Vinegars

[Nil]

Oh chefs and cooking enthusiasts of Styleforum, please school me on the wide world of vinegars. I have quite a few but I've never really known what to look for before and am generally not thrilled with most of the ones I have. So I ask of you:

What are the essential and most useful types?

What are good brands?

Any other interesting info I should know about them?

 

[impolyt_one]

I always keep:

-Heinz white vinegar (use more often to clean household things than actually consume, but once in awhile, like for poaching eggs)
-Sherry vinegar
-rice wine vinegar, Japanese and then Korean made from genmai in double strength
-balsamico (never use)
-apple cider vinegar sometimes

I'll spend good money on the Sherry vinegar and a better Japanese rice vinegar, the rest can be cheap. Had I not OD'd on balsamico I can see myself spending $30-50 a bottle on the stuff too.

 

[foodguy]

sherry, champagne, rice, apple cider, plain (also mainly utility), white wine, tarragon. homemade red wine -- this is so easy and it is so much better than what is available commercially i'm astonished more people don't do it. just use a sun tea jar from the grocery store fill it up with cheap fruity red wine ... add a mother i bought off ebay and some water and 6 weeks later there's amazing vinegar. it really makes you realize how awful commercial vinegars are.

 

[kwilkinson]

Originally Posted by foodguy

sherry, champagne, rice, apple cider, plain (also mainly utility), white wine, tarragon. homemade red wine -- this is so easy and it is so much better than what is available commercially i'm astonished more people don't do it. just use a sun tea jar from the grocery store fill it up with cheap fruity red wine ... add a mother i bought off ebay and some water and 6 weeks later there's amazing vinegar. it really makes you realize how awful commercial vinegars are.

If you have a couple ounces in the bottom of a bottle you aren't going to finish, can you just toss it in there and it'll turn to vinegar as well?

 

[itsstillmatt]

Originally Posted by kwilkinson

If you have a couple ounces in the bottom of a bottle you aren't going to finish, can you just toss it in there and it'll turn to vinegar as well?
You need to make (or buy) a mother first. I actually don't like homemade vinegar that is made in glass bottles. In wood, it is great.

 

[foodguy]

Originally Posted by kwilkinson

If you have a couple ounces in the bottom of a bottle you aren't going to finish, can you just toss it in there and it'll turn to vinegar as well?
you used to be able to find unpasteurized wine vinegars and you could start from that. i haven't found any in a while, so last time i started a new batch i had to buy the mother. very inexpensive. and yes, when i have wine left in the bottle after a dinner, it goes into the vinegar barrel.

Originally Posted by iammatt

You need to make (or buy) a mother first. I actually don't like homemade vinegar that is made in glass bottles. In wood, it is great.
this puzzles me.

 

[kwilkinson]

Originally Posted by iammatt

You need to make (or buy) a mother first. I actually don't like homemade vinegar that is made in glass bottles. In wood, it is great.

I never got your full report on when you tried. I remember you being rather apathetic about it.

 

[itsstillmatt]

Originally Posted by kwilkinson

I never got your full report on when you tried. I remember you being rather apathetic about it.
I got tired of making it. I can find pretty good vinegar here, and I really use much more sherry vinegar than anything else, which I cannot make. I don't know why i prefer wood to glass, but I do know that those acquaintances whose vinegar I have tasted and who use wood make better vinegar than those who use glass. It is based on a highly scientific study of about six people, so take it for what (very) little it is worth.

 

[Rambo]

Originally Posted by foodguy

this puzzles me.
+

 

[Nil]

Seems like I need to upgrade my sherry vinegar selection. Any recommendations for a specific kind?

 

[mm84321]

I'm not really a vinegar aficionado, but I've always used and enjoyed this brand. http://www.ooliveoil.com/product_win...erry%20vinegar They have good champagne vinegar as well.

 

[Rambo]

Whole Foods brands actually get rather high marks from what I've seen. Cheap too.

 

[greekonomist]

Originally Posted by Nil

Seems like I need to upgrade my sherry vinegar selection. Any recommendations for a specific kind?

My current favorite is Don Bruno. By far the best I've found here and less than $5.