Post-Workout Drink:
Forget coconut water. Athletes swear by
pickle juice's scientifically proven benefits to exercise recovery. In
one 2010 study, pickle juice halted post-workout muscle cramps in 85
seconds. That, plus its electrolyte-restoring powers has even yielded
Pickle Juice Sport - a dill-flavored sports drink. But really, most
athletes stick to good old Vlasic!
PMS Remedy:
For those same
reasons, pickle juice is widely used as a cure for menstrual cramps. It
may also prevent you from eating four bags of potato chips in one day.
Not that we ever did that. That was a friend.
Potato Pick-Me-Up:
Add a heavy splash of pickle juice to a pot of simple boiled potatoes
for a fantastic side dish. The flavors absorb so perfectly you won't
want to add salt, butter, sour cream, or anything to these taters once
you're done. Making potato salad? Skip the mayo, and toss with veggies
and pickle juice for a much healthier (and more flavorful) version.
Pickleback Shot:
Odds are you've seen this cocktail on a bar menu sometime in the last
couple years (lore has it they were first sold out of a London food
truck in 2011). Perhaps you scoffed or called it a fad, but the truth is
bartenders claim this to be the perfect complement to whiskey,
instantly soothing the taste buds and aftershock of a rough liquor.
Order one, and you will order five. For bonus points, follow that up
with a Pickletini.
Hangover Cure:
If you can stomach it on a
hangover tummy, pickle juice is a known folk remedy that actually works.
It replenishes your depleted sodium levels and helps to assist in
rehydration. In many countries, people even take a shot of pickle juice
before going out to help prevent dehydration in the first place.
Vinegar Replacement:
Pickle juice works in place of vinegar in salad dressing, soups, or
virtually any recipe. It is essentially vinegar on steroids.
Heartburn Cure:
Along with its flavor-boosting benefits, pickle juice seems to have the
same health effects as straight-up vinegar. Particularly effective as a
heartburn soother, pickle juice may also help to avoid blood-sugar
spikes if taken with a meal.
Bloody Mary Booster:
On the
not-as-healthy-but-just-as-important side of the spectrum, pickle juice
is absolutely dynamite in a Bloody Mary. When its hangover-killing
benefits combine with a little hair of the dog, nothing could make your
Sunday morning any greater. Except cronuts.
Cleaning Agent:
Food industry insiders have been using pickle juice to clear blackened
copper pans for years. It also works well as a grill cleaner, making
those charred, crusted-on bits much easier to scrape off.
Dill Pickle Bread:
Make this. Make it now.
Pickle Popsicles:
True, you can buy these on pickleaddicts.com
(actual, real thing), but you can also just pour some of this glorious
nectar into pop molds, paper cups, or ice-cube trays and make your own
savory summer snack.
Re-Pickler:
Or maybe you just want some
more pickles? Empty your vegetable drawer and throw some onions,
carrots, peppers, whatever, into the jar of leftover pickle juice. Let
them sit for a few days and BOOM: new pickles!
Meat Tenderizer & Marinade:
Pickle juice has amazing meat-tenderizing abilities and, as a marinade,
will add a ton of flavor to your meats, without the extra cals in heavy
sauces or marinades. It works exceptionally well on chicken - some
claim a skinless breast soaked overnight in pickle juice will taste like
fried chicken when cooked, and we say that is voodoo but we're okay
with it. Try it on cuts of pork and beef, too.
Fish Poacher:
There is very little in this world that sounds more healthy-boring than
poached fish. But, add your pickle juice to the poaching water and you
will never look back.
Weed Killer:
The high vinegar and salt
content of pickle juice has made it a longtime favorite with gardeners.
Dumping it on dandelions, thistle, and virtually all common weeds that
crop up around your home. Bonus, it's pet-friendly and you probably
already have it in your fridge!
Recipe Add-On:
We lost track
of all the things you can add pickle juice to, but some favorites
include: BBQ sauce, hummus, chicken salad, mac 'n' cheese, gazpacho,
deviled eggs, vinaigrette, borscht, beet salad, salsa, bean dip,
sauerbraten, and meatloaf.
Hiccup Stopper:
We've found little
scientific evidence backing up this claim (and, frankly, we're glad the
scientists are working on other things), but many, many people claim
that the number-one cure for hiccups is a small glass of pickle juice.
Given how well this stuff works on everything else in the world, we
believe it.
