Grumach Macabre of Auchterloonie wrote:
The message
from "Bob Hobden" contains these words:
"J Jackson" wrote after
Bob Hobden wrote:

No, ordinary Sarsons malt vinegar is what we use straight from
the
plastic container.
Please don't tell me it doesn't work 'cause it does.

Works for me, too. But I do brine first: surely osmosis ensures that
there'll be no salt left on the onions after a good rinse?

Commercially, and in an American cookery book I once saw, calcium
chloride is used as a crisping agent for pickles: it's numbered 509
internationally, but I don't think it has the coveted E prefix. How
they use it, I don't remember.


I wouldn't do that, though there are cheap vinegars out there
that
I doubt would work well, and choosing a reputable brand is often
sensible...

Yes, but note that the cheapest "vinegar" you may be offered by the
greengrocer is probably the foul "non-brewed condiment": I tried it
once, and it forcibly recalled the worst fish and chips. There is a
higher grade which some find better for cockles than natural vinegar,
but I wouldn't use even that for pickling.
[...]

--
Mike.