If you are an avid home chef, you already know that vinegar is a pantry powerhouse with limitless uses. Working vinegar into your culinary toolkit is an excellent way to add a punch of flavor and personality to a host of dishes, especially salad dressings, marinades, chutneys, sauces and soups. At the same time, vinegar may be good for your health, possibly helping to control blood sugar and lower cholesterol. Indeed, there are no reasons not to keep vinegar in your culinary toolkit.
What Is Vinegar?
The word “vinegar” is derived from the French phrase “vin aigre,” meaning sour wine. It is a highly acidic cooking liquid that has been used for centuries to flavor, pickle and preserve.
Vinegar is a cooking liquid and flavoring agent with a tangy, sour taste which is generally made from grapes, grains, sugar or spirits. It gets its flavor profile from its high concentration of acetic acid, a solution obtained by fermenting alcohol or sugars. It is used to flavor dishes — often to add a brightness or a “punchy” flavor to whatever you are making — and as a preserving and pickling agent to keep foods fresh.
The Science of Vinegar as a Cooking Agent
What does vinegar do as a cooking agent? First and foremost, it is used to flavor. Depending on the variety, vinegar can bring a sour, tangy, sweet, mild, malty, woody or even buttery flavor to your dish. It can also be used to color or discolor foods. Because of its unique ability to break down proteins, vinegar is also used as a marinade to help tenderize meats and veggies. It is also used to “quick pickle” veggies because it helps to speed up fermentation and creates good bacteria that makes food last longer.
The Basics of Cooking with Vinegar
- Know Your Types — As previously mentioned, vinegar comes in many varieties, each of which has its own unique flavor profile. Try them plain or as a base for flavored vinegars to dress up all sorts of foods. The most popular types of vinegar to keep in your pantry include:
- Balsamic. The crème de la crème of vinegars, balsamic vinegar is the cherry-colored liquid often seen drizzled across summer veggies. It is a grape-based vinegar which is known for its sweet, bold, decadent and rich flavor profile. Try our RAPTURE Balsamic Vinegar — a lovingly crafted zinfandel vinegar made from California grapes and Triple Crown blackberries — to see what this kind of vinegar is all about.
FAQs
Depending on the variety, vinegar can bring a sour, tangy, sweet, mild, malty, woody or even buttery flavor to your dish. It can also be used to color or discolor foods. Because of its unique ability to break down proteins, vinegar is also used as a marinade to help tenderize meats and veggies.
What balances out vinegar in cooking? ›
For more pronounced sour balance issues, try honey, sugar, or cream and if all that fails a pinch of bicarbonate of soda will bring some alkaline to the dish to neutralise the acidity.
What does vinegar do for cooking? ›
The acidity or sourness of vinegar brightens the flavor of food and adds balance to a rich dish. It is found in popular kitchen staples like salad dressings, marinades, sauces, mayonnaise, and ketchup. Vinegar can change the texture of foods.
Is it OK to cook with cleaning vinegar? ›
You should absolutely never cook with or consume cleaning vinegar. Most cleaning vinegar has a warning label on the packaging. Unlike cooking vinegar, it may not be tested for impurities that can be dangerous to the human body.
What are the benefits of cooking with white vinegar? ›
– And add it to sauces and salads to boost your vitamin and mineral intake. Furthermore, vinegar can lower your cholesterol, stabilize your blood sugar levels, and much, much more! Cooking with vinegar also boosts your immunity, meaning you won't get sick with colds and flu as often.
What happens if you put too much vinegar in food? ›
If too much vinegar is added to a recipe, it can make the dish overly sour and unbalanced in flavor. This can also make the texture of the dish unappetizing.
How to fix food that is too vinegary? ›
If your dinner has become too vinegary or sour the problem is acid and this brings a unique solution. Alkalis. If your dinner, especially a soup or stew, has too much acid you can simply add a little bicarbonate soda.
Which vinegar is best for cooking? ›
I consider cider vinegar a good, all-purpose vinegar. It's inexpensive, versatile and not quite as aggressive as white vinegar because of its subtle, but not overpowering, fruitiness. It works just as well uncooked, such as in vinaigrettes or pickles, as it does cooked. Try it in barbecue sauces or glazes.
What does vinegar do to meat? ›
Balsamic vinegar is a good marinade for red meats because it helps to tenderize them. The acid in the vinegar helps to break down some of the protein and fat in the beef, which makes it softer. The balsamic vinegar also adds a sweet flavor while tenderizing, without having to add any sugar.
Is it safe to cook with vinegar? ›
Working vinegar into your culinary toolkit is an excellent way to add a punch of flavor and personality to a host of dishes, especially salad dressings, marinades, chutneys, sauces and soups. At the same time, vinegar may be good for your health, possibly helping to control blood sugar and lower cholesterol.
Now, don't confuse distilled with basic white vinegar, which is stronger and has up to 25% acetic acid. That vinegar is sold exclusively for cleaning purposes and is not a good idea to ingest. However, beyond cooking, distilled white vinegar can be used for many of the same household chores.
Can I use cooking vinegar for laundry? ›
Add 1 cup of vinegar to a gallon of hot water, add white clothing so it is fully submerged, and soak overnight. Run the clothing through the appropriate wash cycle with laundry detergent as usual. You can also add vinegar to the rinse cycle to help reduce detergent buildup that can dull clothes.
What is the purpose of vinegar in cooking? ›
As well as adding flavor, vinegar can preserve food, improve the appearance of a dish, and even fill in for missing ingredients. For example, if you've run out of fresh lemon or lime, you can always use ½ teaspoon of vinegar in place of a teaspoon of citrus juice for that flavorsome tang!
Can white vinegar reduce belly fat? ›
Vinegar Might Help Reduce Visceral Fat
Research has shown that reduced visceral fat has a positive effect on metabolic risk factors such as hypertension and impaired glucose tolerance. 8 Reduced triglyceride levels (fat in the bloodstream) has also been shown to lower the risk of heart disease.
What does vinegar do to your body? ›
Vinegar is good for lowering blood glucose levels, helping with weight loss and boosting skin health. It also has antibacterial properties. Today, more and more people are discovering its health benefits and using it as a go-to remedy for everything from minor ailments to chronic diseases.
What neutralizes vinegar? ›
Add baking soda to your vinegar cleaning solution.
Not only does baking soda have some seriously formidable cleaning power in its own right, but it also does an excellent job of neutralizing odor—which makes it the perfect partner in crime for vinegar.
What cancels out vinegar taste? ›
Sweet ingredients such as sugar, honey, and maple syrup can help counteract the acidity. Adding a small amount at a time and tasting as you go is the best way to achieve the desired balance. You can also use creamy ingredients like coconut milk, cream, or yogurt to help mellow out the vinegar flavor.
How to fix too much vinegar in barbecue sauce? ›
Whether it's a Chinese flavor or a barbecue flavor, the standard way to balance the sourness of vinegar is with something sweet so when making your gravy (or sauce) look for some sweet ingredients. Or why not use honey?
How to fix too much vinegar in chili? ›
Some typical options include adding sugar to the chili or a small amount of baking soda.
