If a recipe doesn't specify the type of vinegar, is there a standard type implied?

Question

I occasionally come across recipes that call for vinegar, but don't specify which of the many varieties they mean. (A recent example is this recipe for a corn and pepper salad, which just says "2 tbsp. vinegar".)

While I recognize that sometimes this may just be that the recipe is badly written, I've encountered it often enough to wonder: is there a "standard" or implied type of vinegar that should be used when a recipe simply calls for vinegar? Or is it assumed that the chef will be familiar with the flavor profiles of the dish they are trying to make and will be able to choose an appropriate vinegar by their own knowledge and discretion?

I've been unable to find an authoritative answer to this: other forums provide conflicting answers with no documentation or reasoning for the answer put forth, or make it seem like your only options are white vinegar and cider vinegar.

Asked by Laura

Answer

I don't think there is any “standard” type of vinegar worlwide. In recipes for French dishes, an unspecified vinegar can be assumed to be a red wine vinegar. Mien seems to have a different opinion, so I'd say it's pretty much a cultural issue.

Answered by F'x

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Is white vinegar the same as White Wine vinegar?

Question

Is white vinegar, aka the stuff just labelled as "vinegar" in the US and which I use for cleaning my kettle, the same as "White wine vinegar", which I have purchased on accident a time or two? If not, what is white vinegar made of?

Asked by Yamikuronue

Answer

No, it's not. White vinegar (also known as distilled vinegar) is made of acetic acid diluted in distilled water. Its flavor is simple—its just sour. Typical concentrations range from 5–7% acetic acid.

White wine vinegar is made by allowing white wine to turn to vinegar. It has a much more complex flavor profile. It is also frequently less sour (acidic) than distilled white vinegar.

Answered by derobert

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Why isn't my vinaigrette emulsifying properly?

Question

I made a vinaigrette tonight. Normally, to make one, I put vinegar and oil in a mason jar and shake to mix. This usually seems to emulsify the mixture properly and it holds for a while. Tonight, I made one with 20% red wine vinegar, 20% champagne vinegar, 10% dry sherry, 50% Greek olive oil, and nothing else. I found that after shaking, it started to separate within about 30 seconds, being completely split again after about a minute. Why did this particular mixture not stay in a stable emulsified state?

Asked by yossarian

Answer

As Michael mentioned, a shaken vinaigrette is only going to stay together primarily while you're shaking it. If it's been staying together long consider yourself lucky all the other times...this time was what should be "normal".

The more particulate such as herbs, mustard, spices, etc. that you have in a vinaigrette the quicker it will emulsify and the longer it will stay emulsified. The particles of spice and herbs act as physical barriers that help to interrupt the droplets of oil so that they aren't able to coalesce and come together as they can when you have just oil and vinegar/acid.

When doing vinaigrettes by hand using a whisk, start with your acid and add the salt along with anything else, leaving the oil last. Adding salt to the acid component will help it to better dissolve so you get a truer reading on the flavor. When it's added last as it's usually written in most recipes: "season to taste with salt and pepper", the salt usually hasn't dissolved by the time you taste it and you're much more likely to add too much, resulting in a dressing that's a bit saltier than you might like.

The manner in which you drizzle the oil and manner in which you whisk it when doing by hand, are also important factors. When whisking vinagirettes by hand, drizzle the oil form a higher level so that as it hits the bowl you have a finer stream that's easier to emulsify. Also, use a back and forth "zig-zag" motion rather than a circular whisking motion. The "zig-zag" motion will allow the wires of the whisk to better break up the oil into droplets and emulsify them with the acid. Using a circular motion creates a vortex in the center of the acid where the oil tends to pool, resulting in an oily vinaigrette.

The great part of using an immersion blender (aka stick or wand blender) is that EVERYTHING can go in at once. Use a container that's deeper than it is wide (such as 2 cup liquid measure) so that there's plenty of depth for the liquid. Garlic, shallots and herbs can even go in whole. The immersion blender will blend up your garlic, etc. and emulsify the oil with the vinegar. An immersion blender or a standard blender provide you with a the most stable vinaigrette.

Answered by Darin Sehnert

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Is there anything wrong with keeping oil, salt, and vinegar together

Question

I am curious if there is anything wrong with keeping oil, salt, and vinegar together.

A month ago I made a small mixture of those and brought it to my work, to use it for salad. Do some of them do some unwanted chemical interactions? They are rapeseed oil, sea salt, and ordinary vinegar. I didn't refrigerate them. I suppose I am not the only one curious about this.

Answer

No, as you can keep them separately for a long time, The point is, no chemical reaction accur because they don't have right particles for a chemical reaction, it's just a mixture and no new substances is made. I think they are still healthy like that.

Also, accroding to a very nice article about keeping oil and vinager ( http://oilandvinegar.cruets.com/keeping-oil-and-vinegar ), despite they can be stored for a long period of time , depends on the place and container you keep them in:

Olive oil and vinegar have four deadly enemies. They are:
1. Age
2. Heat
3. Light
4. Air

One of the above or a combination of any of these four can damage olive oil and vinegar beyond measure.

So in a dark and cool place and not a plastic container,they can be stored for 15 months.

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How to prevent a vinegar taste when poaching eggs (using vinegared water)

Question

How does one remove the vinegar taste from eggs that are poached in water with vinegar added? Would rinsing the eggs in a sugar solution help?

Answer

I assume you mean eggs that have been poached in water with vinegar added?

I usually add vinegar to my poaching water when making poached eggs. However, I rarely taste the vinegar. I would suggest

• Use less vinegar. I use no more than a tablespoon for a shallow frying pan's worth of water
• Use a milder vinegar like white wine vinegar, or even lemon juice
• Use really fresh eggs if you can, in which case you don't even need vinegar

Lots of people use a saucepan full of water to poach eggs. I used to, but always with inconsistent results. Usually the egg white would just disintegrate and form a foam.

Now I use a small, shallow frying pan. This means the egg white has less opportunity to disintegrate, and also means I need to use less vinegar to help the white set.

If rather than poaching you mean pickling, there's little you can do to remove the vinegar taste, as the vinegar will have penetrated the egg thoroughly.

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Is it wise to use vinegar to handle rust for cooking utensils?

Question

Sometime, the cooking utensils can be damaged by minerals in the food and cause some rust. Would it be wise to use vinegar to remove rust for cooking utensils or are there are better methods?

Answer

Vinegar wouldn't be harmful. The resulting reaction would create a ferrous salt which would be easily washed away. However, it was probably the vinegar and other acids in your food that cause the rust in the first place. Steel items stored in a acidic environment rust faster than those in plain water. Washing and storing dry is the best way to prevent rust.

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How to remove the vinegar taste from eggs that are poach inside vinegar?

Question

How do one remove the vinegar taste from eggs that are poach inside vinegar? Would rinsing the eggs in a sugar solution help?

Answer

I assume you mean eggs that have been poached in water with vinegar added?

I usually add vinegar to my poaching water when making poached eggs. However, I rarely taste the vinegar. I would suggest

• Use less vinegar. I use no more than a tablespoon for a shallow frying pan's worth of water
• Use a milder vinegar like white wine vinegar, or even lemon juice
• Use really fresh eggs if you can, in which case you don't even need vinegar

Lots of people use a saucepan full of water to poach eggs. I used to, but always with inconsistent results. Usually the egg white would just disintegrate and form a foam.

Now I use a small, shallow frying pan. This means the egg white has less opportunity to disintegrate, and also means I need to use less vinegar to help the white set.

If rather than poaching you mean pickling, there's little you can do to remove the vinegar taste, as the vinegar will have penetrated the egg thoroughly.

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Why does white vinegar taste better when at restaurants?

Question

Just got back from dinner, where I had some decent fish and chips with white vinegar, and a thought came to me: At restaurants, I've found the white vinegar there helps to accentuate the flavour of the dish, mainly French fries. But when trying to do the same thing at home, the taste is more like I had just thrown on water as opposed to vinegar.

Barring that I'm imagining things (and it's entirely possible), I wonder if anyone else can shed some light on this at all?

Answer

According to a quick search on Google, there are two other types of vinegar served in fish and chips shops along with malt vinegar.

The first (and my best guess) is onion vinegar -- which is white vinegar that has been used to pickle onions. This is clear, but at minimum contains onions and salt, and perhaps sugar and other pickling spices. (I should note that the recipe I linked to uses malt vinegar to pickle the onions, but you could certainly achieve the same result with white vinegar.)

The second vinegar is actually called non brewed condiment, and isn't actually vinegar. It's ascetic acid, water, and a bit of caramel coloring. The coloring would make it brown, but it wouldn't have the malt flavor.

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How can I make my own vinegar?

Question

How can I turn excess wine into delicious wine vinegar at home? For those who have done it, are there any useful tips to get the best results?

I do not have access to any "mother of vinegar" starter culture, and am not likely to spend money on it; however, I DO have a well-stocked home kitchen and a lot of patience.

Edit: To be more specific about my questions

• How long should it take to ferment, and when do I give up if it's not vinegary?
• Do I need to add sugar/water for low-sweetness or high-alcohol wines?
• How do I collect Mother of Vinegar for use in fresh batches?

Answer

My accidental vinegar just happened, and I have been able to propagate it by pouring the last few teaspoons from one bottle into the next (after drinking half of the next bottle).

It goes pretty slow using an open bottle (too little circulation) but it does go. I open the bottle every day or so and swish the contents around. It takes about 1 weak to even start smelling vinegary, and circa one month to really develop.

I've been sticking with the same variety of wine and not trying to diddle the sugar content.

I still have not developed a mat-like mother, but there does seem to be a culture there. I'm on the fourth generation now.

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What’s a good alternative to rice wine vinegar?

Question

I find it difficult to source rice wine vinegar for recipes. I can usually find “rice vinegar“, “rice wine”, and “white wine vinegar”, but not specifically “rice wine vinegar”.

Can I use any of the above ingredients, or anything else, as an alternative?

Answer

First off, I suspect that 'rice wine vinegar' and 'rice vinegar' are the same thing. Secondly, rice wine vinegar comes in two basic kinds, there is a dark vinegar and a white (yellow) vinegar. The dark vinegar has more flavour than the white version. However, both are relatively low in flavour compared to other vinegar alternatives.

To replace a white rice wine vinegar I would suggest using another low flavour vinegar. One with a white colour. In the UK there is a kind of clear vinegar usually labeled as 'non-brewed condiment' which should make an adequate substitute though I'd suggest using a smaller than normal quantity as it is stronger than most other vinegars. Another alternative would be a clear malt vinegar which will be close though not absolutely the same. Again you may need to reduce the quantity to match the strength.

To replace the dark rice wine vinegar is more tricky. My first suggestion is to try a dark malt vinegar as a replacement.

If you want to try to source the real thing, you might not find it in some UK supermarkets. However, almost every large city in the UK has a China town which will contain a Chinese supermarket where you can stock up on any items you might need. Failing that, try asking at your local Chinese restaurant or take-a-way. They might be able to point you to a supplier. Lastly there are online suppliers in the UK if you google you should be able to find one.

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How does a splash of vinegar help when poaching eggs?

Question

What does splashing in a shot of white vinegar to the simmering water do when poaching an egg?

Is it for taste or is it supposed to react in some way with the albumen?

Answer

Egg whites need to be heated up to a certain temperature in order to coagulate ("set").

Lowering the pH (increasing the acidity) of the cooking liquid is one way to lower the temperature required for coagulation of the egg whites. So, in a way, this does prevent "feathering" of the eggs, but not because of any direct reaction; rather, the reason the eggs feather less is because they have less time to feather, because they don't need to get as hot.

Any acidic liquid will have a similar effect. White vinegar is probably the most effective, but you could also add lemon juice or wine to the poaching liquid. In fact, eggs poached in red wine sauce ("Oeufs en Meurette") is quite a popular preparation method.

For reference, the coagulation temperature is also proportional to the salinity (add salt to lower the coagulation temperature, add sugar to raise it), and inversely proportional to the number of eggs used (more eggs = lower coagulation temperature).

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What is the purpose of vinegar in this lollipop recipe?

Question

I found a recipe for lollipops. It uses 2:2:1 ratio of sugar:water:vinegar. What exactly is the role of vinegar in it?

The recipe was:

• 10 spoons of granulated/crystalic sugar
• 10 spoons of water
• 4 spoons of vinegar
• food coloring

Combine ingredients and cook approx 10-12 minutes since water has started to boil. All water has to boil out. You can test if it is boiled enough by making a drop.

Answer

It is simply to add tartness to add some balance against the sugar. The water from the vinegar will evaporate and leave behind acetic acid. There is an old fashioned type of hard candy known as vinegar candy. Your lollipop is essentially just that candy on a stick.

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Can red wine vinegar replace white wine vinegar?

Question

I have a recipe for broiled swordfish steak that uses the following ingredients for the baste: olive oil, butter, Dijon mustard, white wine vinegar, and black pepper.

I only have garlic-flavored red wine vinegar (no lemon either). Can I use that or would it be better to skip the vinegar altogether?

Answer

Vinegar, in general, has distinct acidic characteristics that will affect a recipe; it's often used for this reason. For instance, in marinades, the acid is used to break down muscle fiber and help flavor penetrate. In Cevice, the acid component is used to "cook" the fish.

Additionally, the different types of vinegar have different flavor characteristics. I, personally, don't much like red wine vinegar as I find it kind of bland. I much prefer balsamic or champagne. So the question you really need to ask yourself is, "will the flavor of the red wine over the white wine adversely affect my dish?" You might ask the same question about the garlic.

So subbing one type of vinegar for another is fine if you're looking to replace the role of the acid in a recipe (also why you can sub lemon juice). Whether or not you feel the flavor can be substituted is really just a matter of personal preference. If you don't know ahead of time about the flavor, try it and find out for sure.

To specifically answer the flavor characteristic for your question, I'd say yes. Red wine is OK. As pointed out, swordfish is a hearty fish and should hold up fine. I probably wouldn't sub balsamic, would use champagne as a priority, would think long and hard about apple cider. If it was a lighter fish, I'd be much more wary about red wine.

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Is my blue glazed crock safe to make wine vinegar in?

Question

I have an urge to purchase a "vinegar mother" and make homemade vinegar with leftover red wine. According to what I have read, it is not a difficult process, and I have had great success with making kombucha, which is a similar technique, only uses tea and sugar rather than wine. I have a lovely dark blue glazed crock with a spigot at the bottom that would work charmingly, if I could verify that it would be safe to use. Is there any risk of the acid of the vinegar reacting with the glaze? Is there any way to test whether it would or not? Thanks, and any advise on vinegar making is appreciated, as well as good sources for buying a mother.

Answer

It probably won't hurt you, but I wouldn't risk it, just in case. Glazes for food containers are unlikely to contain lead, but may have other metals that are harmful in sufficient quantities. These include cadmium, barium, cobalt, strontium, chromium, and in the case of some older orange ceramic, URANIUM.

Blue glaze is probably copper or cobalt based. I found a reference on ScienceDirect about high blood cobalt levels in association with lead poisoning from glazed Greek earthenware. This indicates that cobalt can indeed be leached out of the glaze and absorbed into the body. Cobalt is eliminated rapidly, but is moderately posionous, and copper is problematic in large quantities. Which brings this back to where I started: it won't kill you, and probably won't make you sick, but it's not really worth the risk.

File it in the same category as eating egg salad left out in the heat a few hours?

One other caution: prolonged contact with acid may damage and discolor your formerly handsome crock, in addition to leaching out these metals. To check for this, you can leave white vinegar in the container for a week or so, checking for change in color of the vinegar and the container every day.

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How can I make very small quantities of balsamic reduction?

Question

Last night, a dish called for a drizzle of balsamic reduction. I thought that, in order to get a good reduction and not burn anything, I'd need way more balsamic than the recipe called for.

Is there a way to make very small yields of balsamic reduction?

Answer

I've sometimes made small reductions in the microwave. Just put the liquid in a much deeper container than it fits in so it doesn't make a mess, and run it on 50% power, check every 30 seconds or so until it is reduced to the degree you need.

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