Pickle Ratings / Rankings / Descriptions

2005-01-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

This post will be regularly updated as I try more brands of pickles.

I get strange ideas in my head occasionally. Sometime in 2005, I noticed there were many different jars of pickles at my local supermarket and I wondered what the difference between them all was. Since then, I've always kept a jar of pickles in the fridge. Every time it runs out, I buy a new jar of pickles to try. For each jar, I jot down a few notes about what I and my apartment-mate (D) think of them. I keep all pickles refrigerated after opening, regardless of whether the jar says to or not. These are the results, listed in chronological order.

Hengstenberg Crunchy Gherkins: Sweet, crunchy, and spicy. And D rates them excellent as well. Best yet; hope this isn't the first is best effect.
Hengstenberg Cornichons: Like the previous, uses Gherkin pickles (but smaller). Also, much more vinegary.
Passport specialties Kosher Baby Dill Pickles: Not quite as sweet as the gherkins, nor as vinegary as the last container.
Cascadian Farm Baby Dills: Not tart. Has a hint of garlic. Also, less crisp than the others. I initially said very sweet but later disagreed with myself, saying not sweet, just not tart at all.
Del Monte Sweet Premium Whole Pickles: Woah. Unnecessarily sweet. The pickle is sweet and the exterior feels it too; there is something syrupy to the sweetness. Something saccharine to the sweetness overpowers any tartness the pickle has. So nasty I had to throw them away.
Del Monte Dill Premium Tiny Kosher: Tart and crisp. D likes them. They have a bit of a chemical flavor that bothers us a little.
Claussen Kosher Dills: Crisp. A solid choice. Nothing that makes it distinctive in any way, but nothing that makes it bad in any way either.

Questions? Comments? Thoughts? Post to the comments section of this blog.

Additional keywords: pickle rating, pickle ranking, pickle descriptions