Vinegars for the pantry

A variety of vinegars should be kept in every pantry

It makes sense to keep an assortment of vinegars in every pantry or kitchen and below are a few that will always come in handy and enhance your recipes:

From the Far East a popular type of vinegar is made from rice wine. This type of vinegar can be used for so many savoury meals because of its mild sweet flavor. Rice wine vinegar can be used to create delicious salad dressings, tantalising sauces or even pickles.

A well used vinegar in the United States is Apple cider vinegar and if you need to enhance a dish with the flavor of apples it is the perfect choice.

Italy produces balsamic vinegar which differs from other vinegars because of its sweet, rich, mellow taste. Balsamic vinegar improves with age and can be quite expensive. However, it is not always necessary to buy a vintage variety as some of the younger balsamic vinegars have a unique sweet flavor. But if you are wishing to use an expensive bottle of balsamic remember to use it wisely. It has been said that some would place its value above their other possessions.

If you frequent Italian restaurants you might have sampled an unusual dessert that is made from pieces of aged Parmigano reggiano cheese and a little vintage balsamic vinegar. It tastes delicious even though a little bizarre. The best balsamic vinegar comes from Italy and is processed in Modena and Reggio, though there are many other excellent balsamic vinegars available everywhere.

A traditional British dish of fish and chips is always seasoned with Malt vinegar but is rarely used for anything else. The most readily available vinegar of all is white distilled vinegar and is generally used for cleaning purposes and rarely used for anything culinary.

The benefits of vinegar are not just to enhance the flavor of fish, meat and poultry, not to mention pickling and salad dressings. Vinegar is well known to be beneficial to health and particularly for those wishing to shed weight, and can also be used to provide relief to inflamed muscles. Amongst its many varied uses vinegar is an excellent cleanser and can help remove cosmetic stains such as lipstick.

pantry vinegars, various vinegars

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