so many uses !
Vinegar
What is vinegar:
It is acetic acid at various strengths and has been known for thousands of years. Vinegar occurs naturally, as I’m sure you have discovered when you have left over wine open to the air.
Apple cider vinegar
Made from: is prepared from soured apple cider
Flavour: sour and a little sweet with a light golden colour
Uses: In mild-tasting fruit-based preserves, salad dressings or as a refreshing drink in cold or hot water with or without honey. You can use it anywhere you would use white vinegar
Balsamic vinegar of Modena (the Queen of vinegars)
Sadly, much of what we buy is only coloured and flavoured
Made from: the must of white Trebbiano grapes grown in the Reggiano region. The best quality is labour intensive process and its passed through a series of barrels of different woods and ages
Uses: glazing
Black vinegar
Made from: depends on where it comes from – in southern China, Zhenjiang vinegar is made from sticky rice, whereas in northern China, Shanxi vinegar is made from barley, sorghum and wheat.
Flavour: earthy, umami flavour, which comes from a 6 month or longer aging process.
Uses: how it is used depends on the region it comes from. But a dressing made from equal parts black vinegar, soy sauce, and oil is universally delicious.
Champagne Vinegar
Made from: is made from Champagne.
Flavour: its even more delicate than white wine vinegar with a fruity, floral and almost vanilla flavour.
Uses: makes an excellent salad dressing, especially when combined with lemon and garlic.
Fruit vinegars:
Made from: because vinegar is a by-product of fermentation, it can be made from any fermentable plant product.
Umeboshi Vinegar
Made from:pickling liquid of Japanese ume plums.
Flavour: tangy and sweet (as many fruit vinegars are)
Uses: brighten up a roast vegetable like nothing use can.
Honeygar
Made from: a sweet mix of honey and vinegar
Uses: Take as an elixir or use as a salad dressing
Malt Vinegar
Made from: distilled from grain, starts with malted barley like beer
Flavour; toasty flavour with a hint of lemony acidity, which makes it great for cutting through fatty rich dishes
Uses: popular for pickling, a classic is pickled onions, use as dipping with your fish & chips instead of tomato sauce
Rice vinegar – red, black, or white
Made from: is made from fermented rice as in Chinese rice wine
Flavours; comes mild to pungent. Milder than western-style vinegars
Uses: Asian cooking and Japanese. Rice vinegar is an essential ingredient in sushi rice
Tips: if substitute wine, cider or white vinegar, then dilute by half. You can buy seasoned and unseasoned. Seasonal rice vinegar is sweetened with sake, salt and sugar. Chinese rice vinegars are much strong and range in colour from clear to red to black. In Korea, its made with either white or brown rice. In Vietnam, you can find spicy versions.
Sherry vinegar
Made from: Palamino grape and from sherry, a type of fortified wine. Those wines considered too acidic to complete the sherry process are converted to vinegar. It comes from Cadiz province of southwestern Spain and must be aged for at least six months.
Flavour: aroma reminiscent of Sherry. A unique taste and more intoxicating than Balsamic. Its caramelly and nutty, and gets more complex the longer its ages
Uses: in Spanish cuisine or to create vinaigrettes with a deep, warm, sherry-like flavour or splash in soup for boost of brightness or use the same as Balsamic
Wine vinegar, red
Made from: takes consuming to make, and is made from good quality wine in small barrels. Red wine vinegar starts as red wine.
Flavour: Taste more fruity
Uses: Adds piquancy to dishes, dressings and preserves made from mild tasting fruits and vegetables. Red wine pairs well in red meats.
Wine vinegar, white
Made from: white wine.
Flavour: light and delicate tasting
Uses; it’s great for poultry dishes, refreshing salads and to deglaze your sauté pan for a quick sauce.
White Vinegar distilled
It does not get more basic than distilled white vinegar.
Made from: distilled alcohol (like vodka)
Flavour: sharply acidic
Use: pickling vegetables, added interest to potatoes, baking,
Tips: Also cleaning vinegar is 5% higher acidity than normal kitchen vinegar and a great nontoxic cleaner around the house.
Tips and tricks for the chef in the house
- Add a teaspoon to a rich (fatty) casserole to cut richness and add zing
- Add a dash of good wine vinegar to the pan after pan-frying
- Vinegar does not go off
- Inhibit mould on cheese – lightly dampen a piece of cheesecloth with white vinegar and loosely wrap the cheese in it and place in container in fridge. I keep my cheese in the meat department.
- Extends the life of tomato sauce when it is stuck at the bottom of the bottle
- When cooking vegetables add a teaspoon or two to the cooking water. It helps clean the veggies, reduce small in kitchen, preserve the colour and can reduce the gassy quality of vegetables such as cauliflower and broccoli
- Tenderize meat with a marinade of vinegar, it helps kill any bacteria in the meat too and breaks down the fibres making it tender
- If your hands smell after handling fish, simply rinse them in a solution of vinegar and water
- Combat odours in the garbage disposal –
- Use it to clean glass.
- Makes a pet friendly bug spray – if ants are a problem around pet food, spray a mixture of vinegar and water around the pet’s dish to discourage them