March 17, 2015 - Radio Kitchen - DIY Vinegar
As a wine lover who has a nice cellar, I'm always dreading the time when I open an old bottle and it has, as they say, "turned" to vinegar. Fortunately, that's a very rare occurrence. But there are times when we will deliberately try to make our own vinegar.
Jerry has a nice approach. Any time he has some leftover wine in the bottom of the bottle, he pours it into a big jar that is designated for vinegar making. He prefers to separate reds and whites, and he will add a little "Mother of Vinegar" (easily available online) to get the fermentation started.
As he discovered, the wine to vinegar process doesn't work overnight. It is a very long slow haul, but it does work. Fortunately it doesn't require the least effort after you pour the wine into the jar. Just let it sit.
The resulting vinegar is actually quite nice. Jerry noticed that it has a less aggressive acidity than store-bought kinds. This makes it a very good candidate for salad dressings and sauces where you want vinegar flavor and a touch of acidity, but not the mouth-searing tartness that some vinegars hit you with.
