Vinegar

The word 'vinegar' comes from the French 'vinaigre' meaning sour wine. This is exactly what wine vinegar is - a sour-tasting liquid made by the acid fermentation of fresh wine. Similarly, there are a number of other vinegars made from other forms of alcohol, including cider (cider vinegar), malt liquor (malt vinegar and distilled vinegar), sherry (sherry vinegar) or rice wine (rice vinegar).

The original liquid (whether based on grapes, rice or malted grains) is fermented once with bacteria to convert the natural sugars into alcohol and then again a second time to convert the alcohol into a weak acetic solution. However, cheap vinegars are frequently synthetic, made from non-brewed or fermented malt liquor. They tend to have a rather harsh taste, and so it's usually worth paying a little extra for good quality vinegars as they have a light delicate taste with no unpleasant sharpness.

Although vinegar is probably most commonly used to make vinaigrettes and other salad dressings, it may also be used for a wide range of culinary tasks, for example, it may be:

• used to pickle fruit and vegetables, such as onions and gherkins
• included in marinades to add flavour and to tenderise cheaper cuts of meat
• used instead of lemon juice in mayonnaise, hollandaise and béarnaise sauces
• used as a preserving agent for pickles, chutneys and relishes
• added to give piquancy to rich dishes such as stews, Welsh rarebit and roast pork
• used to soften and dissolve the smaller bones in fish, as in soused herring
• added to the cooking water when boiling or steaming vegetables such as cauliflower to prevent them from discolouring
• used as a cleaning agent, for tasks such as removing grease, cleaning windows, removing calcium deposits from utensils or coffee makers and cleaning floors

Unopened vinegar may be stored indefinitely. However, once opened, it should be stored in a cool, dark place and used within six months.

You can find out more about the different types of vinegar by selecting a link from the menu below.