Making and Using Herbed and Flavored Vinegars

Vinegar is a spicy liquid used in cooking. It can be described as being made by fermenting an alcoholic beverage even further. The liquid oxygenates, which increases the acetic acid levels. Most common vinegars have an acetic acid concentration of about 4%-8% but vinegar used for pickling will be more in the 15%-18% range.

Malt vinegars come from beer. Apple cider vinegar starts out as apple juice. Red and white vinegars most often come from wine, which can be grape-derived or rice-based.

In cooking, vinegar is used to add or temper flavor. It is used in lots of sauces and blended in condiments. It is a frequent ingredient in marinades and used for tenderizing meat. And it is often one of the base components when making a salad dressing.

When you combine something with a vinegar, especially when you are making a salad dressing, you really get a better flavor if the blend has time to sit and truly combine. Not just get thrown together but inter-mingle on a molecular level. By using a vinegar that has something infused into it, you've already got a leg up on the flavor combining.

By using a flavored vinegar, you can have a more subtle flavor than if you added the spice itself. Or if you want to produce a deeper and more full flavor, using a vinegar that has some herbs in it and then adding some fresh to the dish can produce a stronger and more well-rounded accent.

The most simple and delicious salad dressings can come from just mixing a pre-herbed vinegar and a light oil. It's that easy and it's a fantastic way to get great taste while keeping the calories down.

Vinegar can be a health inclusion in the daily diet, however, there are many outlandish claims made as to just what vinegar can do.

Vitamins and minerals - while vinegar contains a wide variety of these, the therapeutic dose is often just a tablespoon or two per day, and so the amounts contained then become mere traces.

Pectin - while this plant component can help with cholesterol and it is present in vinegar, vinegar is NOT a good source.  The amount of pectin is minuscule.  Eat your whole apple per day for this one.