Submitted by Lenore Koszalinski/Peaches
* First of all...you can make vinegar out of anything that ferments. Each and every one may or may not taste good but the fact remains that you CAN do it.
* Vinegar was probably discovered when the first cask of wine turned sour. The French origin of the word 'vinegar' is 'vinagre', which means, literally, sour wine.
* Vinegar usually has an acid content of between 4 and 8 percent. Acidity is the edge which gives vinegar its vinegariness. It's the lack of acidity in olive oil that makes the two such a good match.
* "Mother of Vinegar" is the stringy, slimy substance composed of yeast cells and various bacteria that forms on the surface of fermenting liquids, turning it into vinegar. It is removed once the process is completed. After opening a bottle of vinegar, you may notice mother beginning to form. It is not harmful or spoiled. Filter it out and use it to make your own vinegar from wine or cider.
* Pasteurized" on the label is not necessarily a plus-it's usually a sign of industrial involvement which adds shelf life, but robs a vinegar of much of its character and complexity. "Raw vinegar" is unpasteurized, though not all unpasteurized vinegars will say so.
The shelf life of vinegar is almost indefinite. Because of its acid nature, vinegar is self-preserving and does not need refrigeration. White vinegar will remain virtually unchanged over an extended period of time. And, while some changes can be observed in other types of vinegars, such as color changes or the development of a haze or sediment, this is only an aesthetic change. The product can still be used with confidence.
Vinegar is best stored airtight in a cool, dark place.
Which is better for what?
Why is white vinegar used for cleaning?
RULES OF THUMB:
Always use apple cider vinegar for personal care. White vinegar is best for cleaning.
That depends on what flavor you want. Use distilled vinegar only in things when you do not want a significant flavor
contribution. Cider vinegar works well with cabbage, salad dressings, and fruit-based dishes.
Cider vinegar or white vinegar may be used when making pickles. Cider vinegar, with its mellow acid taste, gives a nice blending of flavors but may darken white or light colored fruits and vegetables.
White distilled vinegar has a sharp, pungent, acetic-acid taste and is desirable when light color is important as with white pickled cauliflower.
Distilled white vinegar is made from a grain-alcohol-based liquid. It is harsher than cider vinegar as it is a weak form of acetic acid. It is corrosive. That being said, it is completely edible, and cannot harm your stomach.
Many things can be cleaned using it. White vinegar also neutralizes smells, takes out some stains, and it offers anti-bacterial components. It is extremely useful in treating the sting of the box jellyfish; the acid disables the stinging cells of the jellyfish, and can prevent serious injury or death if immediately applied.
This traditional cider vinegar is made from freshly pressed apple juice that is allowed to ferment over a four- to six-week period at room temperature. Strongly acidic, quality cider vinegar has a bright, crisp flavor and tastes like the apples from which it was pressed.
Top-notch cider vinegar starts out with the best whole, fresh apples. Producers on the skimp use up old apples, cores, peels and skins that aren't good enough to go into juice or fresh cider.
Apple-cider vinegar is used in dressings, sauces, condiments, marinades, and pickles.
Made of sprouted and fermented barley, malt vinegar is too strongly flavored for salad dressings. However, when it is distilled to a clear white, instead of amber brown, it is excellent for pickling, and in England it is liberally splashed over fish and chips. In Britain-it is to beer and ale what wine vinegar is to wine.
Wine vinegar-made from red, white, or rose wines-is an excellent condiment. These vinegars may be used interchangeably. They are flavorful, fruity, and combine well with salads, sauces, and dressings.
Vinegar remains a wine maker's nightmare waiting to happen. At the same time, a great wine is the precious raw material for the master vinegar maker. Few people realize it, but vinegar is the natural conclusion of the wine making process. Vinegar finishes what wine making starts. In fact, the two processes are so closely linked that although many wineries make vinegar, the two have to be kept strictly separated.
It's like two kids who can't be left alone together and have to be sent to their separate rooms, in this case separate buildings, usually in different neighborhoods. A few stray bacteria circulating in the air from a barrel of vinegar can turn a winery's production to vinegar.
It's best to begin by smelling. The aroma will tell you much of what you want to know. Most everything they say about wine bouquet should hold true for vinegar.
It should smell good, with an aroma that's distinctly reminiscent of the fruit from which it is made. If the aroma beckons you further, follow your nose, and taste it.
The Chinese have been making rice vinegar for over 3000 years. Used mostly as a condiment, there are three main types: red, white and black. The black (jit cho) has a rich, sweet-sourness that sets it in the same flavor-family system as Italian balsamic. The red (hak mi cho) is used most often as a dip for spring rolls, boiled crab or dim sum. The white (bok cho) is added to sweet and sour dishes and dressings for vegetables.
This vinegar, distilled from rice, has less of a sharp tang than cider vinegar, and just a hint of sweetness. The Japanese use it in making rice for sushi, in dipping sauces, and to create many pickled dishes. Widely used in Asian dishes, rice vinegar is popular because it does not significantly alter the appearance of the food.
The Japanese also make an array of interesting vinegars. There's a delicate rice vinegar, called su, which is used with sushi rice. Aji Pon , flavored with citrus juice and soy sauce, is frequently used for grilled meats. They sprinkle Tosazu , flavored with fish stock, sugar and soy, on fish and vegetable dishes.
Umeboshi or Ume-su vinegar is a pink brine with a deep cherry aroma and has an exotic, salty, sweet flavor. It is a by-product produced when umeboshi (Japanese pickled plums) is made. Technically, it is not classified as a vinegar because it contains salt, but it is a good substitute for vinegar and salt in any recipe. It has a light, citric flavor and lends itself well to salad dressings and adding flavor to steamed vegetables.
1. Arthritis Tonic And Treatment
2 spoonfuls of apple cider vinegar and
honey in a glass of water several times daily.
2. Thirst-quenching drink
Apple cider vinegar mixed with cold water.
3. Sagging Cane Chairs
Sponge them with a hot solution of half vinegar and half water. Place the chairs out in the hot sun to dry.
4. Skin Burns
Apply ice cold vinegar right away for fast
relief. Will prevent burn blisters.
5. Add a spoonful of vinegar to cooking water to make cauliflower white and clean.
6. Storing cheese
Keep it fresh longer by wrapping it in a vinegar-soaked cloth and keeping it in a sealed container.
7. Remove stains from stainless steel and chrome with a vinegar-dampened cloth.
8. Rinse glasses and dishes in water and vinegar to remove spots and film.
9. Prevent grease build-up in your oven by frequently wiping it with vinegar.
10. Wipe jars of preserves and canned food with vinegar to prevent mold-
producing bacteria.11. To eliminate mildew, dust and odors, wipe down walls with a vinegar-soaked cloth.
12. Clean windows with vinegar and water.
13. Hardened paint brushes: simmer in boiling vinegar and wash in hot soapy water.
14. Clean bread box and food containers with a vinegar-dampened cloth to keep fresh-smelling and clean.
15. Pour boiling vinegar down drains to unclog and clean them.
16. Clean fireplace bricks with undiluted vinegar.
17. An excellent all-purpose cleaner: vinegar mixed with salt. Cleans copper, bronze, brass, dishes, pots, pans, skillets, glasses, windows. Rinse well.
18. Make your ketchup and other condiments last longer by adding vinegar.
19. To clear up respiratory congestion, inhale a vapor mist from steaming pot containing water and several spoonfuls of vinegar.
20. Apple cider vinegar and honey as a cure-all: use to prevent apathy, obesity, hay fever, asthma, rashes, food poisoning, heartburn, sore throat, bad eyesight, dandruff, brittle nails and bad breath.
21. When boiling eggs, add some vinegar to the water to prevent white from leaking out of a cracked egg.
22. When poaching eggs, add a teaspoon of vinegar to the water to prevent separation.
23. Weight loss: vinegar helps prevent fat from accumulating in the body.
24. Canned fish and shrimp: to give it a freshly caught taste, soak in a mixture of sherry and 2 tablespoons of vinegar.
25. Add a spoonful of vinegar when cooking fruit to improve the flavor.
26. Soak fish in vinegar and water before cooking for a tender, sweeter taste.
27. Add vinegar to boiling ham to improve flavor and cut salty taste.
28. Improve the flavor of desserts by adding a touch of vinegar.
29. Add vinegar to your deep fryer to eliminate a greasy taste.
30. Add a tablespoon of vinegar to fruit gelatin to hold it firm.
31. Steep your favorite herb in vinegar until you have a pleasing taste and aroma.
32. Use vinegar instead of lemon on fried and broiled foods.
33. To remove lime coating on your tea kettle; add vinegar to the water and let stand overnight.
34. To make a good liniment: beat 1 whole egg, add 1 cup vinegar and 1 cup turpentine. Blend.
35. Apply vinegar to chapped, cracked skin for quick healing.
36. Vinegar promotes skin health: rub on tired, sore or swollen areas.
37. Reduce mineral deposits in pipes, radiators, kettles and tanks by adding vinegar into the system.
38. Rub vinegar on the cut end of uncooked ham to prevent mold.
39. Clean jars with vinegar and water to remove odor.
40. Avoid cabbage odor by adding vinegar to the cooking water.
41. Skunk odor: remove from pets by rubbing fur with vinegar.
42. Paint adheres better to galvanized metal that has been wiped with vinegar.
43. Pets' drinking water: add vinegar to eliminate odor and encourage shiny fur.
44. For fluffy meringue: beat 3 egg whites with a teaspoon of vinegar.
45. Add 1 tablespoon vinegar to your pastry recipe for an exceptional crust.
46. Half a teaspoon per quart of patching plaster allows you more time to work the plaster before it hardens.
47. Prevent discoloration of peeled potatoes by adding a few drops of vinegar to water. They will keep fresh for days in the fridge.
48. Poultry water: add vinegar to increase egg production and to produce tender meat.
49. Preserve peppers: put freshly picked peppers in a sterilized jar and finish filling with boiling vinegar.
50. Olives and pimentos will keep indefinitely if covered with vinegar and refrigerated.
51. Add 1 teaspoon vinegar to cooking water for fluffier rice.
52. Add vinegar to laundry rinse water: removes all soap and prevents yellowing.
53. After shampooing hair, rinse with a mixture of 1 ounce apple cider vinegar in 1 quart of distilled water.
54. For a shiny crust on homemade bread and rolls: just before they have finished baking, take them out, brush crusts with vinegar, return to oven to finish baking.
55. Homemade sour cream: blend together 1 cup cottage cheese, 1/4 cup skim milk and 1 teaspoon vinegar.
56. Boil vinegar and water in pots to remove stains.
57. Remove berry stains from hands with vinegar.
58. Prevent sugaring by mixing a drop of vinegar in the cake icing.
59. Cold vinegar relieves sunburn.
60. When boiling meat, add a spoonful of vinegar to the water to make it more tender.
61. Marinate tough meat in vinegar overnight to tenderize.
62. A strength tonic: combine raw eggs, vinegar and black pepper. Blend well.
63. Douche: 2 to 4 ounces of vinegar in 2 quarts of warm water.
64. Since most people wash their fruits and vegetables before eating them, wash them with a mixture of 3 tablespoons white vinegar to a quart of water. This will remove any trace of pesticides.
65. Add a teaspoon of white vinegar to the boiling water you are going to cook your rice in. The rice will be less sticky and will be fluffier.
66. If some of your veggies are getting a little wilted in the fridge, revive them by soaking them in one quart cold water with one tablespoon white vinegar.
67. Adding two tablespoons of white vinegar to a quart of water before you boil eggs will make them peel easier and keep them from cracking.
68. To clean, absorb odors, and cut grease on a wood cutting board, wipe with white vinegar. Vinegar is a natural anti-bacterial agent.
69. If you want to prevent your cut apples, pears, peaches and potatoes from darkening after they are cut, drop the slices in a bowl of water with 2 teaspoons of white vinegar.
70. If you have a new pan, keep food from sticking to it by boiling about one inch of vinegar a few minutes before using for the first time.
Created on ... April 24, 2020