Elevate Your Burgers By Ditching Jarred Pickle Slices — Here's What You Need To Do

A good burger can become a great burger with the right toppings. There are seemingly infinite ways to dress up a burger, but some of the simplest are the best. A pickle is a classic topping for a reason. The bright, acidic notes from a pickle are a perfect, refreshing contrast to the meatiness and fat of a burger. A crunchy pickle also adds texture that complements the soft bun and juicy patty. Have you ever tried to match the perfect pickle from your favorite restaurant and failed? You are not alone. There is a solution, though: You need to start slicing your own pickles.

Perfectly matching a pickle from your favorite fast food place or sit-down restaurant is no easy task. By the same token, trying to recreate a McDonald's Big Mac in your house would be no easy task, either. But you can up your pickle game by making some smarter pickle choices with your burger.

The sliced pickles that are sold in jars at stores, sometimes labeled sandwich or burger pickles, are good but not always great. You may find that they're not bringing the same taste and crunch to your burger that you were hoping for. Often, this is because they are sliced thicker than those at most burger places. But if you slice them yourself, you control that flavor balance and crunch.

Pickles complement the whole burger. Like any condiment, they accent and improve the experience when you use them correctly. Too much pickle will throw off the balance of flavors. Unless you're a big fan, you probably don't want a burger that tastes like nothing but pickles. It would be no different than having a burger completely slathered in ketchup or loaded with onions. When the balance is thrown off, the burger isn't as good as it could be.

Jarred pickle slices are meant to be versatile. You can put them on a burger or a sandwich. You can eat them just as they are. They're good, but they might be more than you need. Especially if you get really big ones that cover up the entire patty. There's a reason a lot of burger places use small pickle slices that almost fade into everything else.

If you buy a type of pickle that you already know you like, either because of the flavor or the crunch, you can slice them as thick or as thin as you want. Homemade pickles are great, too. Since you are making the burger yourself, it's better to control all your ingredients rather than rely on a jarred product. We often don't think of pickles that way, but that is how they're presented. Someone else decided what portion of pickle you're going to have, even though it's on a burger you're making. To ensure you have the ultimate burger experience, buy whole pickles and decide for yourself how much or how little you need.