I try to avoid plastics whenever possible. Some contain toxic substances. There is no real way to know for sure which are safe. Maybe none are safe! I haven't gotten into soaking pickles, but if I do, I have some gallon glass jars saved from years ago and will use them. I'm not sure where I got them. Most likely at a yard sale or Flea Market.

If you use plastic containers please make sure they are made of "food grade" plastic. As another alternative, a year or two ago either Linda Lou or Carol (Readinglady) mentioned using gallon "sun tea" jars she found at a dollar store for pickles.

That would have been Linda_Lou. I do use food-grade plastic containers. But then I'm a klutz and I can just see myself dropping a big glass container and spewing half-cured cucumbers and brine all over the kitchen. Not to mention in the size batches I do I'd need about a dozen jars.

Carol

Food grade plastics are fine for working with cukes and all pickking and fermenting. Avoid the nice big 5 gallon plastic buckets you see at Home Depot though! If your just doing a fermention, and plan to can them in jars later, they can be in plastic food grade buckets at first, but it must be food grade types. Many bakeries and donut shops get fillings packed in these big 5 gallon pails. As long as the items were edible and stored in food grade plastics originally, you will have no problems. Another alternative is a big stainless steel pail, or a newer type glazed ceramic crock. Heavy, quite expensive at times, but safe IF they were made the last 20 years or so. Salt glaze, no, and no other odd type glazes either. Earthenware, unless totally sealed with a heavy glaze are also out.