There are some good reasons why vinegar is so popular and considered a staple in most kitchen pantries. Vinegar provides fat-free, low-calorie flavor to dressings, sauces, and marinades. And although vinegar can't cure cancer, it can help improve your general health in many ways. Vinegar benefits the digestive system, improving the absorption and utilization of several essential nutrients.
By simply adding vinegar to your diet you can improve your health and the taste of your vegetables at the same time.
And as you're likely aware, there are many cooking varieties from which to choose. For your cooking convenience, here's a handy chart I found in an aged cookbook Aunt Annie used for years:
| TYPE | FLAVOR | USE |
| Apple Cider | Not too acidic | With both red and white meats, vegetables, salads |
| Balsamic | Slightly sweet | In salad dressings, sauces, and marinades |
| Champagne | Light, slightly sweet | In salad dressings or sprinkled on food for extra tang |
| Malt | Pungent, tart | As a topping for fried potatoes and pickling |
| Red wine | Potent | In French cuisine and red-meat marinades |
| Rice wine | Very light, fresh, sweet | In Asian cuisine, goes well with cucumbers or fish |
| Sherry | Slightly sweeter than red wine vinegar | In salad dressings, sauces, and marinades |
| White | Doesn't have true flavor; very acidic | Primarily for non-culinary purposes. In food preparation, it is most often used to make pickles or dye eggs, cases where the acid content is more important than flavor. |
| White wine vinegar | Slightly milder version of red vinegar | In lightly-colored dishes where red wine vinegar would not be appropriate |
Aunt Annie's recipe book has an entire section of recipes for using vinegar. One she used a lot was a red wine vinegar marinade. If you haven't tried marinating in a vinegar marinade, you might want to start. The acids do a great job of softening the meat-even the toughest cut is better for bathing in this marinade:
Red Wine Vinegar Marinade
Easy to make and easy to use--the perfect touch to your next grilling adventure.
Serving size: 8
Calories per serving: 161
1 cup red wine vinegar
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
6 teaspoons minced garlic
2 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
Directions:
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
- www.recipes.howstuffworks.com
- www.buzzle.com
- www.sophieinthekitchen.blogspot.com
Alice Osborne
Weekly Newsletter Contributer since 2006
