Cooking with vinegar

[kayb]

I'm curious about these hot vinegars. How exactly does one go about making them? What kind of vinegar works best? What chiles would you use?

Yeah I'm such a noob.

The peppers used can vary, but I've always seen Apple Cider vinegar used for this purpose. If I'm not mistaken you can put the peppers in a jar, and pour the heated vinegar over them and let them sit. I have not personally done this, so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

Agreed with NCSU Foodie. The peppers were slim, smaller than my little finger; left whole (stems and all), and picked quite young, as they were two inches or so long. They were mostly green, although the occasional red one would crop up. We grew them in the garden, and they were always just referred to as "hot peppers," as opposed to the bell, or "sweet peppers" and the jalapenos. They were not as hot as, say, jalapenos, but had a bit of a kick to them. And yes, the cider vinegar is just heated to an almost boil and then poured over the peppers; in our case, they were usually in a cruet with a shaker top. Mama would just add more vinegar when that ran out. We later, because of my father's love of hot things, did somewhat the same thing with sliced jalapenos.

[nakji]

I have a good variety of vinegars at home, and use a few different kinds at work. I always try and keep as many different kinds around as possible - I think too many people confuse acidity levels with salinity as well, at least that i've seen. A good vinegar can really make or break a dish, so I try and invest in nice ones.

So...what kinds of vinegar are people using? I use Maille or Kuhne since that's usually all I have available. For Asian dishes, I use Mizkan rice vinegar; unless I'm finishing a dish or making a dipping sauce, when I use a fine Chinkiang.

[Dakki]

kayb: could those be "sport peppers"? I remember seeing those in thin-necked bottles, which would make perfect sense if you're supposed to consume the liquid rather than the peppers. Would the technique work with something hotter like habaneros if I wanted something with a stronger kick?

nakji, I'm ashamed to admit my favorite vinegar is really cheap stuff, the Ciervo brand of apple cider vinegar. It just tastes *right* to me. I have some bottles of premium white and red wine vinegars and balsamic gathering dust on the shelf if that helps my image any.

[MaxH]

...cider vinegar is just heated to an almost boil and then poured over the peppers ... We later, because of my father's love of hot things, did somewhat the same thing with sliced jalapenos.

Thank you for posting all about this, kayb. I had never heard of it before, yet it sounds like a glorious condiment. (Thai restaurants, numerous here, also offer a condiment of colorful chopped hot peppers in a sort of sweetened vinegar -- but I never thought of doing it at home until reading here.)

I now know exactly what to do with a bunch of good ripe Jalapeños left over from transforming some lean pork into superb Chili Verde. (Side comment: that's my nominee, after 40 years avid stewmaking -- I just counted 10 types currently in the freezer -- for the easiest meat stew to make very well.)

[Dakki]

I forgot to ask if the vinegar needs to sit after being poured in with the peppers! Also, would you add something else (salt, a bay leaf, whatever) in the bottle.

[djyee100]

I use vinegar as a last line of defense to reduce too much acidity in a tomato sauce. I'm talking about the screeching acidity you can get in a tomato sauce made from very acidic canned tomatoes.

How long are you cooking the tomatoes for? After more prolonged cooking they tend to flip from acidic to sweet.

Not long. This was a quickie marinara sauce that was supposed to cook for 20 mins. The recipe did say to add sugar to reduce acidity, but even that didn't do the trick. I shelved the recipe after cooking it a few times. Thanks for the info.

[kayb]

I forgot to ask if the vinegar needs to sit after being poured in with the peppers! Also, would you add something else (salt, a bay leaf, whatever) in the bottle.

As best I recall, Mama would do this in the morning and it would be usable by that evening. She'd leave it room temp for the day, and then put it in the fridge from that point on, although that's probably not necessary.

I do not recall any other condiments; if there were, they'd be nothing other than salt and ground pepper. I see no reason why you couldn't add other herbs/spices to your personal taste.

Truth be told, I never used it much, because it was mostly used on greens, and I did not then, and do not now, eat cooked greens. Not certain how I managed to grow up poor in the rural South and not eat greens, but I managed.

[qrn]

Hopefully not to far off topic....

My Red wine vinegar is courtesy of a very old 5 gallon wooden barrel (probably 60 yrs old)that my grandfather used to put a portion of the red that he made in his basement, Probably starting during Prohibition. I buy a box of red wine and let it sit out in a big bowl for a couple days and then off to the barrel in the garage in the heat of the summer, till its ready, then off to glass bottles ,for up to a year for age. dont have to fool with "mothers" since the wood of the barrel has the right stuff already in it...

Bud

[MaxH]

I tried kayb's method, hot vinegar into a preheated jar with sliced Jalapeño peppers (partly seeded and pithed, to control the heat). The result is rich with complex pepper flavors, not just heat -- great stuff! Now (like a little kid with a hammer) I look for things to use it on.

(Having only white and balsamic vinegars handy, I looked for cider vinegar at two markets -- both out of stock. Rather than pursue that detail I used white vinegar. The peppers don't seem to mind.)

[Dakki]

Thanks guys! I'm going to try this out right now (with the bay leaf added) and let you know how it comes out.

[MaxH]

A fringe benefit is you also get a supply of custom-made pickled peppers (well established as useful in sandwiches, quesedillas, and so on).

Mine look just like sliced preserved Jalapeños I've bought in jars for these purposes.

[Dakki]

I pickle jalapenos regularly but my recipe (shamelessly stolen from the PROFECO website) specifies half vinegar, half water by volume, onion, carrot, salt, sugar and spices. The resulting liquid isn't something you'd want to use as a condiment I guess.

[Kouign Aman]

I've learned to undersalt if I plan to add acidity late, then do the final salt adjustment as the absolute last thing. The acid just seems to make it all seem saltier.

I will have to try a slosh of vinegar in the next stew I make.

[NCSU Foodie]

I tried kayb's method, hot vinegar into a preheated jar with sliced Jalapeño peppers (partly seeded and pithed, to control the heat). The result is rich with complex pepper flavors, not just heat -- great stuff! Now (like a little kid with a hammer) I look for things to use it on.

(Having only white and balsamic vinegars handy, I looked for cider vinegar at two markets -- both out of stock. Rather than pursue that detail I used white vinegar. The peppers don't seem to mind.)

Wow, it's awesome to see something that is taken so often for granted down here appreciated so much in other places.

[kayb]

MaxH, glad it worked for you! The cider vinegar would have added another layer of flavor; any vinegar will work. We used white for some pickles (Old South lime pickles, and some others that escape me), but cider vinegar for most.

[AAQuesada]

This topic reminds me of one of my favorite cookbooks, Gray Kunz 'Elements of Taste'. He really goes over the process of tasting food for the layering of flavors and textures and the effects of salt, sugar, vinegar, wine ect...

He really affected how I look at creating dishes and more importantly tasting critically.