There seems to be a large variety of different vinegars called for in the various recipes I've been trying out lately. I've ended up with a cabinet full of half used bottles. That being said, which vinegars can I substitute for another in recipes? I'm hoping that there are two or three "good enough" vinegars I can keep on hand and buy in larger quantities.
8 Answers
The ones I always have:
- White vinegar (as a condiment, and also for cleaning);
- Balsamic vinegar (mainly for salads - let it age!)
- Rice vinegar (essential to almost all Asian cooking);
- Red wine vinegar (essential in French and a lot of Italian cooking);
- Cider vinegar (the best deglazer, and great in chilis)
- White Vinegar
- Cider Vinegar
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Rice Wine Vinegar
- Red Wine Vinegar
Up here in Canada (and elsewhere around the world) we use white or malt vinegar on french fries (chips)
These will cover 90+% of the recipes you're likely to find:
- White Wine Vinegar
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Balsamic Vinegar
And if you do a lot of Asian cooking, it's worth it to invest in a bottle of Rice Wine Vinegar
Fancier cookbooks frequently call for champagne vinegar as the acid in a vinaigrette. You might add that in to your list, although I would agree that it's fourth or fifth after most of Aaronut's list.
For those who are done with the sweetness of regular balsamic vinegars but still want something with a lot of character, here are my most-used:
- Sherry Vinegar
- Cider Vinegar
- Rice Wine Vinegar
- Red Wine Vinegar
- White Vinegar
The first four store in the fridge, the last under the sink with the other cleaning products. If something calls for balsamic, just use sherry vinegar and a touch of honey.
I find Balsamic vinegar very useful, especially when making salad dressings.
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Olive Oil
- Garlic
- Salt (and/or) Pepper