From Bon Appétit · Emily Saladino · · 3m
What's the Difference Between All the Vinegars?
11 types of vinegar decoded for your kitchen.
In brief
11 types of vinegar decoded for your kitchen. Understanding vinegar types helps choose the right one for cooking, from mild rice vinegar to bold red wine vinegar. Originally reported by Bon Appétit.
Quick answers
- What makes one vinegar different?
- Vinegar starts with alcohol, which bacteria convert into acetic acid. The starting ingredient, wine, apples, rice, malted barley, or sugarcane, helps determine the flavor, as do the fermentation and aging processes.
- What is the key takeaway from What's the Difference Between All the Vinegars??
- Understanding vinegar types helps choose the right one for cooking, from mild rice vinegar to bold red wine vinegar.
What makes one vinegar different?
Vinegar starts with alcohol, which bacteria convert into acetic acid. The starting ingredient, wine, apples, rice, malted barley, or sugarcane, helps determine the flavor, as do the fermentation and aging processes.
Apple cider vinegar
Apple cider vinegar starts with apples, fermented into hard cider and then vinegar. It's bright, fruity, and tart with enough character to stand up to bold ingredients.
Distilled white vinegar
Clear, inexpensive, and unapologetically sharp, distilled white vinegar is the pantry's most straightforward source of acidity. Made by fermenting distilled alcohol, it has a relatively neutral flavor.
Red wine vinegar
Red wine vinegar is bold, fruity, and assertive. It brings welcome acidity to classic Greek salad, coq au vin, lentils, and meat marinades.
White wine vinegar
White wine vinegar has a lighter, more delicate flavor than red wine vinegar. It's useful for salad dressings, seafood marinades, braised chicken, and brothy steamed mussels.
Champagne vinegar
Light, fruity, and delicately tangy, champagne vinegar is typically made from wines using the same grape varieties as Champagne. It's a good choice for salad dressings and drizzled over seafood.
Sherry vinegar
Sherry vinegar is smoother and more nuanced than red wine vinegar. It's used for finishing sauces, dressing roasted vegetables, and brightening stews.
Balsamic vinegar
Dark, rich, and sweet-tart, balsamic vinegar can be a finishing touch or essential ingredient. Traditional balsamic vinegar ages in wood barrels for at least 12 years.
White balsamic vinegar
White balsamic vinegar is paler, lighter, and fruitier than traditional dark balsamic. Use it to brighten melon salad, dress roasted peppers, or add sweetness to pan sauces.
Rice vinegar
Mild, gently sweet, and versatile, rice vinegar is a staple in Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Vietnamese cooking. It's made by fermenting rice into alcohol and then vinegar.
Black vinegar
Dark, earthy, and deeply savory, black vinegar brings more than acidity to a dish. It's used in dipping sauces for scallion pancakes, cabbage stir-fry, and Black Vinegar Chicken With Radishes.
Malt vinegar
Malt vinegar is made from malted barley and has a sweet, nutty tang with a toasted flavor. It's hard to beat on french fries and works well in dipping sauces.
Cane vinegar
Cane vinegar is made from fermented sugarcane juice and is a staple in Filipino kitchens. It's used in Philippine adobo and Northern Indian pickling traditions.
Vinegar substitution tips
For dressings or cooked sauces, try sherry or apple cider vinegar with a little honey or brown sugar to mimic balsamic's sweet-tart balance.
Pantry essentials
The essential vinegars to keep in your pantry are unseasoned rice vinegar, a fruity vinegar like red wine or apple cider vinegar, and a distinctive vinegar like sherry or balsamic.
The key point
Understanding vinegar types helps choose the right one for cooking, from mild rice vinegar to bold red wine vinegar.
