ChefTalk.com › ChefTalk Cooking Forums › Cooking Discussions › Food & Cooking › pickle question... garlic??
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

pickle question... garlic??

post #1 of 8
7/13/12 at 7:20am
Thread Starter 

Was in the "area" of a funky (GOOD) supermarket the other day, so stopped in.  It's little, jam packed, aisles so narrow it takes serious maneuvering for 2 carts.  In small produce section... the basics of carrots, onions, poatoes, peppers, etc... they had 2 lb bags of string beans for $1!?!  They looked great but 2 lb is a LOT of beans... especially for one person.  Decided to try my hand at green bean pickles... googled a recipe.  Simple brine of cider vinegar, sugar, spices and garlic.  Said to bundle pickling spices, pepper corns, bay leaves in cheese cloth and simmer for something like 10 minutes.  Couldn't locate cheese cloth that I KNOW I have (somewhere), so used one of my tea balls for containment.  I used microwave to heat up vinegar and sugar till about boiling and just let tea ball steep... knew I couldn't heat it cuz tea ball is metal.  Beans were blanched for about a minute and packed into jars with thin sliced onions and red peppers.  As I was cutting things up and packing into jars, realized I had forgotten the garlic... supposed to be steeped in brine, too.  So fished out tea ball, reheated brine, and added 3-4 well-smashed cloves.  By the time I was ready to pour brine in jars, the relativelt intact cloves were BRIGHT GREEN??

 

Any idea why that happened?

Reply

Featured Stories on ChefTalk.com

Follow ChefTalk on Pinterest!
A clinical look at how a restaurant runs
When Cooks Cook for Themselves
post #2 of 8
7/13/12 at 8:05am

This is perfectly ok.  I have seen this before when heating up my hot sauce.  Not sure on the exact science but theres a reaction with garlic and heating it in acid.  Either way theres nothing harmful about this.  I thought about making a garlic sauce like this cause the color is awesome! 

Reply
post #3 of 8
7/13/12 at 8:10am

It's a fairly common reaction when you cook garlic with vinegar.  More common still with garlic, vinegar and onion.  Still more common with garlic, vinegar, onion and ginger.  And for some reason, even more common with Chinese garlic and vinegar (and whatever).  And sometimes you don't get green, you get blue. 

 

The principle chemical components of the color change are sulfur compounds.  

 

I think Harold McGee had a lot to say about it, but can't recall for sure.  You could -- if you wanted -- use teh Google.

 

BDL   

What were we talking about?
 
http://www.cookfoodgood.com
Reply
post #4 of 8
7/13/12 at 11:02pm

PS, if you want to heat up the brine with the tea balls in it, just put it in a pot on the stove - you don;t need the microwave. 

"Siduri said, 'Gilgamesh, where are you roaming? You will never find the eternal life that you seek...Savour your food, make each of your days a delight, ... let music and dancing fill your house, love the child who holds you by the hand and give your wife pleasure in your embrace.'"
Reply
post #5 of 8
7/14/12 at 6:24am
Thread Starter 

Weather has not exactly been "canning" riendly, so used the microwave for a little less heat?!?  Guessing that garlic would have still gone NEON green on stove top?

Reply
post #6 of 8
7/14/12 at 9:06am

Hhhmmmm …. Pickled Green Beans you say …. I use to buy Dilly Beans for my Mother near where we live now (in the sticks) and now I can’t get them … Del Monte or the like … hhhmmmmm … I don’t know why I didn’t think of canning my own now that the beans are at a better price (in season is it? I’m not sure) but that's a great idea … you’ve inspired me!  

ALOHA

Translation:  alo, sharing or in the present
                   oha, joyous affection or joy
                   ha, life energy, life or breath

The joyful sharing of life energy in the present

 

 

http://mykitcheninthemiddleofthedesert.wordpress.com/

Reply
post #7 of 8
7/14/12 at 12:03pm
Thread Starter 

Recipe I opted for is sweet... like a bread & butter pickle brine. 

Reply
post #8 of 8
7/16/12 at 11:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by kaneohegirlinaz View Post

Hhhmmmm …. Pickled Green Beans you say …. I use to buy Dilly Beans for my Mother near where we live now (in the sticks) and now I can’t get them … Del Monte or the like … hhhmmmmm … I don’t know why I didn’t think of canning my own now that the beans are at a better price (in season is it? I’m not sure) but that's a great idea … you’ve inspired me!  

 

That's right, green beans are in season now. At least where I like they are.

Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Food & Cooking

Featured Stories on ChefTalk.com

Follow ChefTalk on Pinterest!
A clinical look at how a restaurant runs
When Cooks Cook for Themselves
ChefTalk.com › ChefTalk Cooking Forums › Cooking Discussions › Food & Cooking › pickle question... garlic??