I tried out a recipe for vacuum canister pickles over the weekend, but instead of using a vacuum canister, I used my Vacmaster 320 to compress the cukes in the brine. The Vacmaster allows me to vacuum seal liquids without leaks or drips. I soaked the quartered cucumbers in an ice bath over Saturday night, then added them to the brine in a 16x20 seal bag. I knew compression of the cukes took place because the outer part of the cukes turned a brilliant shade of green. Left them in the bag in the fridge over Sunday night and tried them out yesterday afternoon. Initial taste showed I was pretty much on the money but was lacking a little zip. I added a scant 1/4 cup of white sugar and a tbs of crushed red pepper, then compressed and resealed the bag. I'm letting it sit for today and be trying them out tomorrow.
