The Detroit News
Thursday, November 1, 2007

Wickles Sure Knows its Pickles

Taste panel: Sweet pickle relish

Judith Harris Solomon / Special to The Detroit News

It's pretty hard to think of a hot dog without also thinking of pickle relish. Just like bacon and eggs or ham and cheese, they make a terrific duo.

"It's an essential part of making a Michigan-style Chicago hot dog," says panelist David Lawrence, which he defines as "a dog piled on top with sweet pickle relish, mustard, sliced tomatoes, celery salt and a dill-pickle spear."

But pickle relish mixes well with other things, too.

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"Tuna salad would not be tuna salad without pickle relish," says Kim Moore. "It is good in egg salad, too."

Erik Marlin likes using the relish "for tartar sauce along with a bit of mayo, chopped onion and a little lemon juice," while guest panelist Vera Gell recommends making a salad dressing out of pickle relish, ketchup, mayonnaise and chopped egg. "The combination is good on a wedge of lettuce that has been sprinkled with bacon bits and purple onion," Gell says.

The panel tasted six brands of sweet pickle relish. The scores were very close, but in the end, the sample from Wickles received the highest score.

Tasting results
In a blind tasting, The Detroit News Taste panel rated the following sweet relishes on taste, texture and appearance on a scale of 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent).

1. Wickles, "A Wickedly Delicious Relish" (Hiller's Markets: Berkley, Plymouth, Walled Lake, West Bloomfield and Ann Arbor)

Average score: 4.2

Price: $3.89 per 16-ounce jar

Comments: I love this one it's perfect, delicious and fabulous. Good crunch. A good balance of tart and sweet. Sturdy flavor and a spicy bite. Tastes more like dill than the others but has a nice sweet kickback.

2. (TIE) Kroger Sweet Relish (Kroger: multiple locations)

Average score: 4.0

Price: $1.79 per 10-ounce jar

Comments: Very tasty and seasoned perfectly. Sweet and chunky. Crisp with a celery-seed finish. A good crunch. Both sweet and sour. Deep green color.

2. (TIE) Mt. Olive Sweet Relish (Kroger)

Average score: 4.0

Price: $2.59 per 16-ounce jar

Comments: This is the real deal! Tasty. Very traditional. Good crunch and nice, sweet flavor. Has a nice, even sweetness. A little bland for me.

4. Sechler's Sweet Relish (Hiller's Markets)

Average score: 3.9

Price: $3.49 per 16-ounce jar

Comments: Excellent! Old World flavor. Good crunch. Good sweet-and-sour balance. Tastes a bit different than the others. A very deep, almost artificial green color.

5. Meijer Sweet Relish (Meijer: multiple locations)

Average score: 3.8

Price: $1.49 per 10-ounce jar

Comments: Finely chopped and super crunchy. A slight bite. A hint of mustard. Artificial bright-green color.

6. Vlasic Sweet Relish (Meijer)

Average score: 3.3

Price: $1.79 per 10-ounce jar

Comments: More watery than the others. Not as crunchy. Mushy. Soft texture. Only slightly sweet. Sour. Lighter in color.

Judith Harris Solomon is a Metro Detroit free-lance writer. If you would like to be a guest panelist or have a suggestion for a product to test, contact her at judyfreelance@aol.com.

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