Pickle problem.....in a pickle!

Made up a new bowl of safety pickle. For the second time in a row it goes all cloudy when I pickle anything. Makes very difficult to find little bits and pieces! Have used same make of safety pickle for a couple of years. Clear as a bell till I put objects in it. I also swear it isn’t as effective as it used to be....same batch Vitex from Cooksons. Any ideas? Could the ceramic liner of my slow cooker have become denatured or something?

Just a thought......it appears to me that the pickle is getting hotter than it used to. This slow cooker doesn’t have an alterable thermostat so I usually heat it for 20 mins before using it to pickle for up to 30 mins. If it’s limiter has gone AWOL then that would account for the temp appearing hotter. (Haven’t got a suitable thermometer to test it with) If you think the heat might be the culprit what would you recommend me to replace the pot with. Cooksons a a wee bit expensive......


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If it’s hot and not working then it sounds like the pickle.
I prefer alum crystals. Alum is widely available from amazon as a foodstuff but don’t get the powder as it definitely doesn’t dissolve or work. Strangely my chemist couldn’t even find alum crystals in his book and had never heard of it. All those years of learning!

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Originally Posted by CJ57

If it’s hot and not working then it sounds like the pickle.
I prefer alum crystals. Alum is widely available from amazon as a foodstuff but don’t get the powder as it definitely doesn’t dissolve or work. Strangely my chemist couldn’t even find alum crystals in his book and had never heard of it. All those years of learning!

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Thanks will bear that in mind....but see my addendum!


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It’s not that heat specific tbh, it only needs to be at least warm and shouldn’t need 20 mins. I don't think I’ve ever left it in for more than 10 unless I’ve forgotten andusually less if it’s clean.
You could just switch it off again once it’s warm unless you need it on constantly because you’re doing a lot of soldering all day.
I bought a £20 mini crock from a shopping channel years ago but you can get them anywhere. It has 3 settings on auto and hot. If the lid starts to clatter I know it either needs to be turned off or down!

With mine, I put it on the hot setting for 20 mins, then the keep warm setting. Like Caroline, if my lid rattles, I know I've left it on hot for too long. Could you try some in a bowl, sat within the pickle pot, to see if the problem is the pot? I had a prob. with my old one and just bought a new one from Tesco for about £20.

If you have small bits and pieces to pickle, immerse them using a plastic tea strainer, but let them cool first. Dennis.

Good ideas. I could nick my wife’s slow cooker and a plastic tea strainer and do a bit of experimentation.....then run like the whatits when she finds out! I have actually been offered a slow cooker with timer and thermostat by a friend, so will play about.
Thanks for all the ideas..


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Originally Posted by Ruedeleglise

Good ideas. I could nick my wife’s slow cooker and a plastic tea strainer and do a bit of experimentation.....then run like the whatits when she finds out! I have actually been offered a slow cooker with timer and thermostat by a friend, so will play about.
Thanks for all the ideas..


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You could if you want to taint her food, I’d kill you myself!
You can buy a set of 3 wee seizes from Amazon really cheaply. Remove the handles and lift them out with the tongs or as I do rake about in it with my fingers

I like living dangerously! I think I am heating the pickle up too much as I wouldn’t put my fingers in the pickle.....much too hot.


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I think you probably are! It should be the least thing you have to fret about. Warm enough to remove the soldering debris to milky white and that’s it. Then rinse and go to the next stage

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Originally Posted by CJ57

If it’s hot and not working then it sounds like the pickle.
I prefer alum crystals. Alum is widely available from amazon as a foodstuff but don’t get the powder as it definitely doesn’t dissolve or work. Strangely my chemist couldn’t even find alum crystals in his book and had never heard of it. All those years of learning!

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Ah! thanks for that titbit of information! My alum is the powder, maybe that's why my pickling seems to be hard going.

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Originally Posted by Sheen

Ah! thanks for that titbit of information! My alum is the powder, maybe that's why my pickling seems to be hard going.

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I’ve got into a pickle excuse the pun with the various alums on sale from Amazon. Some have worked really well and then one came as a creamy powder, didn’t dissolve and just didn’t seem to work. Back in the day before internet I bought it as crystal and it worked without issue. It’s just trying to buy the right one

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Originally Posted by CJ57

I’ve got into a pickle excuse the pun with the various alums on sale from Amazon. Some have worked really well and then one came as a creamy powder, didn’t dissolve and just didn’t seem to work. Back in the day before internet I bought it as crystal and it worked without issue. It’s just trying to buy the right one

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Ebay seems to have more crystal options i think.

I usually get my pickle from George Weill, but have recently found this site https://www.inoxia.co.uk/Basket/Index which is cheaper.

Hope that helps. xx

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Originally Posted by Petal

I usually get my pickle from George Weill, but have recently found this site https://www.inoxia.co.uk/Basket/Index which is cheaper.

Hope that helps. xx

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Thanks Jules, fed up with the slowness of my pickling today so i've just ordered some alum from inoxia. hopefully i'll notice the difference :)

You are welcome Sheena, I hope it all works properly when it arrives. :D

Continuing pickle probs? Despite new slow cooker from Argos with low, high and warm settings, mixing up new solution of safety pickle to the gram in the recommended amount of water, then heating it to 40c ......still not impressed! I pickled a piece for 20 mins and it still looked a bit undone. Must be the new tub of pickle is “off” so going to go down the alum trail now!
Thanks for all the advice and pickle chat!


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Originally Posted by Ruedeleglise

Continuing pickle probs? Despite new slow cooker from Argos with low, high and warm settings, mixing up new solution of safety pickle to the gram in the recommended amount of water, then heating it to 40c ......still not impressed! I pickled a piece for 20 mins and it still looked a bit undone. Must be the new tub of pickle is “off” so going to go down the alum trail now!
Thanks for all the advice and pickle chat!


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Pickle never really goes off, I think my first bag of alum sat in a cupboard for 20 years. Some of the safety pickles are just not very good. A good pickle should even work cold over a much longer period

Which alum do you get please....crystals or powder from your supplier? Ah just read about “not the powder” so you must get the crystals. There seem to be such a choice though.


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Well Jules gave you a link to a company that sells 2 otherwise amazon is a bit hit and miss. The last product I was sent was a bit like rough custard powder, didn’t dissolve and coated the crock. I’ll order from the company suggested once I get round to working again

Well Jules gave you a link to a company that sells 2 otherwise amazon is a bit hit and miss. The last product I was sent was a bit like rough custard powder, didn’t dissolve and coated the crock. I’ll order from the company suggested once I get round to working again

I bought the alum (Potassium Aluminium Sulphate) rather than the ammonium Aluminium Sulphate. Hopefully that was the right one to go with, errrr :)

Yes Its Aluminium Potassium sulphate. The order of words might vary, but only those three are correct. Everything else is an imposter. Dennis.

Right....the final question has to be....what concentration please?
It really is amazing how one only has to ask and instantly advice and answers flood on. Thanks all of you.


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I'm in a hurry, so I use a saturated solution, which is about two or three teaspoons. In a communal workshop, the boss usually doles it out sparingly, hoping to save money.
The result is that you hang around needlessly, waiting for it to work, but save nothing. Dennis.

I normally bung in a tablespoon, but I've got a relatively small pickle pot. If it doesn't work after about 20 mins, chuck in some more!

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Originally Posted by Petal

I normally bung in a tablespoon, but I've got a relatively small pickle pot. If it doesn't work after about 20 mins, chuck in some more!

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It’s a bit like cooking, I don’t measure the pickle just put some in . It’s a bit how like how long is a piece of string as how big is your pickle bath and how much water is in it

Alchemy! Thanks...


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I did actually measure once - and it worked out at a tablespoon per 150ml (which is pretty easy to scale up or down!). That's a reasonably strong concentration because I'm always in a hurry. I keep my water topped up to about 200 ml at any given time - the solution strengthens as water evaporates - and every now and again I bung in an extra lump of alum. I'm too lazy to change the solution completely until I can't see the bottom at all.

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Originally Posted by mizgeorge

I did actually measure once - and it worked out at a tablespoon per 150ml (which is pretty easy to scale up or down!). That's a reasonably strong concentration because I'm always in a hurry. I keep my water topped up to about 200 ml at any given time - the solution strengthens as water evaporates - and every now and again I bung in an extra lump of alum. I'm too lazy to change the solution completely until I can't see the bottom at all.

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That’s sounds about right to me George! Except the measuring part, I don’t think I‘ve ever done that

Well got my Inoxia pickle crystals....very small ones! Made up the brew as advised 1 tbs per 150 ml. And warmed it up. Heart sank as it appeared not to disolve, but after a bit of heat and a bit of time it all looks good. Just got to make something to need to pickle!


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