The Miracle of Vinegar: 150 easy recipes and uses for home, health and beauty. Aggie MacKenzie
open bottle of wine for a few days and then attempted to drink the contents, only to be met with a sour taste, you’ve already started on the journey of vinegar-making. There are records of this magic ingredient being made as early as 5,000 BC in Babylon, and it’s thought that it was the result of a slipup while fermenting some wine. People cooking at that time experimented with this liquor, discovering that it could be used as both a condiment and ingredient.
Today it is a popular ingredient, produced commercially by either fast or slow fermentation. In fast fermentation, the liquid is oxygenated and the bacteria culture added. Slow fermentation is generally used for the production of specialised vinegars used in cooking; the culture of acetic acid bacteria grows on the surface of the liquid and fermentation evolves gradually over weeks or months and allows for the formation of a harmless slime made up of yeast and acetic acid bacteria, also known as the vinegar mother.
As history has already told, you can by all means leave a bottle of wine open – covered with a cloth that lets in air but not fruit flies – and eventually it will turn into vinegar. It may take months, though, so if you want to speed up the process and guarantee a result, here are a few pointers.
Firstly, vinegar is like sourdough and yogurt, in that it’s good to have some kind of starter to begin with. With sourdough it’s a leaven to add to flour and water; with yogurt it’s a couple of tablespoons of yogurt to add to milk that’s then heated. For vinegar, it’s some unpasteurised vinegar with the mother to start the process. These bottles are labelled clearly and you can buy them online and in supermarkets and delis.
Secondly, you need time. The mixture of wine and a vinegar mother won’t turn into vinegar overnight. You need a dark cupboard and the patience to wait for the mixture to ferment and the bacteria from the vinegar mother to turn the alcohol into acetic acid.
Thirdly, you need oxygen from the air, so use a wide-mouthed jar or ceramic pot and cover it with muslin or cheesecloth so the oxygen can get in but bugs can’t.
Whether you’re making wine or beer vinegar (see here), the basic recipe is much the same. Pour 400ml red wine or beer into a large open-mouthed jar (either ceramic or glass) then pour 200ml unpasteurised cider vinegar with the mother into the jar, too. Cover with a muslin or cheesecloth square and secure with a band. Label and store in a cool dark place for at least one month. It may take longer depending on conditions, but just keep tasting as you go. Some vinegar will naturally evaporate so, depending on how long it takes for the vinegar to brew, you’ll get around 400ml to use. You may find that a jelly-like substance forms in the liquid – don’t bin this, lift it out and transfer to another sterilised jar and use it to make another batch of vinegar with some of the unpasteurised liquor you’ve just fermented.
With such an array of vinegars available, it can be bewildering to know which to choose – you don’t want to use an expensive sherry vinegar to clean your windows, nor might you want to add a brash distilled malt to a casserole.
The most common vinegars produced in this country are malt (the brown stuff you put on fish and chips) and distilled malt (the clear type used in cleaning and food preserving).
With wine and sherry vinegars, the quality of the base alcohol used has a direct bearing on how good the vinegar will taste. A decent wine vinegar will be aged for a number of years in wooden casks, which imbues complex and mellow tones.
Balsamic is in a class of its own: look for the terms tradizionale and DOC. Cheap versions will have been coloured and flavoured with caramel and won’t have the authentic flavour balance.
The inclusion of a good wine or sherry vinegar in a soup or stew can often reduce the amount of salt you would normally use. It can also help you cut the amount of fat required in a recipe because vinegar is a great balancer of flavours, thus lessening the need for as much cream, butter or oil. It’s worth experimenting with different types – you’ll soon find out what best suits you. As you read through the descriptions of the most popular vinegars here, we’re sure you’ll identify one or two that will match your palate and style of cooking.
BALSAMIC VINEGAR
The more you pay, the better the quality. Look for a vinegar that has been aged for several years and contains more grape must than wine vinegar – it will have a syrupy consistency and a fabulous depth of flavour. Save your posh one to use with figs and strawberries.
• • •
BEER VINEGAR
No surprises here – the base of this is beer, but it is brewed with a vinegar mother to achieve the acidity. Flavours vary from lighter styles to dark rich notes depending on which ale is used.
• • •
CHINESE VINEGAR
The main ingredients here are the same as rice vinegar, sometimes with added spice, and the colour comes from an additive. Good for marinades and stir-fries.
CIDER VINEGAR
Also known as apple cider vinegar. Similar to a sharp, acidic flat cider with a vinegary, apple-y aftertaste. Next time you’re cooking pork chops, add a knob of butter to the pan juices plus a splash of this for a simple sauce. Or try this in a quick tuna pâté (see here). It also has some digestive benefits (see here).
• • •
DISTILLED MALT VINEGAR
This is produced by the distillation of malt, which gives a clear, colourless vinegar. Inexpensive; used mainly in pickling and preserving, and also for cleaning.
• • •
HONEY VINEGAR
Sharp and bright with no hint of sweetness. It has a strong kick, so use it sparingly. Good with the Chocolate Sharing Mousse here.
• • •
MALT VINEGAR
Made from barley and dark brown in colour. It has a very sharp taste; it is traditionally sprinkled over fish and chips, but it’s also really useful when making big batches of pickles or chutneys as it’s inexpensive.
• • •
MOSCATEL VINEGAR
Sweet and raisin-y, with hints of honey and florals. If this is used in a dressing, reduce the suggested sugar quantity so as not to overdo the sweetness. Good with a soft, creamy blue cheese such as Gorgonzola dolce or Beauvale. For a new twist, use in the classic dressing for oysters – sauce mignonette (see here).
• • •
RASPBERRY VINEGAR
Bright pink with a thick consistency and a predominant fruity taste with a tart edge. Keep it for salad dressings and try it in the recipes here.
• • •
RED WINE VINEGAR
It’s really worth pushing the boat out with this type of vinegar and looking for a particular grape, such as Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon, as the flavour of these is incomparable. Some specialist red wine vinegars have been mixed with grape juice, which softens the sharpness, and are good for splashing into a dish of dark fruits. Or use them for finishing off a game dish. A basic red wine vinegar is fine for everyday dressings, but when you want a subtle sharpness with complex flavours, you do need