Pickling Temperature

Can I do the entire pickle processing according to your instruction in the refrigerator instead at room temperature?

My house can get warm in the summer. Will it effect the pickling?

What if my cellar temperature is cooler than 70 degrees?

Can I do the entire pickle processing according to your instruction in the refrigerator instead at room temperature?

No, it would be impractical. The optimum temperature is actually between 64 and 74 degrees as discovered hundreds of years ago by the Chinese. If you have a full cellar, the cooler temperatures are preferred. If you do not keep your house conditioned in the 74 to 64 F. zone, you will need to improvise. In warm climates, I use a cooler with a block of blue ice placed next to the fermentor. Change out the ice every 8 hours or so. This will lower the temperature a few degrees. If the temperature is in the low 60 degreee range, add on at least another 4 days. Taste and decide if it is sour enough for your taste, or continue to ferment a couple days and recheck.

My house can get warm in the summer. Will it effect the pickling?

If you don't keep your living space in the 70-75 degree range you can get mixed pickling results. If it is too warm, try this nifty trick: Put a medium or large blue ice block into an ice chest a few hours before you pickle. When you have loaded up the Perfect Pickler™, place it in the cooler. Keep the lid open, or off. Then, every 8-12 hours replace the ice block with another frozen one. It keeps the pickles in the 65-70 degree range and they love that temperature. After 4 days, place in the fridge per the instruction book.

If you pickled in a setting that is too warm, you will usually find some mold and a musty smell. Discard and locate a cooler spot.

What if my cellar temperature is cooler than 70 degrees?

Actually ideal temperature is within the 64 to 71 degree range. Pickling will occur in cooler temperatures, but it will take longer. There is usually some spot you can scout out in your home that will keep the temperature in this range. Use a thermometer and locate.