Before Throwing Out Pickle Juice, Use It For The Easiest Salad Dressing

Love them or hate them, pickles have been around for more than 4,000 years, dating back to when ancient Indians first preserved cucumbers in brine. Salty, sour, and delightfully tangy, many would agree that one of the biggest mistakes everyone makes when cooking burgers is leaving pickles out. 

Aside from kitchen talk though, pickles have sparked inspiration in many unexpected ways throughout history. Take Shakespeare, for example, who was the first to use the phrase "in a pickle" in one of his plays. And if that's not enough, records suggest that Cleopatra claimed pickles were the secret behind her beauty, although isn't beauty in the eye of the beholder?

But all rumors aside, nobody seems to talk about pickle juice. Presumably, that's because most people simply dump it down the drain once the last pickle in the jar has served its purpose. Yet, few realize that with just the right touch of creativity, this flavorful liquid can easily become one of the best salad dressings you've ever tasted. Of course, this might seem a bit strange, but the thing is, despite being made of salt and vinegar, pickle juice is also infused with many herbs and spices — mustard seeds, coriander, red pepper flakes, ground ginger, you name it! While these are originally added to boost the pickles' flavor, they also hold the potential to give simple salads an extraordinary twist. And the best part is, the dressing takes literally zero effort to make.

Using pickle juice to make a salad dressing is just one of the 12 simple ways to use leftover pickle juice. The reason why it's so easy is simply because of the extra flavor that stems from its seasonings. And that certainly saves a lot of time and energy in getting the seasoning just right by skipping the hassle of going through endless recipes online. Instead, it allows you to focus on adding the right amount of salt, vinegar, and oil, and perhaps just a touch of tahini and Dijon mustard — a beloved French topping that isn't just the condiment you should add when breading fried chicken, but also the perfect natural emulsifier for your dressing.

When it comes to the preparation process, all you really need to do is pour the pickle juice into a blender along with the rest of the ingredients, and slowly add the oil as you blend on medium for a couple of minutes, until it reaches a creamy texture. Meanwhile, if you'd rather just skip the blender, simply mix everything together into a jar or any other kind of container that comes with a lid, and give it a good shake. And now for the best part — once the mixture has emulsified and reached just the right consistency, throw some of your favorite greens into a bowl, pour it generously over them, and enjoy each bite with your new go-to dressing.