VINEGAR OR SOUR GRAPESVinegar a penny pinchers delight. Inexpensive, readily available, as it’s in almost every kitchen and has so many uses. 67 and counting. I’m sure there is more, want to add to the list, contact Grandma through our Contact page. It is intriguing to think that in today’s computerized, sophisticated world, we’re still using one product that was discovered - quite by chance - more than 10,000 years ago. The French said it: vin aigre - meaning sour wine. That is its origin, the discovery that a cask of wine gone past its time had turned to a wonderful new product. Through the centuries vinegar has been produced from many other materials, including molasses, dates, sorghum, fruits, berries, melons, coconut, honey, beer, maple syrup, potatoes, beets, malt, grains and whey. But the principle remains unchanged - fermentation of natural sugars to alcohol and then secondary fermentation to vinegar. Throughout history, vinegar has proved to be the most versatile of products. The dictionary defines versatile as "capable of turning with ease from one thing to another," and from more than 10,000 years ago, to today, consumers continue to use vinegar in a variety of ways.
1. Add a spoonful of vinegar to cooking water to make cauliflower white and clean. 2. Make your catsup and other condiments last long by adding vinegar. 3. When boiling eggs, add some vinegar to the water to prevent white from leaking out of a cracked egg. 4. When poaching eggs, add a teaspoon of vinegar to the water to prevent separation. 5. Canned fish and shrimp: to give it a freshly caught taste, soak in a mixture of sherry and 2 tablespoons of vinegar. 6. Add a spoonful of vinegar when cooking fruit to improve the flavor. __________________________________________________ 7. Soak fish in vinegar and water before cooking for a tender, sweeter taste. 8. Add vinegar to boiling ham to improve flavor and cut salty taste. 9. Improve the flavor of desserts by adding a touch of vinegar. 10. Add vinegar to your deep fryer to eliminate a greasy taste. 11. Add a tablespoon of vinegar to fruit gelatin to hold it firm. 12. Use vinegar instead of lemon on fried and broiled foods. __________________________________________________ 13. Rub vinegar on the cut end of uncooked ham to prevent mold. 14. Avoid cabbage odor by adding vinegar to the cooking water. 15. For fluffy meringue: beat 3 egg whites with a teaspoon of vinegar. 16. Pie crust: add 1 tablespoon vinegar to your pastry recipe for an exceptional crust. 17. Prevent discoloration of peeled potatoes by adding a few drops of vinegar to water. They will keep fresh for days in fridge. 18. Preserve peppers: put freshly picked peppers in a sterilized jar and finish filling with boiling vinegar. __________________________________________________ 19. Olives and pimentos will keep indefinitely if covered with vinegar and refrigerated. 20. Add 1 tsp. vinegar to cooking water for fluffier rice. 21. For a shiny crust on homemade bread and rolls: just before they have finished baking, take them out, brush crusts with vinegar, return to oven to finish baking. 22. Homemade sour cream: blend together 1 cup cottage cheese, 1/4 cup skim milk and 1 tsp. vinegar. 23. Prevent sugaring by mixing a drop of vinegar in the cake icing. 24. When boiling meat, add a spoonful of vinegar to the water to make it tenderer. __________________________________________________ 25. Marinate tough meat in vinegar overnight to tenderize. 26. Storing cheese: keep it fresh longer by wrapping it in a vinegar-soaked cloth and keeping it in a sealed container. 27. Arthritis tonic and treatment; 2 spoonfuls of apple cider vinegar and honey in a glass of water several times daily. 28. Thirst-quenching drink: apple cider vinegar mixed with cold water. 29. Sagging cane chairs: sponge them with a hot solution of half vinegar and half water. Place the chairs out in the hot sun to dry. 30. Skin burns: apply ice cold vinegar right away for fast relief. Will prevent burn blisters. __________________________________________________ 31. Remove stains from stainless steel and chrome with a vinegar-dampened cloth. 32. Rinse glasses and dishes in water and vinegar to remove spots and film. 33. Prevent grease build-up in your oven by frequently wiping it with vinegar. 34. Wipe jars of preserves and canned food with vinegar to prevent mold-producing bacteria. 35. To eliminate mildew, dust and odors, wipe down walls with vinegar-soaked cloth. 36. Clean windows with vinegar and water.
__________________________________________________ 37. Hardened paint brushes: simmer in boiling vinegar and wash in hot soapy water. 38. Clean breadbox and food containers with vinegar-dampened cloth to keep fresh-smelling and clean. 39. Pour boiling vinegar down drains to unclog and clean them. 40. Clean fireplace bricks with undiluted vinegar. 41. An excellent all-purpose cleaner: vinegar mixed with salt. Cleans copper, bronze, brass, dishes, pots, pans, skillets, glasses, windows. Rinse well. 42. Cleans out the starch rainbows in the bottom of stainless steel pots. Put a little into the bottom of the pot swirl around let stand for a few minutes, rinse and dry. __________________________________________________ 43. To clear up respiratory congestion, inhale a vapor mist from steaming pot containing water and several spoonfuls of vinegar. 44. Apple cider vinegar and honey as a cure-all: use to prevent apathy, obesity, hay fever, asthma, rashes, food poisoning, heartburn, sore throat, bad eyesight, dandruff, brittle nails and bad breath. 45. Weight loss: vinegar helps prevent fat from accumulating in the body. 46. Steep your favorite herb in vinegar until you have a pleasing taste and aroma. 47. To remove lime coating on your tea kettle; add vinegar to the water and let stand overnight. 48. To make a good liniment: beat 1 whole egg, add 1 cup vinegar and 1 cup turpentine. Blend. __________________________________________________ 49. Apply vinegar to chapped, cracked skin for quick healing. 50. Vinegar promotes skin health: rub on tired, sore or swollen areas. 51. Reduce mineral deposits in pipes, radiators, kettles and tanks by adding vinegar into the system. 52. Clean jars with vinegar and water to remove odor. 53. Skunk odor: remove from pets by rubbing fur with vinegar. 54. Paint adheres better to galvanized metal that has been wiped with vinegar. __________________________________________________ 55. Pets' drinking water: add vinegar to eliminate odor and encourage shiny fur. 56. Half a teaspoon per quart of patching plaster allows you more time to work the plaster before it hardens. 57. Poultry water: add vinegar to increase egg production and to produce tender meat. 58. Add vinegar to laundry rinse water: removes all soap and prevents yellowing. 59. Douche: 2 to 4 ounces of vinegar in 2 quarts of warm water. 60. After shampoo hair rinse: 1 ounce apple cider vinegar in 1 quart of distilled water. __________________________________________________ 61. Boil vinegar and water in pots to remove stains. 62. Remove berry stains from hands with vinegar. 63. Cold vinegar relieves sunburn. 64. A strength tonic: combine raw eggs, vinegar and black pepper. Blend well. 65. Run white vinegar through your coffee maker to remove stains and residue to get a better cup of coffee. 66. To deodorize a room, pour out a 1/2 cup of white vinegar into a bowl and it will neutralize odors in a room for about a month. 67. Vinegar rinse: Use vinegar as a rinse in your washing machine to cut down on the fabric softener additives to the environment. Vinegar in the rinse water helps balance the pH after having had bleach in the wash cycle. Use a full cup for whites and about a ½ cup for colors. UPDATED 2/17/2007 Leave Vinegar and Return to Kitchen Pinchin
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