Vinegar - Cooking And More
Vinegar – love it or hate it – it is a great ingredient to have in your cupboard.
You have probably cooked with it before but did you know there are over 100 different uses for vinegar known today. With new uses being thought of everyday. Because of the acidity of white vinegar most uses involve it.
Have you food stuck on the inside of your microwave? White vinegar to the rescue. Place a bowl with one cup boiling water and one quarter cup of vinegar in your microwave; leave for a few minutes and now all that stuck food should come off easily. Just one of the many non-cooking uses of vinegar.
But lets get back to cooking with vinegar. It is great added to many recipes. There is not a week that goes past that a crock pot recipe I make does not call for some type of vinegar. For instance corned meat is always best with a dash of vinegar and this crock pot corned meat recipe is no exception and these crock pot lamb chops just would not be right without a splash.
Vinegar has different colors, different taste, and the different ingredients to make up the vinegar. Vinegar is made from fermentation of cider, wine, beer, fruit juice, or other alcoholic liquid. The process takes many weeks or months. The main ingredient in vinegar is acetic acid – this is what gives it the ‘bite’ taste.
There are many types of Vinegar and here are a few of the more popular:-
White Vinegar is a clear vinegar. This style of vinegar is strong and is mainly used for pickling foods.
Malt Vinegar: This kind of vinegar is prepared from malting barley.
Wine Vinegar: This category of vinegar is from either red or white wine. The quality of the vinegar depends very much on the quality of the wine used.
Apple Cider Vinegar: This vinegar is made as the name suggests from cider. It offers quite a few benefits when used in cooking and also has some health benefits.
Balsamic Vinegar: This type of vinegar is very aromatic. It is typically aged for up to 12 years. Balsamic vinegar sold commercially in stores is usually made with red wine vinegar. Balsamic is has a high acidity but it also offers a sweet flavor.
Beer Vinegar: You guessed it – it is prepared from beer. The flavor is highly dependent on the taste of the beer.
Fruit Vinegar: This variety of vinegar is made using fruit wines like apple, tomato, currant and raspberry.
Flavored Vinegars: This type of vinegar is flavored by adding berries, herbs or spices into the vinegar. Popular flavorings are chili; garlic; raspberry; thyme; oregano.