)
Then, through the same mysterious culinary force thats recently gotten people excited about slow cookers and sheet-pan dinners, at-home pickling became a thing. Your hipsterest friend threw a pickling party. Portlandia did the We can pickle that! sketch.
Now? There are as many different brands of pickles on your grocery stores shelves as there are brands of potato chips-or even nut butters. (People are even drinking pickle juice .)
As part of our Men's Health Best Foods for Men series, we tested 22 jars, from the indies to Vlasic and Claussen, and these are the winners.
(Nutrition note: Pickles are basically a zero-calorie food. We didnt list the nutrition numbers for each product because, honestly, theres little difference. If youre counting pickle calories, stop doing that.)
)
)
)
Best Cucumber (Dill): Grillo's Pickles Italian Dill Spears
)
The 4 Most Delicious Pickles Known to Man
Bright, crunchy, fresh, and tangy, according to one of our tasters, these thick, crisp wedges hit all the pickle high points. Grillos packs its cucumbers with fresh garlic and grape leaves, both of which lend a slight bite. Make these your go-to snacking pickle.
Find them at: Whole Foods, Target, or Instacart
Best Cucumber (Not Dill): Crisp & Co. Sweet Ginger Pickles
)
The 4 Most Delicious Pickles Known to Man
These fat disks taste like a mash-up of sushi ginger and bread-and-butter pickles. Admittedly, theyre not for everyone, but if you like your pickles sweet, crunchy, with a good bite, as one of our tasters reported, youll want at least one jar.
Find them at: Whole Foods, Wegmans, or Instacart
Best Spicy: McClure's Pickles Spicy Spears
)
The 4 Most Delicious Pickles Known to Man
Potent pickle. The heat comes on fast and then doesnt let up, one taster said. Blame the half a habanero packed into each jar. You can eat these straight up (masochist), but theyre almost better suited for a Bloody Mary or chopped into tuna-fish salad to help temper the burn.
Find them at: Walmart, Whole Foods, Target, or Amazon
Best Wild Card: Talk O' Texas Crisp Okra Pickles
)
The 4 Most Delicious Pickles Known to Man
Im not a fan of okra, but these are surprisingly good, a taster said. Theyre tart and tangy and have a twang similar to that of green tomatoes or vinegar-based barbecue sauce. Theyll definitely make your face pucker in joy, another taster wrote, if youre into that kind of thing.
Find them at: Walmart or Amazon
The Most Divisive Pickle: Bubbies Kosher Dill
)
The 4 Most Delicious Pickles Known to Man
Youre either a Bubbies zealot or youre deeply offended by their mere presence on the table. Thats likely because these pickles contain no vinegar and are fermented naturally. This imbues them with a musty/funk (in a good way) flavor, as one taster put it. If you love farmhouse ales, sauerkraut, or ripened cheese, Bubbies has got your back. Buy them here .