The Brand Of Pickles You Should Leave On Store Shelves

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Pickles are very divisive. It's very likely that you've met someone at both ends of the spectrum, including loyal pickle lovers who steal their friends' unwanted pickles off of their plates, and passionate haters who can't fathom how anyone eats something so acidic and sour. Those who love crunchy spears may learn how pickling works to make a homemade batch, but they usually know which brands to buy for something deliciously balanced and crisp.

Chowhound ranked 12 popular brands of store-bought pickles, and, unfortunately, one brand had to come in last place. While the tried and true Claussen Kosher Dill Pickle Spears rightfully earned its spot in the first place for store-bought pickles due to its fresh taste and delicious snap, Bubbies Kosher Dill Pickles brought up the rear in 12th place. The downfall of Bubbies is due to the most important factors: The taste and texture. These pickles are salty and soft, the stark opposite of the usual sour and crunchy experience of a good pickle. While the product's list of ingredients includes dill, this taste is difficult to locate when digging into a Bubbies pickle. Instead, the garlic, spices, and mustard seed may have overpowered the dill and caused the pickles to lose their iconic sourness. And despite praise for its large size at a whopping 33 ounces, Bubbies also boasts a hefty price tag of $8.99 per jar.

While Bubbies has flaws that may cause diehard pickle fanatics to avoid it, this is still a very unique brand of pickles! Prospective buyers may notice the jar's naturally cloudy appearance, which is due to the fermentation process used to create its signature brine. Unlike other pickle brands, Bubbies does not use vinegar, sugar, preservatives, or GMOs, making it an appealing choice for anyone looking for a natural product. While we may not have liked Bubbies' saltier approach to pickles, we have to admit that taste is subjective. Those who usually avoid pickles because of the strong and sour taste may actually reach for a jar of Bubbies due to their soft and atypical flavor and texture.

Although we put Bubbies at the tail end of our pickle ranking, many online pickle connoisseurs actually disagree. There are a plethora of pickle lovers who swear by Bubbies on the Reddit subreddit, r/Pickles, praising it for its taste unlike any other pickle and even stating that real pickles must be fermented, like Bubbies pickles are. So, while we may not love the iconic cloudy pickle, we can't say it isn't worth a try.