[quote=“Taiwan_Student”]I’m having a heck of a time finding vinager in the Kaohsiung/Pingdong area. I find pleanty of rice vinager but what about the other types?
If a recipe calls for vinager (unspecified) what type of vinager do they mean? Can rice vinager be used?
In Carrefour I found red vinager, white vinager and a very expensive thing called balsamic vinager. How should I use them.
What about these socalled drinking “healthy” vinager like orange and apple that everyones been giving away as door prizes around here recently.[/quote]Yes, rice vinegar should normally be OK when the type is unspecified.
Vinegar is a huge subject. You sound like a person in need of Howard McGee’s epic tome On Food and Cooking. It’s got great information on vinegar as on everything else.
If the recipe calls for vinegar and doesn’t specify it probaby means white. Most vinegars are sour and acidic. Sushi vinegar however is a little sweet and creamy and I like to use it for making salad dressing.
Essentially it is up to you to choose depending on the type of flavor you want. Balsamic will color the food dark and give a very sharp sour taste. You usually would add only a few drops. Red vinegars can be a little smoother. Apple vinegar, which most Wellcome supermarkets carry, taste good. Rice vinegars are sharp tasting and a bit cheap. But they do fine if mixed into a dish that will have many different flavors. If the recipe calls for more than a tablespoon of vinegar then do not use balsamic.
When I make Greek salad I use a combination of apple and rice vinegar with some wine vinegar and a few drops of balsamic.
Vinegar is an art to the Italians and French. Not unlike wine in it’s relative vehemence. If unspecified, use Taiwanese rice vinegar or urine. Both taste the same.
[quote=“jimipresley”]Vinegar is an art to the Italians and French. Not unlike wine in it’s relative vehemence. If unspecified, use Taiwanese rice vinegar or urine. Both taste the same.[/quote]
Talk about eclectic tastes! I’ll take your word on that.
[quote=“Taiwan_Student”]I’m having a heck of a time finding vinager in the Kaohsiung/Pingdong area. I find pleanty of rice vinager but what about the other types?
If a recipe calls for vinager (unspecified) what type of vinager do they mean? Can rice vinager be used?
In Carrefour I found red vinager, white vinager and a very expensive thing called balsamic vinager. How should I use them.
What about these socalled drinking “healthy” vinager like orange and apple that everyones been giving away as door prizes around here recently.[/quote]
White vinegar is the most common, so when a type isn’t specified, that’s what it meant. It’s what’s used for pickling of vegetables.
White vinegar is excellent on french fries and fish if you’ve never tried it. Balsamic vinegar does well in salads, though I can’t think of any other use for it.
:thanks: Thanks for those kind and informative replies. I’m a novice cook. I’ll buy myself a bottle of white and red vinegar next time I’m in the city.
Just be aware that there’s vinegar and vinegar, i.e. some is made from wine and some isn’t.
Heinz white vinegar is made from grains while white wine vinegar is as the name suggests made from wine. They don’t taste the same at all.
What you call red vinegar is red wine vinegar and again, it has a different taste.
White wine vinegar is good for salad dressings while white vinegar is generally for pickling.
Malt vinegar imho is horrible stuff with a very pungent smell and overpowering taste, I don’t use it at all.
Apple cider vinegar can also be used for salad dressings, just remember that it does have an apply flavour.
Balsamic vinegar is also good for salads or mixed with olive oil for bread dipping.
I suggest you read up a bit here en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinegar
This may be a little off topic. But, my favorite vinegar substitute is Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce.
I do not like sour taste and just can’t stand any whiff of vinegar. Worcester Sauce has vinegar as part of its ingredients, but the expression subtle. Turns out to be a vinegar substitute for my cooking. Works well in marinating various types of meats. Tasty in salad, as well.
Got mine from Carrefour. Not sure if they still carry it.
Indeed, it’s rank stuff, I spent way to much time with people eating the stuff while I lived in the UK and I was feeling sick every time I got a whiff of the nasty smell of malt vinegar poured on chips…
You can find concentrated vinegar at the everything stores in the food section. It’s like 40%. Will burn your eyes and lungs if not diluted a lot.
I think normal strength vinegar will kill mold just fine as well.
not sure if this is what you are looking for but here is a pic. I use it for mold as well.
I buy the gallons for cleaning at the bulk sellers in traditional markets. About 100 NTD a gallon. Just keep in mind it is not suitable for human consumption, only cleaning!
Retail you will find only small bottles and Western brands honestly can’t hold a candle in terms of destructive power to local brands.
