I pine for brine. Dill pickles, olives, herring. Lots of people feel the same way. It’s not uncommon for refrigerators to be crammed with a profusion of pickles: asparagus, green beans, jalapenos, red onions, even watermelon rind.
Despite the array, the conundrum is always the same. What do you do with a half-full jar of pickle juice when the pickles are gone? What you don’t do is throw it out. There’s a wide-ranging bounty in that amber liquid.
Here are ten wonderful uses:
1. Use It to Combat Muscle Cramps
Some athletes swear that drinking pickle juice can alleviate muscle cramps, though studies to that effect have been inconclusive.
2. Polish that Copper
Copper takes a shine to pickle juice! Soak some paper towels in pickle juice and lay them on top of any copper in need of a polish.
3. Poaching Fish
Fish poaching calls for a savory liquid. Pickle juice produces a delectable poached fish (and onions are a welcome addition).
4. A Great Chicken Marinade
Many cuts of meat benefit from brining. Pickle juice works as a wonderful meat tenderizer on chicken, pork and steak.
5. The Best Bloody Mary
Make pickle juice the secret ingredient in your Bloody Mary. For that matter, lots of things benefit from a dash (or two) of pickle juice. Add a splash when making potato salad or meatloaf.
6. Low-Calorie Snacks
Finely slice carrots or celery and toss them in the pickle juice. In a day or two, you’ll have a delicious low-calorie snack. Onions also benefit from a good pickle juice dip. Quick pickled red onions, thinly sliced, improve just about any sandwich.
7. High-Protein Lunches
Hard boiled eggs immersed in pickle juice results in a terrific old-timey snack. Serve with cheese, pickles and bread, and you’ve got the classic ploughman’s lunch.
8. Tastier Potatoes
Glamorize the lowly boiled potato by adding a healthy dose of pickle juice to the boiling water. The potatoes will have a lovely savory quality, and you’ll find people won’t need to salt or butter them.
9. Flowers Love It
Hydrangeas and rhododendrons are acid-loving plants. Pickle juice can bump up the acidity in the soil. Take care not to get the juice on the plants themselves.
10. A Secret Hangover Cure
Too much of a good thing the night before? Pickle juice has long been considered a hangover cure. Sodium levels and hydration are quickly restored with a gulp of pickle juice.
Remember — without that fabulous pickle juice, those crunchy pickles were just boring, old cukes. It’s all about that juice.
