Making homemade pickles can be a straightforward and rewarding culinary venture with the use of just a few simple ingredients: sugar, salt, and vinegar. Whether you crave the fiery tang of Spicy Dill Quick Pickles or the nuanced sweetness of Bread-and-Butter Pickled Green Tomatoes, 2011 Best New Chef Stephanie Izard has a trick up her sleeves to make the process even more accessible. During the first-ever Food & Wine Classic in Charleston, Izard spilled the beans on her go-to pickling secret: seasoned rice vinegar.

"Seasoned rice vinegar hits the sweet spot because it offers an excellent balance of saltiness and sweetness," says Izard. But don't limit your pickling ambitions to just cucumbers; feel free to experiment with an array of fruits and vegetables. Izard herself pickles a wide variety, ranging from onions and peppers, golden beets, and ramps, to more exotic choices like green mangoes and jackfruit.

As for her favorite brand of vinegar, Izard gives her seal of approval to Marukan. Whether pickling in the kitchens of her restaurants or in her own home, she admits, "We go through it like there's no tomorrow."

Originating from East Asian and Vietnamese culinary traditions, rice vinegar is traditionally brewed from fermented rice with yeast and koji for making sake, which is later aerated to create the vinegar and diluted with water. The aptly named seasoned rice vinegar only takes the process a step further by adding sugar and salt into the mix. This type of vinegar is commonly used not in cooking, but for seasoning sushi rice, flavoring dipping sauces, and crafting dressings.

Despite its myriad of uses, it's important to keep in mind that the acidity level of most rice vinegar brands falls below the 5% mark recommended by the National Center for Home and Food Preservation, rendering them unsuitable for canning purposes. However, for the purpose of quick pickling, they’re perfectly safe and extraordinarily tasty.

To utilize seasoned rice vinegar in quick pickles, there's no need to add in additional sugar and salt. Simply mix with water. Depending upon what she's currently pickling, Izard uses either a cold or hot brine:

For onions, peppers or pickling mixes like giardiniera, craft a hot brine by simmering three parts vinegar to one part water. After reaching a boil, let the liquid simmer for approximately five minutes before transferring it over your designated pickling vegetables or fruits in a one-quart mason jar or a similar container. Once the brine cools to room temperature, pop it in the fridge.

For crunchier pickles, such as jalapeño slices, cucumbers or fruit, combine equal parts vinegar and water, pour it over the produce, and let it sit for about 15 minutes.

And remember, if you have leftover seasoned rice vinegar, don’t let it go to waste. Use it to amp up the flavors of your next rice dish, salad dressing, or even dipping sauce. Just be aware that the vinegar already contains seasonings, so adjust your recipe accordingly.