I'm not a skinflint but do like to make things stretch because I just HATE waste, especially food !...and as I was finishing the last cucumber from the pickled jar today I was wondering:

1: Could I have used the vinegar on my chips (french fries) ?

2: Would I have had to still refrigerate it if I did or was the refrigeration purely for the cucumbers ?

3: Are there any real serious other uses for this pickled concoction of liquid tangy joy ?

Thanks

Neil

xxxxx

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Yes, no, and yes.

In more detail, it is perfectly good on chips. While Americans are a bit slow at picking up on vinegar flavored potatoes, it is gradually becoming popular. Advantages of the vinegar out of the cucumber jar (and I'm assuming that this was store bought) is that there are already other spices in it that can enhance the flavor of the chips.

In regard to refrigeration, the general rule is that if something is immersed in vinegar, it doesn't HAVE to be refrigerated. (The vinegar *must* completely cover whatever is immersed, however.) Vinegar is so acidic that very few bacteria or microbes will survive in it. In fact, in the days before refrigeration, very often, all manner of things were stored in vinegar through the heat of summer, including meat, without those things going bad. All that said, there are three reasons for putting pickles in the ice box. First, the flavor is maintained longer after the jar is opened. Second, the flavor of cucumbers, pickled or not, is enhanced when they are chilled. Third, when they are cold, they tend to be crisp.

In regard to other uses, there are MANY. But here are a couple easy ones that are among my favorites. Try boiling up some eggs, hard boiled, and just enough that the vinegar in the jar will cover them. Then refrigerate (for much the same reason as above) and let sit for a week or so. I LOVE pickled eggs. (And as a tip, if you don't have a lot of the vinegar, or boiled one or two too many eggs, add a little beet juice to the vinegar. This will also give the eggs the most beautiful pinkish hue when they are done.)

Alternately, buy some of the hot pork sausages (*not* bulk sausage, the kind that is in casings), and add them to the vinegar, again letting it sit long enough for them to start pickling. Even people who can't tolerate hot foods will usually like these, since they will be somewhat milder. We used to make our own "hot polish sausages" this way.

OR you can also put cauliflower and brocolli rosettes, sliced carrots, and a few of the small boiling onions in the vinegar for pickled vegatables. (If the vegies are completely raw, allow 2-3 weeks for the pickling.)

Indeed, that was in fact the whole reason for pickling them.

Regarding cukes, I seem to remember reading a long time ago (in the book, "A Child's Garden of Grass" to be exact) that there is no such thing as a profound thought when one is stoned. As evidence, the authors offered the story of a friend who was so convinced of the earth-shattering truth he had discovered that he had to be physically restrained from telephoning the White House to conver his "profound thought" to the president, which was "Well, you may not like pickles, but there's really not a whole lot else you can do with cucumbers."

Vinegar (with or without pickling spices) is also good for dipping your beer-battered halibut into...

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It is also great when you add a few herbs, like sage, oregano, and basil, some cooked bacon pieces and the bacon grease, and pour it all over a green salad. If you put the grease when it is hot over the salad, you have one of my favorite side dishes...wilted leaf salad.