Make Quick Pickles With This Overlooked Kitchen Appliance

Pickles are one of those staple foods in my kitchen. They're just tasty little morsels that are always good to have on hand, whether to add on the side of a meal, bring a little life and zing to sandwiches, or even to snack on by themselves. Pickles are having a moment, and I'm here for it, but some would-be home picklers are a little overwhelmed about the traditional pickling methods that involve stove-top cooking. Honestly, it's not as hard as it might seem initially, but what if I told you that it's even easier to make quick pickles with just one appliance? Your microwave. That's right, you can make your own quick pickles in just under 10 minutes with nothing but a sterilized container, the ingredients, and the microwave itself. Wild, right?

Among the 13 microwave tips every home cook should know, one specifically tackles quick pickling cucumbers. Basically, instead of cooking your pickles over the stove, you just microwave the ingredients for three several-minute bursts at a time. Mix your sliced cucumbers, sugar, vinegar, spices, and onions together in a microwave-safe container. Give that a zap for a few minutes and then stir. Microwave a second time for two to three minutes, and stir again. Microwave it one last time for another two to three minutes, and voila. All you gotta do is put that microwaved goodness into a sterilized container (glass jars are a favorite) and put it in the fridge where it can continue to pickle. The longer they sit, the better they'll be, so don't be afraid to wait a while before you give them a taste.

Once you see how easy it is to make your own quick pickles, you might be itching to try them out in tons of new recipes. There are all the classics, of course, like adding them to sandwiches and burgers. You could dice them into relish and mix them in with mayo for a tangy, delicious topping and spread, or add the chopped pickles into coleslaw or potato salad for a little punch of vinegar-y, tangy goodness. They go great in tuna or chicken salad, too, cutting through the rich and heavy mayo with some much-needed brightness.

If you're feeling like a little nosh, you can bread and batter these babies and make deep-fried pickle chips to eat with a ranch dip. They're also a great addition to any charcuterie board, especially when paired with creamy cheeses such as burrata or salty meats like prosciutto. Don't let that pickle juice go to waste, either; these 17 clever uses for leftover pickle juice will let you enjoy your work on these quick and easy microwave pickles down to the very last drop.