Ingredient

Vinegar

When a dish tastes flat and more salt is not fixing it, the answer is nearly always acid. Vinegar is the cheapest and most direct way to add it, and the difference between the right vinegar and the wrong one is larger than most people expect.

What acid does to a dish

Acidity does for richness what salt does for blandness. It cuts through fat, sharpens the outline of other flavours, and stops a rich dish feeling heavy on the third mouthful. It also makes food taste fresher, which is why a braise that has been on for four hours often comes alive with a splash of vinegar at the end.

The test is simple. Taste; if the dish seems dull, add a very small amount of acid — a quarter-teaspoon into a pan — and taste again. If it brightens, that was the problem. If it now tastes sour, you have gone past it, and a pinch of sugar or a knob of butter will pull it back.

The vinegars, and what they suit

White wine

Clean and sharp. The default for dressings, sauces and anything where you do not want the vinegar to be noticed as itself.

Red wine

Deeper and more tannic. Robust salads, beef, lentils, and pickling onions.

Cider

Fruity and softer. Pork, apples, cabbage, slaws, and the usual choice in Northern European cooking.

Sherry

Nutty and complex. Expensive per bottle and used in tiny amounts. Superb in dressings and gazpacho.

Rice

Mild, slightly sweet, low acidity. Essential in Japanese and Chinese cooking, and gentle enough to use generously. Check whether it is seasoned — many are, with salt and sugar.

Balsamic

Sweet and syrupy. Traditional aged balsamic is a condiment used by the drop; supermarket balsamic is wine vinegar with grape must and often caramel, and behaves like a sweet red wine vinegar.

Malt

Assertive and brewery-ish. Chips, and pickling.

Distilled white

Aggressive and one-dimensional. For pickling and for cleaning, rarely for eating on its own terms.

How to use it

• Add it at the end. Much of what makes vinegar bright is volatile and boils away, so vinegar simmered for an hour leaves sourness without freshness.
• Except when you want it to mellow — in a braise, a stew or a bean pot, an early splash softens into background depth.
• Deglaze with it. A tablespoon into a hot pan after searing lifts the fond and gives you the start of a sauce.
• Start with less than you think. Vinegars vary from about 4% to 8% acidity, so the same spoonful is not the same amount of acid between bottles.
• Lemon is not a straight swap. Citrus brings its own aromatics and a different acid; it is often better, but it is a different flavour.

Vinegar and other ingredients

Acid firms up some things and softens others, and knowing which saves several common disappointments. It sets protein, which is why a splash in poaching water helps an egg white hold together. It keeps green vegetables from turning grey slowly but also turns them olive quickly, so dress green beans and broccoli at the last moment rather than in advance. It stops cut fruit and vegetables browning, because the enzyme responsible works poorly in acid. And it prevents beans and pulses from softening, so it goes into a bean pot after they are tender, not before.

Common questions