Tradtionally pickling is a time consuming process that involves soaking, brine solutions, pickling spices and canning jars. This easy recipe for bread and butter pickles is made in the microwave and only requires ten minutes of preparation and less than fifteen minutes of cooking.
Pickled vegetables are always a picnic favorite and these thinly sliced crisply sweet cucumber and onion pickles are no exception. They are best made in small batches and kept in the refrigerator for up to three weeks without the added hassle of water bath canning.
Doubling the recipe is fine but because of the cooking method, tripling or more is not recommended. The amount of sugar and cider vinegar in the recipe combined with the juices that cook out of the vegetables make very large batches hard to manage and not all the cucumber slices will cook at the same rate.
This innovative pickling method works equally well with thinly sliced zucchini or summer squash. Very thinly sliced onions are added for additional crunch and sweetness. Although amounts of the celery and mustard seeds are specified, they are not critical to the success of the pickles. Feel free to add more as taste dictates.
Easy Microwave Bread And Butter Pickles
- 2 large (8 inch long) cucumbers, scrubbed but not peeled
- 1 large sweet onion such as Vidalia or Maui
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon celery seeds
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
You will need a large heat-proof glass bowl suitable for microwaving and preferably a mandolin slicer although slicing may be done by hand.
- Discard ends of cucumbers and cut to fit the grip of mandolin slicer or slice by hand into very thin rounds. Peel onion and slice as thinly as possible. Place cucumbers and onions in glass microwavable bowl. Add all remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
- Microwave uncovered at full power for 4 minutes. Carefully remove bowl from microwave and stir well. Return bowl to microwave and cook uncovered at full power for an additional 4-5 minutes or until cucumbers are crisp. Remove from microwave after 4 minutes, stir and taste for desired consistency. If pickles are not crunchy, return to microwave and cook the additional 1 to 2 minutes.
- Ladle into a clean quart sized glass jar. If lid and ring are placed on the jar while liquid is still hot, the jar may seal but it is not necessary since pickles are kept in refrigerator anyway. Cool the jar to room temperature before storing in the refrigerator. Bread and butter pickles will keep in the refrigerator for two to three weeks.
Jill Anderson - Cooking has always been my hobby and I began entering national cooking contests in my 20's. After winning second place in the state of ...
