preservation What vinegar do you recommend?

[huntsman]

I read in another post that our leader has specific tastes in vinegar, and uses certain vinegars for certain recipes.

What about yourself? Do you have a favourite vinegar, and what is it best used on?

 

[Masala Mojo]

For a garlic and onion based sauce I used Bock beer and a Bock beer vinegar and the sauce came out great. But I wouldn't use that combo for more sweet or fruity sauces. I like white balsamico vinegar. It has a smooth mellow taste and doesn't overpower the other flavors.

I agree about Balsamic vinegar. I usually use it with my salads and found that it has a very mallow taste and flavor seems to remain subtle.
I am yet to use it for sauces or pickles.

NJA

 

[Silver_Surfer]

Is white distilled the common white vinegar?

Yes, white vinegar is made similar to white lightning (fermented grains) but the alcohol is cooked off.

It makes you wonder why vinegar can be sold so cheaply compared to the good stuff.

 

[chilehunter]

I just use white distilled vinegar. I've tried apple cider vinegar but was not happy with the end results. It took over a lot of the flavor.

Agree fully. I threw down the gutter, about 500 ml of expensive sauce after using apple cider vinegar. My all spices aromas along with Naga Jolokias were totally masked by the freaking vinegar smell....er stink.
Just use white distilled vinegar . It is best.

NJA

+3 on NOT apple cider vinegar. Harsh and overbearing, and quite disgusting, as I have posted before. Last on my list, never use it. I prefer white distilled over ACV big time, especially if you want a pretty neutral vinegar for the purpose of liquidity and preservation. My other vinegars are trade secrets. But do some experimenting and you will soon have your own favorites.

I've only used apple cider vinegar once for a hot sauce & it turned out just fine.
though the basic white vinegar is a vinegar that IS very over powering in ALL hot sauces that use them in large ammounts.
case in point is louisiana style hot sauces & many others that use the basic cheap white vinegar. it has an harsh over powering nasty vinegar flavor!

I guess it comes down to your tastes. IMO cheap vinegar is best left for canning pickles,etc..

 

[Wildfire Chilli Australia]

+4 on apple cider vinegar. Made the mistake of pickling with it. Disgusting!

 

[Nova]

+4 on apple cider vinegar. Made the mistake of pickling with it. Disgusting!

I am going to pickle with it some time soon. I like the flavour that it imparts to green Thai Hots!

 

[Wildfire Chilli Australia]

I used Fataliis. Ruined them in my opinion. Took all the flavour away, without being rude I guess Thai Chillies don't have a huge amount of flavour so it could be ok with them?

 

[Nova]

I put with them salt and par-boil then bottle. Once i start eating these puppies i cannot stop, kind of like olives for me.

Edit: I would never do it with any "delicate" flavoured peppers.

 

[Wildfire Chilli Australia]

Yep that was the mistake I made, used the wrong type.

 

[Pardon Me Doug]

For my favorite sauce I use rice vinegar. It's a carrot/onion based sauce with habaneros and serranos and it seems to go well. In fact the last batch I made I tried white distilled vinegar and it didn't taste nearly as good. I don't really like vinegar and if I can easily distinguish the vinegar flavor in a hot sauce, I won't eat it.

 

[BigDawg]

It definitely takes some experimenting to find the right vinegar profile for your sauce or salsa. I tend to lean towards white distilled vinegar for your habanero and jalapeno sauces off set sometimes with a little lime or lemon and then I like to use apple cider vinegar more for your smokey chipotle (just a reference chuck dont sue me) or even bbq sauces, seems to enhance more of a smokey flavor in the sauce. Hope that peeks some ideas...

 

[huntsman]

Sure does...now I'm hungry again!

 

[scarpetti]

My next experiment is gonna be with some authentic Jamaican cane vinegar. Dang, that was hard to find out where I live! And I thought the SF bay area was supposed to be ethnically diverse. Very mild in flavor. A whole lot less than distilled white. Now I just need to get my hands on 1 or 2 pounds of scotch bonnets. Anybody?

 

[PatchenPepperMan]

I haven't made it up there yet myself, but how is Art's Jamaican Market in Oakland? Do they carry enough peppers?

http://www.yelp.com/biz/arts-jamaican-market-oakland

 

[scarpetti]

I haven't made it up there yet myself, but how is Art's Jamaican Market in Oakland? Do they carry enough peppers?

http://www.yelp.com/biz/arts-jamaican-market-oakland

I know nothing of this place!!! I'll check it out tomorrow for sure. We'll be in that area. I'll give you a report. Patchen's off of 17. Right? They have the big XMas tree lot, then there's Scott's Valley then IT'S OVER THE HILL TO SANTA CRUZ!!!!!!!!!! Actually PM me cuz it's supposed to be 70 degrees here tomorrow and we may be heading that way!!!!! So I may not near that market tomorrow.....

 

[Davez Foodz]

So far I just use distilled white vinegar. I get mine at Costco where you can get two gallons for what one gallon would cost in a supermarket. I've tried using apple cider vinegar, but just created a hot sauce disaster!

 

[CDB]

So far I just use distilled white vinegar. I get mine at Costco where you can get two gallons for what one gallon would cost in a supermarket. I've tried using apple cider vinegar, but just created a hot sauce disaster!

I've been gone from this forum a long time and was doing some research, figured I'd bump this thread with a caveat: apple cider vinegar does indeed work best with smoky flavored sauces I've made. However, I've also noticed that if you use it, simmering the sauce until the vinegar odor is gone makes it more suitable for delicate flavored peppers. It may change how you make the sauce because of the cooking requirement, but it's a way to work around what could otherwise be an over powering taste.