Did you know that steam cookers are also wonderful for pickling? Star chef Silvio Germann, head chef at “IGNIV by Andreas Caminada” and V-ZUG ambassador, tells us how it works. What’s more, he also divulges one of his fabulous recipes.
The key to pickling is cleanliness. After all, it’s about making vegetables last longer. In the past, jars would be placed in boiling water to sterilize them. However, Silvio Germann has an easier way: “We sterilize our jars and their lids at 100 °C in the V-ZUG Combi-Steamer.” Germann is a huge fan of pickled vegetables. “Pickles are perfect for adding a touch of acidity to our dishes”, says the 2-star chef. Germann’s team also uses different pickling liquids for different types of vegetables. He shares one of his recipes below. The cucumbers are sorted by his team according to size and layered in jars. They are then simply covered with the boiling liquid – no further cooking is required, since the acidity alone is enough to pickle the cucumbers. Germann gives us yet another tip for pickling cucumbers: “We place them in ice-cold water for five minutes prior to pickling. This gives the cucumbers added crunch, which is really important to me when eating pickled vegetables – and pickled cucumbers in particular.”
Here’s a pickled cucumber recipe from Silvio Germann:
Pickling liquid:
350 g white balsamic
150 g water
80 g sugar
8 g salt
2 g peppercorns
2 g coriander seed
2 g mustard seed
8 g dill
Bring the liquid to the boil, stir until the salt and sugar have dissolved. Pour into the jar containing the layered cucumbers. Seal the lid and store upside down for five days. After five days, the cucumbers are ready to enjoy, however they can be kept for up to a year.