Versatile Vinegar

WE LIKE TO USE MANY DIFFERENT KINDS OF VINEGARS FOR VARIOUS purposes. All add balance and brightness to a dish and bring out flavors.

 

BALSAMIC VINEGAR has been all the rage in the U.S. for many years now. Originally from Modena, the heartland of great Italian cooking, true balsamic is passed down through generations as a dowry. A few drops can change the flavor of a recipe. Most are commercially made, and although full flavored, won’t have that intense smoothness. Use for red meats, lamb, and bitter lettuces like radicchio.

BASIC DISTILLED WHITE VINEGAR is terrific for marinating vegetables, canning, pickling, and brining volume foods.

BERRY VINEGARS, such as raspberry and blueberry, are good for summer salads, prosciutto, and anything you are using fruit in like pears with roasted meats or oranges with bitter greens. The fruit balances bitterness.

CHAMPAGNE VINEGAR is the king of white wine vinegars. It’s light and elegant just like a good glass of Champagne without the bubbles. It’s perfect for lighter greens like butterhead lettuce and in cooking when you want the flavor of vinegar without the intrusion of stronger flavors.

CIDER VINEGAR goes with apple dishes, roasted fruit, pears, citrus salads, and pickling.

HERB VINEGAR is great if you have lots of extra herbs and you want to use them up before they go bad. Throw them in some white vinegar. It’s the first step in a tasty vinaigrette.

MALT VINEGAR is great in Chinese cooking because it’s very robust. Use it with fried food and with Chinese and northern Asian cooking.

RED WINE VINEGAR is intense and strong flavored for use in marinades, with meats, and with more intensely flavored vegetables.

RICE WINE VINEGAR is light and sweet, appropriate for Japanese and Southeast Asian cooking. Its sweetness makes it great for vegetables, salads, dipping sauces with herbs, and anything you want a sweet flavor for.

SHERRY VINEGAR has a rich, smooth, elegant, full-bodied flavor and is great for more intensely flavored salad greens like frisee and Belgian endive. It’s also a good choice for Asian cooking.

WHITE WINE VINEGAR is great for basic cooking. Use better quality wine vinegar and you’ll get better flavor. It’s just like choosing a wine, you get less harsh flavors if you pay more.