They look almost too good to eat. Photo courtesy Lindsay Landis | Love & Olive Oil | McCormick.
|
STEPHANIE ZONIE is a contributing editor at THE NIBBLE.
|
|
November 2013
|
|
Best Dill Pickle Brands
Page 8c: Pickle Brands F, G & H
This is Page 8c (Page 10) of a 13-page article. Here, reviews of the best dill pickle brands continue. Click on the black links below to visit other pages.
Brand Reviews: F, G, H
Famous Dave’s
Sold Shelf-Stable
Website
- Signature Spicy Pickle Spears. Serving size: 1 oz (28 g/about ¾ spear). Sodium content: 170 mg. Sugars: 6 g. Contains high fructose corn syrup, Polysorbate 80, artificial flavors, natural flavors, and yellow #5. The label calls it a “unique blend of sweet and heat.” There’s a slight touch of sweetness, but no significant heat.
|
|
Famous Dave’s. Photo by Elvira Kalviste. |
Farm To Market
Sold Shelf-Stable
Website
- Bloody Mary. Serving size: 1 oz (28 g/about 6 slices). Sodium: 110 mg. Sugars: less than 1 g. Contains natural flavors and Polysorbate 80. There’s not a brine here so much as there is a thick tomato mixture (like tomato sauce) surrounding the pickles.
- Chipotle Lime. Serving size: 1 oz (28 g/about 6 slices). Sodium: 140 mg. Sugars: less than 1 g. Contains natural flavors and Polysorbate 80. Slices of jalapeno peppers and chunks of those chipotles visible in the jar, along with other herbs/spices.
- Garlic Baby Dills. Serving size: 1 oz (28 g/about 3 pickles). Sodium: 70 mg. Sugars: 0 g. Somewhat crunchy and some garlic presence, with moderate heat.
|
|
Farm To Market. Photo by Elvira Kalviste. |
- Sea Salt & Peppercorn. Serving size: 1 oz (28 g/about 6 slices). Sodium: 280 mg. Sugars: less than 1 g. There was something “off” about this brine surrounding these crunchy pickle chips, a strange nuance that reminded us of camphor. Most people probably wouldn’t notice.
Fresh Crunch Pickles
Sold Refrigerated
Website
- No nutrition information. Currently, the date on top of the jars is the date that they’re produced, not the expiration date. These pickles are unquestionably hand-packed, as the jars are very full and there is an imprecise sprinkling of herbs/spices at the very top. The only pickles evaluated for this article use white balsamic vinegar.
- Balzy. Great crunch! The white balsamic lends a very different flavor, giving a hint of sweetness to these pickles before you get the garlic, vinegar, and herb/spice. [RUNNER UP]
- Classic Dill. Excellent crunch. Dill and vinegar dominate here, with the garlic coming in later and lingering. A classic dill pickle. [FAVORITE]
|
|
Fresh Crunch pickles. Photo by Elvira Kalviste. |
- Habanero Dills. You can see a whole habanero pepper in the jar, but don’t expect anything too hot. There’s a slight sizzle; the pickles are flabby, not crunchy.
Gordy’s Pickle Jar
Sold Shelf-Stable
Website
- Sweet Chips. Serving size: 15 g. Sodium: 135 mg. Sugars: 2 g. Very crunchy. A quick burst of sweetness, with a good “hit” of vinegar and a great long aftertaste, a blend of herbs and spices that complement one another beautifully. [RUNNER UP]
Green Hollow Preserves
Sold Shelf-Stable
Website
- New Classic Pickles. No nutrition information. Not much crunch. Very salty and a little sweet. Nice “hit” of garlic at the finish.
|
|
Gordy’s Pickle Jar’s Sweet Chips. Photo by Elvira Kalviste. |
Grillo’s Pickles
Sold Refrigerated
Certified kosher by The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations
Website
- Italian Dills (Original). Serving size: 1 pickle (24 g per medium-size pickle). Sodium: 180 mg. Sugars: 0g. Great crunch! Very strong vinegar presence—a bit too strong, albeit with good garlicky flavor and a bit of dill at the end. It’s fun to open the cartons of these pickles and see the considerable quantities of fresh dill and garlic, plus a grape leaf or two on top.
Gunnar & Jake’s Gourmet Foods
Sold Shelf-Stable
Website
- Dill Pickles. Serving size: 1 oz (10 ml). Sodium: 60 mg. Sugars: 0 g. Label indicates that a portion of all jars sold will be donated to the National Kidney Foundation. Very crunchy, with good garlic presence (there were at least 6 cloves of garlic in this jar!). You’ll also get dill and vinegar flavors, with some heat. A good choice for a sandwich.
- Lemon Cucumber Pickles. No nutrition information. Nice for a gift: Gorgeous lemon cucumbers are sliced vertically into large chunks and brined with lots of dill and other herbs/spices. Very crisp, with lots of garlic, dill, and vinegar flavors. Moderate heat. Good.
- Spicy Dill Pickles. Mildly spicy but too salty. Flabby (i.e., soft, not crunchy).
|
|
Gunnar & Jake’s have a neckband and tag (not shown) that are nice for gifting. Photo by Elvira Kalviste. |
Happy Girl Kitchen
Sold Shelf-Stable
Website
- Bread-n-Butter Pickles. Also contain certified organic sugar. Very crunchy! Moderate sweetness, a quick burst of vinegar, then just a hint of spices. Good.
- Classic Dills. Also contain certified organic dill. Great crunch. Flavors dominated by vinegar and pepper; there isn’t much of a dill presence. Good.
- Spicy Bread-n-Butter Pickles. Also contains certified organic sugar. Good.
- Spicy Classic Dills. Also contain certified organic peppers and dill. Chopped red habaneros grace the bottom of the jar, and the heat clings to the roof of the mouth. We detected a hint of cinnamon in the brine. Interesting.
|
|
Happy Girl pickles. Photo by Elvira Kalviste. |
- No nutrition information. These pickles all contain the following certified organic ingredients: cucumbers, apple cider vinegar, and spices.
Continue To Page 8d: Pickle Brand Reviews I To Q
Go To The Article Index Above
|
