Do pickles need to be refrigerated?

Have you ever bought a jar of pickles, put it in the cupboard, and completely forgotten about them? Or have you spent hours making your own batch of homemade pickles, only to end up not knowing how to store them?

The worst is when you see pickles in the fridge at your local grocery store. Have we done it wrong all these years? Do we keep pickles at room temperature when they are actually better at cooler temperatures?

Do pickles need to be refrigerated?

We always recommend storing opened produce in the fridge to slow down bacterial growth, but due to high acid levels and airtight jars, unopened gherkins will keep at room temperature for years.

In today’s absolutely filling article, we will analyze everything related to gherkins and, more specifically, where and how they should be stored.

We’ll talk about the different types of pickles you can find and how each should be stored, how storage methods affect their shelf life, and how they will change over time.

What are pickles?

There are many different types of pickles that you can find on the market. And no, we are not only referring to the different ingredients that the pickles have, but also to the different acid bases that are used and even to the different methods.

You can get them produced commercially and in smaller batches and at home. Regardless of what you choose, they all basically come down to the same basic preparation steps.

Pickling food is one way to help preserve it and ultimately extend its shelf life. It is also a method that can be used to add acidity to ingredients and to a dish in general, as well as many other typically savory and umami flavors.

Although pickling can also refer to a fermentation-based preservation process, more commonly it refers to the brining method used (liquid-based techniques).

Pickled cucumber is the most common type of pickled product and can be found all over the world. In other countries, such as South Africa, Australia, Great Britain and Ireland, they are called gherkins.

A pickle or brine base always contains an acid which is usually some type of vinegar. Along with acid, many other ingredients can be added to create a unique flavor profile.

These ingredients can be anything from sweeteners, spices, fresh or dried herbs, and even nuts (such as lemon or orange peel).

As for foods that can be pickled, they can be literally anything. The most common ingredients for pickling are cucumbers, green olives, and onions, but many other vegetables and even fruits are pickled today.

How pickles are made

The most important thing, even before talking about the methods, is the pickling liquid used.

Obviously, it has to be tasty and combine well with the accompanying ingredients and with the main ingredient being pickled, but it also has to have a pH below 4.6.

Vinegar is the type of acid most commonly used to make liquid pickle bases, due to its extreme acidity. Lemon juice (or another type of acidic citrus juice) is sometimes used, but more often it is added to the vinegar.

You can use any type of vinegar and playing with the flavors is a great option.

Sometimes an ingredient already has a ton of moisture and then you just have to add salt to it, in which case you’re making a marinade. This produces foods that are saltier than acidic, but the concept remains the same.

There are four different types of pickling methods: quick pickle, brine, vinegar, and fermented.

1. Quick pickle

Quick pickles are usually made at home and in small batches. They are also sometimes called fresh pickles.

Prepare the fresh cucumber and place it in a heat-proof jar. A hot pickling liquid is poured over the ingredients.

Sometimes the ingredients can be heated by the pickling liquid, but this tends to cook them first, causing them to lose their crunch.

2. Salted

This is the method we have briefly touched on when some ingredients already have extremely high moisture content. In those cases, just add salt. The salt draws moisture out of the ingredient and creates a pickle base.

This also allows the pickling liquid (which may be flavored) to penetrate the cells of the fruit or vegetable and better incorporate those flavors.

The ingredients are allowed to sit in the briny liquid for a couple of hours before being rinsed and placed in a pickle jar. Only then is a vinegar-based pickling liquid added, the jar sealed, and stored.

3. Vinegar brine

This method is a bit more complicated than the one for quick pickles.

In this method, excess moisture is slowly removed from food by immersing the ingredient in a vinegar solution or saltwater brine, draining, re-immersing, draining, and so on.

This helps you to give the vegetables or fruits as much flavor as possible and also gives them a crunchy texture. But, as we have said, it has a price: time. Traditional recipes can take between 9 and 12 days.

4. Fermentation-Pickling

When food is fermented with salt, it helps draw moisture out of the ingredient, after which microbes begin to multiply thanks to the sugars in the liquid.

They form lactic acid, which is what lowers the pH of the mix and ultimately makes it pickle. Fermentation differs mainly in the method, but also in the flavor that is produced.

As the mixture is allowed to settle, the microbes produce the acid and, along with it, the natural flavors of the yeast. Sauerkraut is a fantastic example of a fermentation-pickled product.

Should pickles be refrigerated?

Obviously, when you buy gherkins at the store or your local market, you won’t find them in the fridge, however, this doesn’t necessarily mean they shouldn’t be kept in the fridge.

For sealed pickle jars, the best way to determine where they should be stored is to look at where you got them from. If you got them from the store fridge, you should definitely keep them in the fridge at home. 

The packaging also usually gives you a good indication of the correct storage method for that particular product. We also recommend storing pickled meats in the fridge, just for safety.

However, most pickles can be stored at room temperature without any problems.

The real question comes once the jar is opened: where should you store the pickle then? In our opinion, keep it in the fridge.

It is not necessary, but opened products always run the risk of deteriorating faster at room temperature than in the fridge.

And the fermented pickles?

Fermented pickles are also considered unpasteurized pickles. You’ll usually find them in the fridge section of the store.

This is because there are still a ton of active bacteria inside the jar, constantly developing the flavor. Cold refrigerator temperatures help slow down this process.

Always store fermented pickles in the fridge, whether they are open or closed. If stored at room temperature, they can make your ingredients very sour.

And the homemade pickles?

The same rules apply to homemade pickles. Unopened, they can be stored at room temperature in a cool, dark area (like a closet or pantry), but once opened, we’d keep them in a fridge.

Refrigerating also helps keep the gherkins nice and cold, adding a more refreshing and even crunchy flavor and texture.

The Shelf Life of Pickles: Refrigerated or Unrefrigerated

Since pickling already helps preserve the ingredients being pickled, the shelf life is naturally very long.

If pickled products are stored at room temperature, particularly pasteurized pickled products, they can last 1-2 years past the expiration date.

Fermented pickles should not be kept at room temperature, but if they did, they could keep for quite some time. The biggest risk is that the jar will not explode if it gets too hot in a certain area.

If you store unpasteurized or pasteurized gherkins in the refrigerator, the shelf life is about the same as if they were stored at room temperature. Even once opened, as long as you store the pickles in an airtight container, they will last a long time.

The biggest problem with extending shelf life is that the texture will eventually change, not necessarily in a negative way.

Some ingredients cannot be stored for that long and start to get mushy or completely hard, while others develop a surprisingly crunchy texture.

What about quick pickles?

Unfortunately, quick pickles do not have as long a shelf life as brined, pickled, or fermented products.

The mixture usually consists of vinegar, salt and sugar. You have to keep them in the fridge if you want to extend their shelf life, but they’ll probably only be crispy for a month or two.

It is best to only use this method when making small batches of pickles or if you plan to use them quickly.

Have your pickles gone bad?

Despite having such a long shelf life and many people even believing that they can be eaten forever, pickles can go bad and have drastic effects on your health.

And when you don’t have the expiration date to work with, how do you know when they’ve gone bad? Luckily, we have put together a checklist for you to use.

If your pickled product shows even one of these signs, especially if you know it’s been sitting for a while, throw it away, never risk it!

1. Color

The first sign, and the most obvious, is a change in the color of your pickles. That is why it is also important to use glass jars; to see the content and its evolution.

When the color of any food changes, it means that chemically and microscopically something has changed.

Now, this isn’t necessarily a sign that the pickles have gone bad, rather it’s a sign that they’ve had considerable time to set and change, as pickling liquids also help preserve color.

2. Mold

In addition to color changes, you can also look at the physical changes of the product. Specifically, mold growth.

This is very common in fermented pickles, where bacteria have taken over in such a way that bad (harmful) bacteria have been allowed to thrive.

If there are any signs of mold, that the pickle has become clumpy, or that it is fizzing, then your pickle might as well be in the trash.

3. Bulging lid

Another telltale sign that pickles have gone bad is a bulging top. This means that there are gases trapped inside.

These gases are caused and created by living organisms, ie bacteria. So even if you don’t see the mold, if the lid bulges, it’s there!

4. Smells

The last sign you can rely on is smell. If the pickle smells strange in any way, better not eat it.

Can pickles be frozen?

This is a hotly debated question and many people are passionate about freezing pickles. We have an entire article explaining whether pickles can be frozen, but here’s our two cents: why would you want to?

Gherkins are already a type of canned food and we guarantee that your freezer isn’t going to make them last longer than at room temperature or in a fridge, unless of course you stock up for very long use at the end of the year. world.

Ultimately, it depends on you. What the freezer will do to your pickles is change their consistency.

Since the pickles have absorbed so much pickling liquid, this liquid will freeze and crystallize. Once thawed, the ice crystals will melt off the ingredient.

Now, some foods still have fiber and protein bonds that hold them together, but fruits and vegetables don’t. You will be left with a completely soggy and mushy item that is also lacking in flavor.

If you want to use frozen pickles, use them while frozen to add texture and flavor to refreshing summer salads, or inside dishes that will be cooked, such as casseroles or curries.

Related questions

Why are the gherkins soft?

Soft gherkins are usually the result of yeast fermentation. This basically means that they have been spoiled by bacteria.

This could be because the fermented pickle has been sitting too long at room temperature, or the pH of your pickle is too high (remember to keep it below 4.6).

It may also be because the pickles have been cooked for too long before being packaged or canned.

Does making the vinegar make the pickles last longer?

Boiling the pickling liquid has nothing to do with how long the pickles last, but rather with the flavor and texture.

By heating it, you make the flavors blend better and become one, and not many different and separate parts.

Do gherkins expire even if they are still packaged?

They will eventually expire, even though they are still sealed and sealed (and stored at the correct temperatures and conditions). You’re still working with food and living organisms that can go bad, no matter what you do to prevent it.

What happens if I eat expired pickles?

Two words my friends: food poisoning. Yes, although there are mild forms of food poisoning, the danger is that you can’t detect the most harmful strains of bacteria.

In extreme cases, you can have high fevers, cramps, start vomiting and have diarrhea: nothing good comes from eating expired food. If you ever doubt an item, throw it out.