161 replies to this topic

[ExtraMSG]

Does the white stuff look like this:

http://www.waynesthi...at.com/eels.htm

[hathor]

Does the white stuff look like this:

http://www.waynesthi...at.com/eels.htm

Is this about some sort of real 'eel'...or is he using the word eel instead of mother??

[Toliver]

I am late to this party. I have always wanted to make the pineapple vinegar that I have had in southern Mexico. Does anyone know how to do that?

I need to find a vinegar jar.

(Elie... The I-can't-remember-the name-of-to-save-me home brew shop, on Bissonnet I think, has vinegar mothers. Is that how you say that? )

Google is your friend:
Diana Kennedy's Pineapple Vinegar (on Epicurious.com)
Food Network's Pineapple Vinegar: This recipe is very different from Diana's version. I found this recipe on another site that attributed it to the "Too Hot Tamales" show when it was on the Food Network (why they would remove the credit is a mystery ).
Here was a previous eGullet discussion of an endless bottle of vinegar

[FoodMan]

(Elie... The I-can't-remember-the name-of-to-save-me home brew shop, on Bissonnet I think, has vinegar mothers. Is that how you say that?  )

Fifi-
Do u remeber where on Bissonet St. the shop is? They might have those jars with spigots that Abra and Oreganought mentioned.

Elie

[Comfort Me]

(Elie... The I-can't-remember-the name-of-to-save-me home brew shop, on Bissonnet I think, has vinegar mothers. Is that how you say that?  )

Fifi-
Do u remeber where on Bissonet St. the shop is? They might have those jars with spigots that Abra and Oreganought mentioned.

Elie

Does your town have a Pier 1 Imports? If so, they carry several different containers with a spigot. You can use any of them, just keep the lid off and cover with cheesecloth.[code=auto:0]

[FoodMan]

(Elie... The I-can't-remember-the name-of-to-save-me home brew shop, on Bissonnet I think, has vinegar mothers. Is that how you say that?  )

Fifi-
Do u remeber where on Bissonet St. the shop is? They might have those jars with spigots that Abra and Oreganought mentioned.

Elie

Does your town have a Pier 1 Imports? If so, they carry several different containers with a spigot. You can use any of them, just keep the lid off and cover with cheesecloth.[code=auto:0]

We do have a Pier1. I will check it out.
Maybe a sun tea jar would work as well, probably cheaper than the Pier 1 stuff and I'm pretty sure it has a spigot in the bottom.

Elie

[russ parsons]

i use a sun tea jar and it works great. in fact, i have two of them. one of them filled with vinegar that has already turned, the other with wine that is still in the process.

as far as the acetone smell, i've had problems with that, too, so i asked a friend who is a very good winemaker and he said that was a result of too-high temperatures producing way too many acetobacters (as i remember it). he suggested cutting the vinegar with water and letting it stand for a a couple of days. worked like a charm.

(by the way, you'll almost always want to cut wine vinegars with water at some point in the process ... alcohol converts to acidity almost on par, so a 13% alcohol wine will become a 13% acid vinegar. most vinegars are in the 5-7 range ... i find i like it at what i estimate is about 7-9. in practice, i just add water until it tastes right.)

[Toliver]

Hmmm...perhaps someone should suggest a "Make Your Own Vinegar at Home" eGCI class.

[phaelon56]

Will one of you kind wine and vinegar savvy folks suggest a red, a white and a champagne wine to use? I'd liek to try this but I dont' drink alcohol. The only wine I ever have around is Sutter Home Merlot, Chardonnay or the like in 8 oz screwcap bottles that is used for cooking. How important is the quality of the wine in the finished vinegar? Can a cheap wine make a great vinegar?

[hathor]

Will one of you kind wine and vinegar savvy folks suggest a red, a white and a champagne wine to use? I'd liek to try this but I dont' drink alcohol. The only wine I ever have around is Sutter Home Merlot, Chardonnay or the like in 8 oz screwcap bottles that is used for cooking. How important is the quality of the wine in the finished vinegar? Can a cheap wine make a great vinegar?

From what I've read upthread, and in the links, left over screw top wine would probably be just fine.
I'm going to try the 3 spaghettis in a glass jar with wine method this weekend. I'll let you know how it works. I'm planning on using whatever wine is around. But, not mixing white with red, as that seems to matter.

[fifi]

Ah Ha! My brain woke up.

The shop I was thinking of in Houston is DeFalco's and it is on Stella Link. (Well... that is at least in a 10 mile radius of where I thought they were. ) They do mail order.

[FoodMan]

Ah Ha! My brain woke up.

The shop I was thinking of in Houston is DeFalco's and it is on Stella Link. (Well... that is at least in a 10 mile radius of where I thought they were. ) They do mail order.

Fifi-
Thank you for remembering and posting the address for this place. Sounds like a neat place to visit and maybe finally start making my own beer like I keep saying.

I guess, according to Russ, the sun tea jar idea should work. I'll pick up a jar next time I see one.

Elie

[russ parsons]

sun tea jar will work (does work; is working) just fine. as for wine, i prefer to use fruity but well-made reds. i see no point in putting anything good in there (unless there's dregs at the end of a bottle). i have not had much luck with white wines, because they oxidize so badly. maybe someone else has a secret.

[andiesenji]

i have not had much luck with white wines, because they oxidize so badly. maybe someone else has a secret.

I was told some years ago that adding a little fortified wine to a white wine would keep it stable and stop it from oxidizing when using it to make vinegar. I add 1/4 cup sherry to a quart of white. Have had good results.

[ExtraMSG]

Does the white stuff look like this:

http://www.waynesthi...at.com/eels.htm

Is this about some sort of real 'eel'...or is he using the word eel instead of mother??

Vinegar eels are nematodes, little worm-like creatures. We used to grow them in middle school and high school honors biology.

[hathor]

I also read that if you don't have a mother, you can make one.
Italian mamma wisdom..
take 3 dry spaghetti.. and put them in a large jar with your wine.
Let them dissolve.. and this will create you MOTHER!
Mamma Mia!
If you have some homemade vinegar, that can be used to make vinegar...
Anyone coming to Florence I have tons!

Judy

I'm following this method to see if I can create a mother.
Its been about 5 days now, the pasta has melted away and is non existent. There is no scum or gathering mother bits. The wine has developed a really lush fragrance. Anyone know how long before the mother appears?

[formerly grueldelux]

I use what oreganought does, a large crock with a spigot near the bottom, called a vinaigrier, that I brought back from a trip to France. 

Very interesting. Here's a picture of one from the googler. Does anyone know of any US retail or online sources? Of course you don't need a specific vessel, but they look sort of cool.

[hathor]

I use what oreganought does, a large crock with a spigot near the bottom, called a vinaigrier, that I brought back from a trip to France. 

Very interesting. Here's a picture of one from the googler. Does anyone know of any US retail or online sources? Of course you don't need a specific vessel, but they look sort of cool.

Someone mentioned Pier 1...I got a very cool jar there this weekend ($30), not a crock, but a green tinted glass with a good spigot.

[russ parsons]

it might be a good idea to give it a test with a limited amount of vinegar first. i had a friend who bought something similar years ago only to find that the adhesive that sealed the spigot to the jar was not impermiable to vinegar. or at least that's what he suspects since he was greeted at breakfast by a floor covered in vinegar with a popped spigot in the center.

[fifi]

Hmmm... russ makes a good point. That clear jar may be intended for serving lemonade, iced tea, or agua frescas. In that case, the sealant may not be suitable for long term exposure to acetic acid.

Is there also a reason that vinegar jars are traditionally made of pottery? I am wondering if exposure to light has anything to do with it.

[hathor]

Hmmm... russ makes a good point. That clear jar may be intended for serving lemonade, iced tea, or agua frescas. In that case, the sealant may not be suitable for long term exposure to acetic acid.

Is there also a reason that vinegar jars are traditionally made of pottery? I am wondering if exposure to light has anything to do with it.

I did examine the spigot and seemed like it could hold up to the acid..but time will tell. This is an experiment after all!
As far as light goes, I'm keeping the jar in a closed/dark pantry so I wasn't so concerned about light. But I think it would be a consideration.
I think pottery would be my first choice...but this is what I could find. After all pottery is what used for all sorts of "pickle-ing", so I bet pottery should be the jar of choice.

[FoodMan]

Ok, so I got myself a sun tea jar ($3.88) and currently the lump of jelled off white sludge I came to know as a vinegar mother is resting in there along with a bottle’s worth (make that a bottle minus one glass) of Merlot ($5 Australian Black Swan). I have the thing covered with a cheese cloth held in place with a rubber band.
This got me to thinking though, if it takes 4-6 months to have vinegar, doesn’t that mean I need to stop adding fresh wine to the batch 4-6 months from when I want to have vinegar? I mean I cannot keep adding wine to the jar all the way through October and expect to have wine by November. Right? Or am I just thinking too hard?

Thanks for everyone’s help in this very interesting thread
Elie

[FoodMan]

Ok, so I got myself a sun tea jar ($3.88) and currently the lump of jelled off white sludge I came to know as a vinegar mother is resting in there along with a bottle’s worth (make that a bottle minus one glass) of Merlot ($5 Australian Black Swan). I have the thing covered with a cheese cloth held in place with a rubber band.
This got me to thinking though, if it takes 4-6 months to have vinegar, doesn’t that mean I need to stop adding fresh wine to the batch 4-6 months from when I want to have vinegar? I mean I cannot keep adding wine to the jar all the way through October and expect to have wine by November. Right? Or am I just thinking too hard?

Thanks for everyone’s help in this very interesting thread
Elie

No answer about this so far, so I want to bring it back up to the top of the list.

Elie

[Oreganought]

When the mother has converted all the alcohol to vinegar,and that time can vary,
remove about 3/4 and bottle it for consumption.Replace with more wine.

You need not add wine at various times for the first batch.

A crock with a spigot really is ideal for long term vinegar making,and the glass
container should really be covered up not to allow any light.

[FoodMan]

When the mother has converted all the alcohol to vinegar,and that time can vary,
remove about 3/4 and bottle it for consumption.Replace with more wine.

You need not add wine at various times for the first batch.

A crock with a spigot really is ideal for long term vinegar making,and the glass
container should really be covered up not to allow any light.

Thanks for the reply. I really appreciate the tip about covering up the glass. I will make sure to do this as soon as I get home.

Elie

[russ parsons]

sorry, didn't see this earlier. but yeah, what he said. unfortunatley, it is one of those frustrating timing things, like aging wine: at first things can't go fast enough, then once it gets going, you kind of wish it would slow down.

[FoodMan]

Ok, it’s been almost 2 months now and I am not sure if the mother is dead or still active. How can I tell? It just seems to be at the bottom of the jar and does not look like it is spreading/growing.

Elie

[hathor]

I was wondering how other people were doing....
I had a most spectacular mold growth, it had height, depth, dimension, valleys, weight and substance. I decided it was a mold and not a mother. (seriously....it was impressive and the camera was nowhere to be found! )
I'm trying the pasta thing one more time.......

[FoodMan]

I was wondering how other people were doing....
I had a most spectacular mold growth, it had height, depth, dimension, valleys, weight and substance. I decided it was a mold and not a mother. (seriously....it was impressive and the camera was nowhere to be found!  )
I'm trying the pasta thing one more time.......

Keep us updated

[BeJam]

I just opened a bottle of rioja that wasn't as bright as the last bottle I'd opened. In fact I couldn't drink it anymore after the second glass. Instead of freezing it for some future cyrogenic use, I want to make vinegar with it. I've recently searched the net for recipes but have not found one that doesn't require me to purchase something.

I was told by the old guy at the wine makers shop in Detroit that all I have to do is mix equal parts wine and vinegar and, if the wine doesn't need diluting, simply wait for three weeks for the mother to grow and then I'll have vinegar for life if I keep it fed. I tried this a month ago with some big jug wine that had gone bad. It didn't turn to vinegar and stunk up the kitchen.

Anyone make there own or have a simple recipe?