Total time: 12 hr 8 min • Prep: 5 min • Cook: 3 min • Serves: 8 • Difficulty: Easy

These homemade pickles have a ton of flavor without all the sodium usually found in commercial varieties. And unlike fermented or traditional canning-method pickles which can take weeks, refrigerator pickles simply soak up flavor from a vinegar-based brine and are ready to enjoy in as little as 12 hours. Ours take on lots of herby goodness from fresh dill and a savory hit from garlic cloves and a bay leaf. We use far less salt than classic recipes, keeping the flavor fresher. We recommend Kirby cucumbers for thin, unwaxed skins and superior crunchy texture; they might also be labeled “pickling cucumbers,” and we’ve also seen a brand of packaged-in-bags Kirbys labeled “fresh pickles.”