[kaplods]

Sunday a friend is coming over to show me how to dye yarn with packets of (unsweetened) Kool-Aid. While searching online for color-combinations and instructions, I ran across a reference tor Kool-Aid pickles.

Intrigued (and a little disturbed) I googled "Kool-Aid Pickles," and found several recipes. There are three Basic ingredients - dill pickles, sugar, and Kool-Aid packet(s), and an optional fourth ingredient, water (if you're replacing some or all of the brine).

You start with a jar of dill pickles and drain the pickles. You then mix your Kool-Aid, sugar and liquid (the pickle brine, water, or some combination of the two). The proportions of sugar/Kool-Aid/pickle juice/water vary by recipe - and how sweet and how sour you want the finished pickle.



Initially, I was really turned-off by the idea, but now I'm thinking of trying them, only replacing the sugar with Splenda - or replacing the Kool-Aid and sugar with Crystal Light.


So has anyone eaten these pickles (either made with artificial sweetner or with sugar)?

I think I might try them with jalapenos replacing the dill pickles (I just bought a huge jar of pickled jalapenos at Sam's Club).

[toobig]

Please let us know how this turns out.

[Jilu]

Oh man, I grew up on koolaid pickles (in the Mississippi Delta).

Gas stations would have them on the counters by the register. I hadn't had one in 15 years until I went to a bakery for lunch in Canton, MS and they put slices of them as a side to their sandwiches.

Erm, they are different. It's a weird fruity, pickly flavor. I enjoyed having the couple slices as a nostalgic thing, but I don't know if I could handle a whole one as an adult.

[kaplods]

Originally Posted by Jilu

I enjoyed having the couple slices as a nostalgic thing, but I don't know if I could handle a whole one as an adult.

I think I'll use dill slices for that very reason. A lot of people compare the flavor to bread and butter pickles - which I love, but I also wouldn't want to eat a whole pickle of.

I bought a box of wide mouth jelly jars (they look like juice glasses) with plastic lids a couple months ago. Each jar only about 8 ounces. I think I'll cut down the recipe and use those for my experiments, so if I don't like them, I haven't wasted an entire jar of pickles..

I checked out YouTube and found some videos - and another pickle concoction called "fire and ice" pickles. You drain pickle slices and toss with sugar (half as much sugar as pickles. 1 cup sugar for every 2 cups pickles), a smashed garlic clove or two, and red pepper flakes or fresh or canned jalapenos. You let them sit on the counter until the sugar all dissolves and then you put them back in the jar.

Sounds like another jelly jar experiment.



A pickle concoction that I made (and love) is adding Splenda to a jar of yellow pepper rings or peperoncini. It reminds me of a pickled pepper recipe that my mom and grandma used to make when I was little. I love pickled sweet peppers, and there used to be a brand I could find in the grocery stores, but it's not avaialbe anymore. The roasted red peppers in a jar are nice, but soft. The peppers I remember were still crisp (and awesome on a turkey sandwhich).

I pour off a little of the brine into a jar (in case I miscalculate and need some of it back). I add about 1/3 cup of Splenda making sure all the peppers are covered (adding a bit of the reserved brine back if necessary). I put the pickles in the fridge and wait a few days to let the flavors blend.

[eroica27]

Its interesting all right, I guess it would depend on the flavor of the kool-aid. i wouldnt substitue the sugar though, as it is used as a preservative in this recipie. I'm not sure you can use splenda as a preservative.

[kaplods]

Originally Posted by eroica27

Its interesting all right, I guess it would depend on the flavor of the kool-aid. i wouldnt substitue the sugar though, as it is used as a preservative in this recipie. I'm not sure you can use splenda as a preservative.

Splenda doesn't provide the same protection as sugar, but if you are adding to the brine (not replacing any of the brine with water), the acidity level should be enough to keep the pickles safe. It is though another reason that I would make very small trial batches (in the 8 ounce jelly jars), so that they can be eaten before preservation becomes a problem.

Even when I add Splenda to pickled peppers, I use the smallest jar of peppers that I can find - or I make a small batch (1 cup or less) in a tupperware container, so that I don't have to worry about the safety of the pickle. I make enough for a few days and that's it.

I prefer making small batches of quick pickles that are eaten quickly - not only for safety's sake but for refrigerator space and variety. My favorite pickle is a bread and butter freezer pickle. I freeze them in the smallest containers I can, so that I only thaw enough pickles for a week or so.