video.  It reminds me of the clips I used to watch as a child.

Edited February 14, 2021 by euphrasyne

[Mother]

Thanks MM.  That was really interesting. I like these types of videos too.  I was amazed by how roughly those cucumbers are handled, thrown around, beaten in the jars, and generally banged and bumped.   I would never dream of treating my cukes that way  It's a wonder those pickles get to us in the shape they are in.  

 

I did catch one statement that said they buy from out of the country as well as within our own.  Their web site says some of their peppers are grown for them in Peru and that those jars are labeled a product of Peru but it doesn't exactly tell the other countries of origin for their cucumbers. I know the main countries that cucumbers were imported from a few years back were Mexico, Canada, and the Honduras but I didn't find anything listed on their jars that said. 

 

I did find one things on their web site that I found really helpful.  Their pickles are safe even if let set out or like after a power outage where the refrigerator has been off for days.  They said their pickles would be safe to eat but that the taste or texture might be off if a long time.  Nice to know that they don't have to be thrown out and that they would still be safe.  I have made pickles for years and know that my own homemade ones are safe if not refrigerated but was glad to know that commercial ones, at least Mt. Olive ones, are as well.   

 

As for pickles needing salt or vinegar to preserve them, that's not really necessary if fermented the old fashioned way.  Fermented pickles don't need either.  I've made a lot of crock pickles, even ones that contained a variety of different veggies,  that have very little salt in them and no vinegar and they keep really well in a cool area for months at least and only get better the longer they ferment.  Mine never seemed to last long enough to really check out the length of keeping time. I also make crock pickles WITH salt and vinegar and only put what we want to use in the fridge as they do crisp up more in the cold.  I'd be interested to learn what Mt. Olive's recipe was for their fermented pickles.  

 

Great fun and informative video. Loved it.  

[Jeepers]

I really enjoyed that pickle video! I saw all of those empty jars and got a little envious though. 

[Midnightmom]

5 hours ago, Mother said:

I did find one things on their web site that I found really helpful.  Their pickles are safe even if let set out or like after a power outage where the refrigerator has been off for days.  They said their pickles would be safe to eat but that the taste or texture might be off if a long time.  Nice to know that they don't have to be thrown out and that they would still be safe.  I have made pickles for years and know that my own homemade ones are safe if not refrigerated but was glad to know that commercial ones, at least Mt. Olive ones, are as well.   

 

 

Thanks, Mother. That answers the question that prompted this thread in the first place!  

[Mt_Rider]

I loved the video!   I am always AMAZED at how industry produces our products!  Hard work to pick all those cukes tho!!!      I think we have Mt Olive products way over in CO. 

 

MtRider