I made dill pickles the other day and was using a regular pot to boil the jarsI was afraid they would break so I grabbed what I thought was a steel pizza tray and dropped it into the bottom of the panTurns out it was aluminum and totally changed colorI sterilized the jars in this water, wiped them out with a damp paper towel, filled with a mixture made in a non-reactive pan, and boiled them for 15 minutes in the large pot with aluminum pan on bottomI read that you should not use reactive because it may change the taste of the picklesIs it dangerous? Will it definitely change the taste? Should I just throw them out? I'm really disappointed that I messed it up on my first experience and used all my garden cucumbersAdvice is greatly appreciated!
It doesn't sound as though the cucumbers were actually in the water with the aluminum? If not, I don't see that there will be any problem in the taste of the pickles due to this little misstepIt's definitely not dangerousI'm a little more concerned that you wiped out the jars after you sterilized themIf you just wiped the outsides, okBut if you also wiped the insides, they were no longer sterileStill, dill pickles are pretty forgivingI usually just wash the jars in the dishwasher, fill 'em with washed cukes and vinegar and dill, put the lids on loosely, boil 'em good and tighten the lidsOccasionally I have a jar go bad but never a whole batchYou'll be ok.
