food Something I Don't Understand

Z

Zeeky Banutski

I just don't get the use of vinegar in salsas. For example, most bottled salsas I see in the supermarket contain vinegar, as do most canned or bottled jalapenos. When i have to resort to canned or bottled jalapenos, i find the brands without the vinegar to make a salsa (Ortega, Old El Paso, La Victoria, etc.,) because I believe that the vinegar taints the taste of jalapenos & imparts an odd flavor to the salsa. Same thing when I have to resort to canned or bottled salsas. All that I've found, with the exception of Herdez, contain vinegar - again, I believe that vinegar distorts the taste of the salsa. I just don't get it.

Yet I see around here that most people include vinegar in their recipes. Why is that? Am I missing something? I don't make any "long-term" salsas (i.e., I don't "can" or "pickle" anything), I always prefer a fresh batch.
 
that's why they make vanilla and chocolate...I, myself, kinda like the taste vinegar imparts to salsa...
 
When your talking about stuff in the store, it has to have a shelf life. So they use vinegar to make the PH lower so it will last longer on the shelf. If you aren't making "long-term" then a lower PH isn't needed as there won't be enough time for the nasties to form in your salsa. And as AJ said, some people like a vinegar flavor in their salsas/hot sauces. I fall in that camp too. Granted I don't like it over the top, but I do like a bit of tang in the flavor.

For the commercial brands that don't use vinegar, they probably use another type of acid to get the PH down. They could also use "pressure canning" techniques.
 
Thanks compmodder26 - I never really gave a thought to the shelf life issue...makes perfect sense (especially considering that I really already knew it, but was being a bonehead...LOL)
 
It has it's place and depending on the flavor you want it can come in handy. Lemon and lime juice can also be used to lower pH for shelf life, but vinegar is cheaper and most commonly desired. My house salsa house Lemon juice and apple cider vinegar in it.
 
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