How to do pickled onions yourself?

[SkeeterUK]

Hi all.

I want to give pickling onions a go myself, i wana make a lot like 3 2ltr jars worth. I would like them to taste like garners original ones or any semi strong traditional pickled onion tho not massively strong. Just somit that has a good taste and isnt weak like 30p pickled onions lol but more like the 2-3 quid ones.

Any ideas?

I was gona follow one of these but dunno if its the taste im after.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yypBKxI4aLY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUGI2mtuQHQ (wana maybe make as much as this dude does.

Or should i just buy my usual large jars of asda pickled onions for about a quid a jar as there nice and large and taste aint too bad.

 

[FrenchTart]

I've never done this myself but I've made cheaty pickled onions that were delicious.

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/05/pickled-red-onions.html

Hopefully someone can offer some better help shortly.

 

[CHokKA]

This is something I experimented with a long while ago. If I remember correctly, I used an 80/20 mix of malt vinegar and water (I just bought a few 2l bottles of vinegar from the supermarket, not the pre-made pickling vinegar and then just bought a jar of pickling spices to add). I boiled the vinegar and water along with the pickling spices, added a few pinches of salt and sugar (if required), then peeled and put all the onions into sterile Kilner jars and poured in the liquid to the top whilst it was still boiling hot. I added some whole chillies to a few jars and then sealed them and left them for a few days. They were amazing. I ended up with about 7 jars full of them. I gave a few of them to friends and family for Christmas 2 years ago.

The most important thing to do is to make sure that you don't get the onions wet at all before pouring in the vinegar solution. Some recipes say to wash the onions, but this makes them go soft in the pickling vinegar.

I can't remember the exact recipe, I just sort of winged it but I'll have a look online to see if I can find the one that I used. The 80/20 vinegar and water was what I changed myself, as a lot call for 50/50 vinegar and water but I prefer my pickles to have a nice punch to them

 

[robj20]

Always dry salt mine for 24 hours before pickling, makes them more crunchy. I use 100% vinegar as well, with a pickled ghost pepper in each jar.

 

[CHokKA]

Just to add, not all recipes call for water to be mixed with the vinegar, so if you like full-on vinegar in your pickles then just use that instead. You've got me tempted to make a batch this weekend

 

[Maccapacca]

I had pickled veg and eggs at Hawksmoor last week, I want to make my own now.

 

[SkeeterUK]

Going shopping on sat. Anyone know the best place to get a big bag of pickling onions and sarson pickling vinegar from.

Choices are lidl, aldi, asda, tesco or sainsburys.

 

[CHokKA]

Not sure if it's too late for you but Asda have baby onions for pickling for £1 for a 750g bag. I picked up five bags yesterday.

Don't buy the pickling vinegar though, get some pickling spices and then get a bottle of malt vinegar. The flavour is so much better

Sainsburys have big 2l bottles of malt vinegar for £3.

 

[bartledvd]

This is something i do most Christmases and kids hate it last few years i have been forced out side to peel my onions i just but big jugs of pickling vinegar and stick some chillies and pepper corns in with onions i like to use few different types of pepper corns and i add some honey to the mix.

for me i find most shop bought pickled onions not strong enough in flavour and the onions are not very crunchy M & S have some ok ones

 

[SkeeterUK]

Bought some value smallish onions from asda some baby onions from asda and some everyday ones from tesco. The larger onions are about the size ud expect from a 2.5kg jar the baby ones u find in normal sized jars. I hope they are pickling ones even tho only baby ones say so I mean there small enough the larger ones so unless u need a specific species of onions I'm hoping there all gona do OK.

Bought 2 jars of sarsons pickling vinegar (brown ones) as didn't want to faf on with boiling malt vinegar with spices as I'm too lazy so want it the easiest way i can do it. Also got large bag of cooking salt as I hear table salt isn't the right salt to use cos of what it contains or somit.

Bought 2 large jars with hinged lids from asda at £2.50 each which is somewhat reasonable and got a few jars at home so should have enough to pickle around 4-5kg of onions.

Will peel em using hot water method tomorrow then soak em in salt water for 24 hours unless u think salt rubbed in without water is a better way?

Then Monday its bottling time I hope.

Is that a good plan so far? Does anyone want pics or anything?

 

[Bear]

I used to make pickled onions every year near Christmas. I used to use jars of pickling vinegar, pickling spices, and chilli as I like onions that blow your head off.

Boil water and saturate water with salt, let it cool and soak the onions in the salt water overnight, this takes away the harsh raw onion taste.

Heat vinegar with the windows open, this is important as you can't breathe if the room isn't well ventilated. Add a spice pack and sliced fresh chilli and continue to simmer.

Let the vinegar cool and sieve out all the chilli and spices. Clean jars and dry in a cool oven and when dry fill with onions and fill with vinegar covering all the onions. Close lid and leave for at least a month to get a full flavoured onion.

 

[CHokKA]

I pickled a jar of onions last night. Peeling them takes bloody ages though! And my thumb hurts under the nail from jamming it into the skin to peel it off. I put three chillies into mine, along with the pickling spices, salt, pepper, sugar and bay leaves. I'll give them a few weeks and then try them out. I'll take a picture of the jar this evening

 

[CHokKA]

Forgot to get a picture last night. We're having a room painted and I needed to move stuff around last night. I'll try and remember tonight

 

[SkeeterUK]

Here are the large onions well larger than baby onions the value type ones from asda or tesco etc where you get a load for a quid or somit. These i hope will be like the ones you get from them 2.5kg jars you can buy sometimes.

Here is the baby pickling onions which are like what ud expect from any medium sized jar of pickled onions.

Some jars i have for pickling in. Need to wash and sterilize em tomorrow.

So the above pics are basically skinning baby and value onions, put small ones in a casserole dish and added a good amount of cooking salt and cold water and stirred (after giving it a quick wash first). So thats in brine now for 24hrs or so. Same with the slightly larger onions, put them in a big bowl and added cooking salt about a mug full and then added cold water and gave it a stir then put a plate on top of this one then a t-towel to cover then a old jar of pickled onions on top for weighting down.

Tomorrow as said is washing jars and sterilizing them and then putting the onions into the jars, dunno weather to mix or keep separate the sizes. Then adding the sarsons pickling vinegar then storing it for about 4-6 weeks.

Got another bag of baby pickling onions to do on the weekend and another value bag of onions. Then i think ill be done with pickling till the next time. May need more jars. I got about 4 asda pickled onion jars but dunno if i should use em, will the lids rust?

 

[CHokKA]

Here are the large onions well larger than baby onions the value type ones from asda or tesco etc where you get a load for a quid or somit. These i hope will be like the ones you get from them 2.5kg jars you can buy sometimes.

Here is the baby pickling onions which are like what ud expect from any medium sized jar of pickled onions.

Some jars i have for pickling in. Need to wash and sterilize em tomorrow.

So the above pics are basically skinning baby and value onions, put small ones in a casserole dish and added a good amount of cooking salt and cold water and stirred (after giving it a quick wash first). So thats in brine now for 24hrs or so. Same with the slightly larger onions, put them in a big bowl and added cooking salt about a mug full and then added cold water and gave it a stir then put a plate on top of this one then a t-towel to cover then a old jar of pickled onions on top for weighting down.

Tomorrow as said is washing jars and sterilizing them and then putting the onions into the jars, dunno weather to mix or keep separate the sizes. Then adding the sarsons pickling vinegar then storing it for about 4-6 weeks.

Got another bag of baby pickling onions to do on the weekend and another value bag of onions. Then i think ill be done with pickling till the next time. May need more jars. I got about 4 asda pickled onion jars but dunno if i should use em, will the lids rust?

Definitely buy your own jars. I can't say whether the lids will rust, but Kilner jars aren't that expensive and they're really nice bottles I've got a whole bunch at home but I haven't filled them with enough stuff. That's a project for the coming months!

 

[SkeeterUK]

Done 2 jars worth. Hoped I had more. Wanted to do 6 jars worth ah well I'll buy more onions and few more jars and more pickling vinegar. Tho don't like the cost so far £10 for 2 jars worth tho true I still have 2 bags of onions left but still. Might as well have bought 10 jars of asda ones lol.