Types of Vinegar
from http://www.foodsubs.com/ and https://www.foodandwine.com/

Acid brightens food and creates contrast. Most importantly, acid does the absolutely necessary job of balancing flavors, which makes it indispensable to cooking delicious food. One of the most useful and versatile sources of acid is vinegar. Cooks use vinegar to make pickles, deglaze pans, marinate meats, and add tang to vinaigrettes, sauces, and even desserts. Vinegars are made by adding a bacteria called Acetobacter aceti to diluted wine, ale, or fermented fruits or grains. This creates acetic acid, which gives the liquid a sour flavor.

But there are many types of vinegar available to home cooks, each with their own flavors and uses. To help choose the right vinegar for everything from pickling to pan sauces, we reached out to Rodrigo Vargas, CEO of American Vinegar Works, a small-batch vinegar producer founded in Worcester, Massachusetts. To make vinegar, you only need a few things, says Vargas: “alcohol, heat, oxygen, and acetobacter, which is a natural bacteria that converts the alcohol to acid.” Vinegar is traditionally made from alcoholic beverages that we drink, like hard cider, beer, sake, and wine. In fact, if you’ve ever left a bottle of red wine out that began to sour, it was on its way to becoming homemade vinegar.

While American Vinegar Works makes all its vinegars this traditional way, says Vargas, it’s increasingly rare. The method takes time, so larger companies often make a highly acidic industrial vinegar and dilute it. Though faster, “you lose the subtle flavors that develop with slower fermentation,” says Vargas.

An easy way to tell if your vinegar has been made industrially is to check the label or bottle for the word “diluted,” says Vargas. Other terms that could signal industrial production are “manufactured for” or “distributed by.” “That doesn’t mean that it’s a bad product,” says Vargas. “It just means that the brand you’re buying it from didn’t make it themselves, and they may not have as deep an expertise in actually making vinegars as they represent.”

Tips:

Varieties: There are many different kinds of vinegars, most of them associated with regional cuisines. The French like red wine vinegar and white wine vinegar, which are tangy and great for vinaigrettes and marinades. Italians prefer balsamic vinegar, which is dark, complex, and slightly sweet, while Spaniards often reach for their smooth yet potent sherry vinegar. Asians use rice vinegar, which is relatively mild. Americans favor cider vinegar, which is tangy and fruity, which British and Canadian cooks prefer malt vinegar, which has a distinctive, lemony flavor. The biggest seller of all is white vinegar, which is distilled from ethyl alcohol. It's cheap but somewhat harsh-tasting, so while it's great for making pickles, acidulating water, and cleaning out coffee pots, it's not a good choice for most recipes.

Here are 10 basic categories of vinegar, how they’re made, and how to make the most of them in the kitchen.

White Vinegar

White vinegar, or distilled vinegar, is the only variety on this list that almost always must be made industrially. That’s because it’s made from distilled alcohol.

“Generally, you take a super high-proof neutral alcohol and, using industrial fermentation methods, turn it into a high-acid vinegar, which you then dilute down to typically 5% acidity,” says Vargas.

The value of this industrial process? Because distilled vinegar is made with a neutral spirit, it is free of flavors that will affect your final dish. As such, distilled vinegar can be used in dozens of ways, from making cakes lighter to helping set whites in poached eggs. It’s a reliable choice for canned pickles, as it tends to be affordable for large batches, won’t affect the vegetable’s color, and is safe for canning at 5% acidity.

Nicolás López Pelaz, chef at New York’s Mercado Little Spain, suggests using distilled vinegar to cure fish. “Spaniards are the kings of escabeches. That means to pickle something in vinegar,” he says. “Usually, you mix half water, half vinegar, and a good amount of salt to cure small fishes like anchovies, or small mackerels.”

Note: This vinegar is also great for cleaning out coffee pots, washing windows, and many other cleaning jobs.

Acidity: 5%
Flavor: bright, crisp, neutral
Try it in: Pickled Eggs, Watermelon Rind Pickles

Apple Cider Vinegar

Notes: Made from fermented apples, this fruity vinegar is inexpensive and tangy. While it's not the best choice for vinaigrettes or delicate sauces, it works well in chutneys, hearty stews, and marinades. It's also used to make pickles, though it will darken light-colored fruits and vegetables. Substitutes: malt vinegar OR white vinegar (a good choice for pickles) OR wine vinegar (not for pickles)

Balsamic Vinegar = aceto balsamico = aceto di balsamico Pronunciation: ball-SAHM-ick

Notes: This enormously popular Italian vinegar is prized for its sweet, fruity flavor and mild acidity. It's terrific for deglazing pans, dressing salads and vegetable dishes, and for seasoning everything from grilled meat to poached fruit. Its quality varies enormously. Expensive artisan-made balsamic vinegars (labeled traditional or tradizionale) are aged in wood barrels for at least 12 years and can cost over $100 per bottle. They're exquisitely complex, syrupy and only slightly acidic. Those who can afford them often drink them as they would a vintage port, or use them in desserts, where their sweetness and subtleties can be shown off to best advantage. Cheaper commercial brands are watered down with wine vinegar and artificially colored, but they're fine for most recipes. Substitutes: brown rice vinegar OR Chinese black vinegar (cheaper) OR red wine vinegar + sugar or honey OR sherry vinegar OR fruit vinegar

Apricot Balsamic Sauce from Baked Chicken Strips with 3 Sauces
Raspberry Glazed Chicken Wings - balsamic vinegar is one of the main ingredients in the glaze
Balsamic Vinegar Reduction Sauce - balsamic vinegar, reduced, butter added for a smooth texture, used as a sauce for beef steaks or other beef cuts

Champagne Vinegar

Notes: This light and mild vinegar is a good choice if you're want to dress delicately flavored salads or vegetables. Mix it with nut or truffle oil to make a sublime vinaigrette. Substitutes: white wine vinegar (not as mild) OR rice vinegar (not as mild) OR raspberry vinegar (not as mild) OR apple cider vinegar (not as mild)

Malt Vinegar = alegar

Notes: Most of us know malt vinegar as the condiment that's always put on the table wherever British fish and chips are served. It's made from malted barley, and has a pungent, lemony flavor. It's a good choice for pickling (assuming it contains at least 5% acetic acid), though it will darken light-colored fruits and vegetables. It's also the vinegar of choice for making chutneys. Since it's so assertive, it's not a good choice for vinaigrettes or delicate sauces. Varieties include brown malt vinegar and distilled malt vinegar, which is clear. Substitutes: lemon juice (with fish and chips) OR cider vinegar OR white wine vinegar

Raspberry Vinegar

Notes: This is a mild and fruity vinegar that makes a terrific salad dressing. Substitutes: sherry vinegar (especially with poultry) OR champagne vinegar (milder) OR blueberry vinegar OR red wine vinegar OR black currant vinegar OR rice vinegar OR apple cider vinegar OR balsamic vinegar

Red Wine Vinegar

Notes: This assertive vinegar is a staple in French households. It's used in vinaigrettes and for making marinades, stews, and sauces. It's a good choice if you're trying to balance strong flavors in a hearty dish. Substitutes: white wine vinegar (very similar) OR balsamic vinegar OR sherry vinegar OR apple cider vinegar OR rice vinegar

Rice Vinegar = rice wine vinegar

Notes: Rice vinegars are popular in Asian and they're sweeter, milder, and less acidic than Western vinegars. They're sometimes called "rice wine vinegars," but they're made from rice, not rice wine. Most recipes that call for rice vinegar intend for you to use white rice vinegar, which is used in both China and Japan. The Chinese also use red rice vinegar with seafood or in sweet and sour dishes, and black rice vinegar in stir-fries and dipping sauces. Substitutes: apple cider vinegar (also add a pinch of sugar if you like) OR white wine vinegar OR 3 parts white vinegar + 1 part water

Sherry Vinegar = sherry wine vinegar = vinagre de Jeréz = Jerez vinegar = vinagre de Xeres = Xeres vinegar

Notes: Sherry vinegar is Spain's answer to balsamic vinegar. It's assertive yet smooth, and great for deglazing pans and perking up sauces, especially those that will accompany hearty meats like duck, beef, or game. The most expensive sherry vinegars are aged for a long time in wood casks. Substitutes: balsamic vinegar OR red wine vinegar (Also add a little sugar if you wish.) OR rice vinegar

Tarragon Vinegar = tarragon wine vinegar

Notes: This popular herb vinegar is used to make Béarnaise sauce and vinaigrettes. It's easy to make at home. Just put one or two sprigs of clean, fresh tarragon in a bottle of warm white wine vinegar, tightly seal the bottle, and let it stand for at least a few days. The sprigs will eventually become bitter, so remove or replace them after a few weeks. Make sure that the vinegar you use has an acidity level of at least 5% (this information is given on the label). Don't add too much tarragon to the bottle, or you may reduce the acidity of the vinegar so much that it loses its ability to preserve. Substitutes: One tablespoon fresh tarragon leaves plus one cup vinegar (preferably white wine vinegar, champagne vinegar, or apple cider vinegar) One teaspoon dried tarragon leaves plus one cup vinegar (preferably white wine vinegar, champagne vinegar, or apple cider vinegar)

Verjus = verjuice Pronunciation: vehr-ZHOO or VER-juice

Notes: A medieval ingredient that's making a comeback, verjus is a sour juice made from unripened red or white grapes. Vinegars in salad dressings sometimes create off-tastes in the wines that accompany a meal. Verjus doesn't, so it's a good substitute for vinegar if you're planning to serve an expensive wine with dinner. Some people also mix it with sparkling water and ice to make a sophisticated non-alcoholic drink. After the bottle is opened, store verjus in the refrigerator, where it will keep for about a month. If you can't use it that fast, pour it into ice cube trays, freeze, then store the cubes in a plastic bag in the freezer. Though becoming more popular, verjus is still hard to find. Look for it in gourmet specialty shops. Substitutes: lemon juice (a very good and much cheaper substitute) OR white wine vinegar

White Vinegar = distilled vinegar = distilled white vinegar = white distilled vinegar

Notes:

White Wine Vinegar

Notes: This is a moderately tangy vinegar that French cooks use to make Hollandaise and Béarnaise sauces, vinaigrettes, soups, and stews. It's also an excellent base for homemade fruit or herb vinegars. Substitutes: red wine vinegar (This has a stronger flavor, and it may discolor a light sauce.) OR champagne vinegar OR rice vinegar OR cider vinegar