FOOD NEWS
The Water Tip To Be Aware Of When Making Home-Canned Pickles
By Ariana DiValentino
If you're a seasoned pickle maker, you know that sterilization, acidity levels, and salt quantities are all make-or-break factors when making homemade pickles.
However, another important quality you may not have considered when making pickles is your tap water's quality — mainly hard water vs. soft water.
Hard water is generally safe to drink and use for various household purposes, but when it comes to pickling, its mineral content can mess with the brine's acidity.
Hard water can also cause hazy, slightly opaque-looking brine and shrunken, wrinkled, unusually dark pickles. That's why it's best to use soft water for your pickles.
While you could buy bottled, distilled water, which has already had its mineral content removed, to turn hard tap water soft, keep it at a rolling boil for 15 minutes.
Let it sit for a full 24 hours at room temperature, then gently pour the softened water into another container so you don't disturb the mineral solids at the bottom of the pot.