Pickle

Despite being pickled, these chiles have a fresh crunch and bright, garlicky flavor. If you cook them, they lose that; add them to finished dishes, particularly pizzas.

Use these tangy beets to top salads, layer on sandwiches, or enjoy as an anytime snack.

If you can find Meyer lemons, use them for this recipe. Their thinner skin has very little bitterness.

Often called kosher-style dill pickles, these are quick to make. Use either small whole cucumbers or cut larger ones into quarters. For an additional interesting flavor, tuck a small dried hot red pepper into each jar.

How to prevent tofu from being bland? Toss it in a robust, spicy, salty, and deeply seasoned marinade.

Kohlrabi has a muted flavor and crunchy texture similar to a broccoli stem, which is something to keep in mind for this pickles recipe.

Slice these and mix with cured meats for a fresher take on antipasto salad.

After you finish pickling the strawberries, hang on to the brine, which can be used in place of mild vinegars.

This bright and fiery Haitian condiment (pronounced "pick-lees") is traditionally served with meats and fried food to balance rich flavors.

Try these anywhere you'd use pickled onion, such as in grain bowls, on roasted carrots, or on a cheese sandwich.

These bright zesty pickles are equally at home in a cocktail as they are in a salad, with pâté, or as part of a cured meats and cheese board.

These herbaceous pickles combine spicy ginger with bright dill. Although cucumbers are classic, cherry tomatoes or green beans would also work well in this brine.

These spiced-packed pickles are the perfect combination of tart and sweet, great for pre-dinner snacking or to top a sandwich. Yellow squash is delicious, but the brine also works well with cucumbers, zucchini, onions, or mushrooms.

We kept this basic pickle brine simple so it can be used with virtually any vegetable. For more flavor punch, swap in different vinegars or add additional spices.

These spicy pickles pack a mean punch. Toss them into salads for a sharp bite or use them as a fun garnish on your weekend Bloody Marys. This brine is also great with green beans or asparagus.

If you cut your carrots thin enough, you don't have to cook them to make great quick pickles; just pour hot pickling liquid directly over the carrots and let sit. For more visual punch, use multi-colored carrots.

A mixture of white wine and white wine vinegar, plus a host of spices and vegetables, infuse these shrimp with tangy, fragrant flavor. Serve them as a cocktail party hors d'oeuvre or toss them into a salad.

This is a lovely crunchy and tangy accompaniment to cold meats and salads. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator and use within a few days.

Vegan (when made with agave nectar or sugar) This trick will alter and augment your cooking: Pour boiling water over sliced or diced red onions, then transfer them to a solution of vinegar, sweetener, and salt. The onions will brighten into a gaudy shade of purplish-pink and will keep indefinitely, mysteriously retaining their bright color and crisp texture. rather than slice, the onions, if they are headed for one of the cold soups.) You can vary the cut of the onions—and also the amounts of sweet and salt. Use as a dramatically colorful and refreshing tiara atop dinner plates, open-faced sandwiches, salads, cheeses, grilled tofu, or fish—anything savory. I use these often as an ingredient in cold soups and saladitas. (Mince, rather than slice, the onions, if they are headed for one of the cold soups.) • Use a very sharp knife or a food processor with a thin slicing attachment to cut the onions most easily.

Processing your pickles in a hot-water bath rather than a boiling-water bath will give you a firmer texture. It follows that if you want pickles with real snap, don't process them at all. These dill-pickle spears—or sandwich chips, depending on how you slice them—can be processed, if you want, for long-term shelf storage, but first try making a batch to keep in the refrigerator. They will be crisp, and the flavor of raw cucumber comes through. It's the freshest-tasting pickle in this book, and perhaps my favorite. The recipe can be scaled up.

We love using preserved lemons in the BA kitchen, and Philip Krajeck's recipe makes the best we've ever tasted. They take 10 minutes to prep and need only two weeks to cure. Sure, you can buy preserved lemons at specialty stores, but when the end result is this good, we say make your own.

This is the basic pickle that I use for vegetables; it can be prepared ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator for up to a month. I like to keep it around for any last-minute pickling needs.