Vinegars are an essential ingredient and condiment in the kitchen. Vinegar can turn ordinary vegetables into something special when they are soused in this slightly acidic liquid. As well as having a variety of health benefits they make for something especially beautiful in the kitchen. When they are infused with herbs, peppers and fruits – when they are fermented in aged oak barrels to impart a certain flavor then they cannot be beaten. However, whilst there is a tremendous variety of vinegar to be tried we think there are just five essential types for the kitchen.
Balsamic Vinegar
Balsamic vinegar has grown in culinary value even though we have had it on the counter for centuries. Essentially Italian and really only obtained from that great town of Modena, balsamic vinegar can change a salad. It also serves as a wonderful marinade but can also add an insouciance to strawberries and other acidic fruit. There is nothing that really matches balsamic and is probably our top vinegar for flavor.
Red Wine Vinegar
The all-round vinegar for use in a tremendous number of sauces. Tomato sauces are best of friends with red wine vinegar. It’s also fantastic with soups, as a salad dressing and marinade. Cider vinegar is the nearest in terms of a fruity vinegar and one that we also recommend to the chef.
White Wine Vinegar
Industrial white wine vinegar is rather too harsh for the dinner table so manufacturer’s have produced something a bit more refined for the kitchen table. Lacking the bright red colour of red wine vinegar, a white wine vinegar is ideal for white sauces and vinaigrettes where colour is not required. It complements many other flavours and is especially good with vegetables.
Rice Vinegar
The ultimate vinegar for Eastern dishes especially those from China. It makes for a great dipping sauce and is usually sweeter than the other vinegars. Use it to flavour stir-fries and for sushi or sashimi. It also makes a slightly more acidic condiment to rice wine in Chinese cooking.
Cider Vinegar
The condiment for producing a slightly sweeter marinade or barbecue sauce. Some of us use it in salad dressings and as a finishing ingredient for soups. Use it to replace red wine vinegar. Has noted health benefits but than they all do.
In general vinegars do not go off so they don’t have to be used up too quickly. Unfortunately, once opened some of them do lose their colour for example. Red wine vinegar is noted for losing its bright red colour and the pigments tend to precipitate out leaving a red sludge on the bottom of the bottle. Sometimes apple cider loses its colour too.
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