Pickle juice is usually an afterthought that ends up poured down the drain, but it has a multitude of secret uses – some of which you have probably never even thought of but will wonder how you ever lived without.
“Roughly one-third of the food produced in the world for human consumption every year — approximately 1.3 billion tons — gets lost or wasted.”
Pickle juice is just going to add to that waste otherwise, so why not try one of the following ideas instead?
1. Make more pickles!
To make easy refrigerator pickles, put sliced cucumbers or other vegetables into your pickle juice and place the jar back in the fridge for a few days.
2. Relieve an upset stomach
Vinegar, a fermented food, is a well-known home remedy for an upset stomach, and it’s also one of the primary ingredients in pickle juice. The Washington Post notes that probiotics produced in fermented foods may improve digestion. Try a little bit the next time you have an upset stomach.
3. Treat a hangover
Pickle juice may help to replace electrolytes and fluids lost from a night of drinking. Don’t forget to drink water as well!
4. Add it to a drink recipe
Try TastingTable’s Pickleback or FoodieCrush’s pickle-infused vodka if you are looking for new drink combinations to liven up the taste buds.
5. Replenish electrolytes
According to Business Insider, pickle juice may be the new Gatorade. It contains electrolytes and is a fast way to replenish potassium and sodium levels. Consider bringing some along the next time you work out.
6. Reduce heartburn
It’s also really good at reducing heartburn according to a lot of people. Take a spoonful of pickle juice the next time you experience heartburn and see if it helps.
7. Treat a sunburn
They swear by this one over at The Kitchn. The writer who tried it claimed that there was instant relief and a cooling sensation once it was applied to sunburnt skin.
8. Perk up recipes
You can improve so many recipes with pickle juice! Add it to a bread recipe to give it some zing. Use it to marinate tofu or meat. Bring fries to life with extra flavor. You can even add it to butter to make it anything but plain.
9. Keep your sidewalk free of ice!
It can be used outside of the house as well! The salt content is high enough to melt ice and may help to keep your walkways clear. According to CNN, there are municipalities that have been trying it as an alternative to traditional road salting.
10. Eliminate bad breath
The healthy bacteria in pickle juice may help to eliminate bad odor-causing bacteria in your mouth.
11. Kill weeds in your garden
The vinegar in pickle juice can also help in gardening. The acidity is high enough to kill most weeds, and it may actually help with certain types of flowers, such as azaleas and rhododendrons, that require highly acidic soil.
12. Reduce muscle cramps
The salt from pickle juice is easily and quickly absorbed by our bodies, resulting in a faster reduction in muscle cramps than if you just had a glass of water.
13. Sooth a sore throat
Either gargle or drink a spoonful or two of pickle juice several times a day and you may notice an improvement in your sore throat thanks to the potent salt and vinegar combination.
14. Make copper pipes and pans shine
On the HGTV show Fixer Upper, Chip and Joanna Gaines used pickle juice to clean up the copper around a house that they were renovating. It seemed to work really well!
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15. Stop hiccups
Some people swear by pickle juice as a cure for hiccups. It’s worth a try and beats trying to drink water while holding your nose!
