# SV Pickling?



## illini40 (Dec 29, 2020)

Good morning

I have seen a few things about using SV to make pickles and pickles any veggies.

Has anyone tried this? I am not seeing a ton of info out there.

Most are showing 140* for 2.5 hours ish. I’m not following if they are ready right away nor about how this differs from using the FoodSaver vacuum seal methods or traditional canning/preserving.


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## Brokenhandle (Dec 29, 2020)

Not sure either, we always use the foodsaver vacuum method now. But looking forward to see what you get for responses.

Ryan


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## Steve H (Dec 29, 2020)

Not sure of the benefits either. Watching


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## BigW. (Dec 29, 2020)

Interesting.  Agree not much out there.  Does say it creates a shelf stable product.  Might be a good way to get into canning.  Hopefully someone on here has tried it.


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## illini40 (Dec 29, 2020)

I have not seen anyone explicitly guarantee shelf stability. However, it seems like it is implied that if the seal is good (no pop), it should be fairly stable.

I’m not necessarily concerned about shelf stability. I’m interested in the quality of the product and how quickly the pickling would be effective (meaning how quick you could enjoy).


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## jbo_c (Dec 29, 2020)

Depends on what you’re after.  I’d be curious to see the recipe.  Done lots of pickles, but no sous vide.  (Just got my Anova Premier yesterday.)

“Pickle” can be lots of things.  Could be a verb or any one of multiple different nouns.

While SV could make shelf stable “pickles”, I would expect the process to negatively effect texture.  (Again, no experience.)

However, we make something we call 5 minute pickles at my house that don’t require the SV and are ready overnight(sadly, not actually five minutes).  I also make fermented pickles:  half sours in 2-4 days, full sours in a week or so.  I could see where potentially a SV could make those faster, but faster with fermentation generally makes an inferior product, sometimes downright bad.

I’d have more input from the pickling side if I saw the recipe.

   jbo


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## illini40 (Dec 29, 2020)

jbo_c said:


> Depends on what you’re after.  I’d be curious to see the recipe.  Done lots of pickles, but no sous vide.  (Just got my Anova Premier yesterday.)
> 
> “Pickle” can be lots of things.  Could be a verb or any one of multiple different nouns.
> 
> ...



Thank you for the thoughts.

Here are a couple of the recipes I saw on Pintrest. I would be curious what you or others think.









						ChefSteps
					

ChefSteps is here to make cooking more fun. Get recipes, tips, and videos that show the whys behind the hows for sous vide, grilling, baking, and more.




					www.chefsteps.com
				












						Sous Vide Dill Pickles Recipe
					

Many store-bought pickles are filled with sweeteners and stabilizers. Crisp, tart pickles are a constant in my fridge but these are homemade sous vide pickles that contain only the ingredients I want!




					www.amazingfoodmadeeasy.com
				












						Sous Vide Pickled Vegetables
					

Sous vide pickled vegetables are ready to eat in hours instead of weeks. The vegetables maintain a delightful crispness while taking on the bright flavors of pickling aromatics and spices.




					www.savoringthegood.com


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## jbo_c (Dec 30, 2020)

I’m a little skeptical of these as shelf stable mostly because the ‘old’ methods are tried and true and SV has apparently not seen much use in this vein.  Also, one of those recipes says ‘shelf stable’ but then says they’ll keep in the fridge for six months.  I’m guessing they’d be OK, but see little to no advantage over traditionally made hot pack pickles.  -and, though I have no basis, I expect texture would suffer.  Try it and see.  

From a ‘pickle’ standpoint, all of these recipes look fine and should be fine made as an “instant pickle” style.  You could make up a jar any time you want, refrigerate, and enjoy.  No need to heat treat at all.

    Jbo


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## illini40 (Dec 30, 2020)

jbo_c said:


> I’m a little skeptical of these as shelf stable mostly because the ‘old’ methods are tried and true and SV has apparently not seen much use in this vein.  Also, one of those recipes says ‘shelf stable’ but then says they’ll keep in the fridge for six months.  I’m guessing they’d be OK, but see little to no advantage over traditionally made hot pack pickles.  -and, though I have no basis, I expect texture would suffer.  Try it and see.
> 
> From a ‘pickle’ standpoint, all of these recipes look fine and should be fine made as an “instant pickle” style.  You could make up a jar any time you want, refrigerate, and enjoy.  No need to heat treat at all.
> 
> Jbo



Thank you for the insight. This is what I was expecting. However, I’m not looking for shelf stable...I’m just looking for quick, easy pickles to keep on the fridge and snack on relatively quickly.

How long do you think they would need to sit before eating?


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## jbo_c (Dec 30, 2020)

Depending on water content, firmness, and size, anywhere from 24 hours to two weeks. 

We use sliced cucumbers and onions for what we call five minute pickles and they are “ready” in less than 24 hours.   If not eaten within a week, they start to soften, but are still OK to eat.  They rarely last more than a couple of days, though.

When I do pickled carrots, I try to make them at least two weeks ahead.  Three is better.

   Jbo


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## Winterrider (Dec 30, 2020)

illini40 said:


> However, I’m not looking for shelf stable...I’m just looking for quick, easy pickles to keep on the fridge and snack on relatively quickly.


Use search for Steve H vacuumed pickles. He has a few different variations. Have made previously, very good.


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## Steve H (Dec 30, 2020)

The site stated, " Place the jar in the water bath and cook for 2 to 3 hours. "
That just doesn't sound like an exacting science to me. I'm all for new methods. But I'm not sure about that. 
If these do actually get to a "shelf stable" state. Then there should be a vacuum present in the jar. Which would reduce the wait time. Probably around the same as using a vac saver vacuum sealer. Which is about a week.


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## illini40 (Dec 31, 2020)

I am giving the SV pickles a try today. We’ll see how they turn out. The plan is 2.5 hours at 140*.

Some of the recipes seem like they are eating them right away. Since I have two jars, I’m thinking we will try one jar fairly quick (maybe yet tonight or tomorrow) and then the other jar after a week or so.


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## zwiller (Mar 16, 2022)

Just stumbled across SV pickles and decided to search.  

 illini40
 How'd these turn out?


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## Steve H (Mar 16, 2022)

I forgot about this thread. I would be interested in the results as well.


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## daveomak (Mar 16, 2022)

illini40 said:


> I have not seen anyone explicitly guarantee shelf stability. However, it seems like it is implied that if the seal is good (no pop), it should be fairly stable.
> 
> 
> Steve H said:
> ...


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## Steve H (Mar 16, 2022)

Yup! That was my thought too Dave. Though at 140 for 2.5 hours had me wondering if this would really work.


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## zwiller (Mar 16, 2022)

I am digging now off and on and a few sites say USDA is recommending 185F for 30m for SV pickles but cannot find a cite.


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## daveomak (Mar 16, 2022)

zwiller said:


> I am digging now off and on and a few sites say USDA is recommending 185F for 30m for SV pickles but cannot find a cite.





Yep.  185F for 3 minutes kills the bacteria....  BUT ...  Any spores from the bacteria will not die until they get to pressure canner temps for recommended time...  That's ~145F for 3-5 minutes or something close...
Then there's the center of the jar...  not the top, not the bottom, not next to the glass BUT  in the center...


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