Balsamic Vinegar

In article <[email hidden]>,

Knox Graham said:

Hello,

My neighbor gave me a bottle of this, but I'm not sure what to do with it.

Is it used like standard vinegar or does it have a special purpose?

Thanks

Knox G.

Ooh, I google this one if I were you. :-)

Excellent for salad dressings, or lightly sprinkled over fresh steamed veggies. Also excellent for
fish dishes!

It's not "just vinegar".......

K.

--

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Knox Graham said:

My neighbor gave me a bottle of this, but I'm not sure what to do with it.

Is it used like standard vinegar or does it have a special purpose?

That depends on how you use standard vinegar. I sometimes clean with the standard white stuff
because it can freshen up a stale smelling room. I don't recommend Balsamic for that.

Balsamic tends to be more acidic than other vinegars. (I write "tends to" because I can't be exact.
There's huge variety in other vinegars.) For that reason, salad dressing recipes can use less
vinegar and proportionately more oil.

Balsamic has a particular taste. I love it. (I'm drawn to strong acidic flavors anyway.) Taste it
and see what you think.

A sprinkle of Balsamic on strawberries can be good. Use it to deglaze the pan when browning chicken
or meats. I like Balsamic for marinated mushrooms and other marinated vegetables.

--Lia

In rec.food.cooking said:

Hello,

Quoted message said:

My neighbor gave me a bottle of this, but I'm not sure what to do with it.

Quoted message said:

Is it used like standard vinegar or does it have a special purpose?

Depending on the quality...

It can be extrmely savory, and if so, use it sparingly in recipes. A drop or two will flavor things
greatly. OTOH, if it is supermarket quality, use it on salads. If it is somewhere in the middle, you
can use it for stuff like a tomato and mozzarella and basil salad. Drizzle it on sparingly, with
some good olive oil.

Your best bet is to taste it and make up your own mind. Put abut 1/4 teaspoon in your mouth. If you
enter an altered state of consciousess, it is the good stuff. If it came in a tiny bottle with an
eyedropper, you can assume that it is the good stuf.

--
...I'm an air-conditioned gypsy...

- The Who

"Knox Graham" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hello,

My neighbor gave me a bottle of this, but I'm not sure what to do with it.

Is it used like standard vinegar or does it have a special purpose?

Thanks

Knox G.

If it's really good vinegar, take some good EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) and pour it on a salad
plate. Then take your balsamic vinegar and pour it into the center of the olive oil. Grab a really
hearty, crusty sourdough, or Italian bread and sop up the mixture. Oooooh, it's so good!

(You can also add a dusting of italian seasonings or parmesan into the mix....)

Kilikini

Katra said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Knox Graham said:

Hello,

My neighbor gave me a bottle of this, but I'm not sure what to do with it.

Is it used like standard vinegar or does it have a special purpose?

Thanks

Knox G.

Ooh, I google this one if I were you. :-)

Excellent for salad dressings, or lightly sprinkled over fresh steamed veggies. Also excellent for
fish dishes!

It's not "just vinegar".......

K.

That's rather difficult to answer without knowing more about the vinegar. How old is it, what kind,
etc? All Balsamics are *not* true balsamics and some may even be "imitation" balsamic. These are
basically wine vinegar with added sugar and artificial flavors and colors.

Due to the original packaging distinctions between the various grades the Consortium in Italy
strongly felt that there was a need for standardization and controls over non-traditional Balsamic
vinegar. A new grading system was developed based on the following ten parameters: Color intensity,
viscosity, olfactive intensity, cooked must smell, fruitiness, sweetness, pungency, body, global
positive smell, and global negative smell. With that, four different categories have been
established:
1) One leaf (basic quality, lowest price)
2) Two leaves
3) Three leaves
4) Four leaves (highest quality, highest price)

If it's truely Balsamic, you should see one of the above desinations on the bottle. If not then it's
supermarket grade and can be used generally as other vinegars.

--
Steve

Men are from Earth. Women are from Earth. Deal with it.

In rec.food.cooking said:

If it's really good vinegar, take some good EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) and pour it on a salad
plate. Then take your balsamic vinegar and pour it into the center of the olive oil. Grab a really
hearty, crusty sourdough, or Italian bread and sop up the mixture. Oooooh, it's so good!

Quoted message said:

(You can also add a dusting of italian seasonings or parmesan into the mix....)

Just thinking about that is making my head swim with endorphins...

Good balsamic is more like a drug than a food.

--
...I'm an air-conditioned gypsy...

- The Who

Steve Calvin said:

If it's truely Balsamic, you should see one of the above desinations on the bottle. If not then
it's supermarket grade and can be used generally as other vinegars.

I agree. The cheap stuff I use on salads, but the expensive stuff (25 bucks a bottle), so mild and
lightly sweet and thick, can be drizzled on all kinds of things like fruit, pilafs, etc. Post the
brand info. Or taste. If it tastes like plain of vinegar, try mixing it with one part olive oil, one
part BV one part icecubes and shake until emulsified, then stir in as much dijon mustard (no subs)
as you care to and serve over salad. For more nutrition, beat it into avocado, rather than oil, and
use as a dip. If you taste it and it seems like nothing you've ever imagined, try a bit on steamed
veggie, on strawberries, or, as I do when I have a hectic party I'd rather not be at, let alone
hosting: sneak a scant teaspoon for yourself, straight up. blacksalt

kalanamak said:

Steve Calvin said:

If it's truely Balsamic, you should see one of the above desinations on the bottle. If not then
it's supermarket grade and can be used generally as other vinegars.

I agree. The cheap stuff I use on salads, but the expensive stuff (25 bucks a bottle), so mild and
lightly sweet and thick, can be drizzled on all kinds of things like fruit, pilafs, etc. Post the
brand info. Or taste. If it tastes like plain of vinegar, try mixing it with one part olive oil,
one part BV one part icecubes and shake until emulsified, then stir in as much dijon mustard (no
subs) as you care to and serve over salad. For more nutrition, beat it into avocado, rather than
oil, and use as a dip. If you taste it and it seems like nothing you've ever imagined, try a bit
on steamed veggie, on strawberries, or, as I do when I have a hectic party I'd rather not be at,
let alone hosting: sneak a scant teaspoon for yourself, straight up. blacksalt

Wanna try something that sounds even wierder but is fabulous? Get some GOOD balsamic and drizzle it
over some good vanilla ice cream. OH MAN....

--
Steve

Men are from Earth. Women are from Earth. Deal with it.

The way we used it last night:

Slice plum tomatoes and marinate in balsamic vinegar and fresh basil leaves for about 3 hours. Place
one slice of tomato on a baguette slice; top with fresh mozarella.

For another quick and easy: A couple of times a week, I throw some cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and
red onions in a bowl, pour in some Balsamic vinegar and let sit in the fridge until lunch. Just
before eating, I toss on some reduced fat feta. Excellent low fat salad!

Sheila

In rec.food.cooking said:

The way we used it last night:

Quoted message said:

Slice plum tomatoes and marinate in balsamic vinegar and fresh basil leaves for about 3 hours.
Place one slice of tomato on a baguette slice; top with fresh mozarella.

Sounds yummy to me!

--
...I'm an air-conditioned gypsy...

- The Who

"Knox Graham" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Hello,

My neighbor gave me a bottle of this, but I'm not sure what to do with it.

Is it used like standard vinegar or does it have a special purpose?

One of my favorite ways to use it is on fresh strawberries or nectarines. It's also great in pasta
salad, green salad, poultry, fish, mushrooms, artichokes, tomatoes...the list goes on and on.

--Erica

(snip)

Quoted message said:

Wanna try something that sounds even wierder but is fabulous? Get some GOOD balsamic and drizzle
it over some good vanilla ice cream. OH MAN....

--
Steve

Men are from Earth. Women are from Earth. Deal with it.

Really????????? I think I'll have to take your word for that one. How in the heck did you
discover that?

Kili

kilikini said:

(snip)

Quoted message said:

Wanna try something that sounds even wierder but is fabulous? Get some GOOD balsamic and drizzle
it over some good vanilla ice cream. OH MAN....

--
Steve

Men are from Earth. Women are from Earth. Deal with it.

Really????????? I think I'll have to take your word for that one. How in the heck did you
discover that?

Kili

Honestly. If you have a GOOD and I *stress* GOOD bottle of balsamic, one of the little guys that
sells for big bucks. It's really amazingly good. I know it sounds wierd but if you ever get the
chance, don't pass it up!

--
Steve

Men are from Earth. Women are from Earth. Deal with it.

"Knox Graham" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hello,

My neighbor gave me a bottle of this, but I'm not sure what to do with it.

Is it used like standard vinegar or does it have a special purpose?

Thanks

Knox G.

If it's a real Balsamic it's good stuff. A little bit is very yummy on fresh ripe strawberries with
a bit of fresh ground pepper. I alos love it in a marinade for grilled steaks it carmelizes on the
outside of the meat and imparts a spendid flavor.

Jessica

I saw a lot of postings, from "very acidic" to "cleaning product" to "drizzle over icecream".. Like
a red wine, balsamic has many varieties (and in turn qualities) oh, and $25 is a very middle of the
road variety.. like wines.. A decent one can be reduced (cooked down) or used as a base for many red
wine sauces.. The quality ones do not really deserve to be called a vinegar, but they are by
definition.... For those that just use them with olive oil as a dressing, the secret is to actually
find the blend of the best extra virgin olive oil and the best balsamic... That will take a few
years!!! Good luck.. Murray

Knox Graham said:

Hello,

My neighbor gave me a bottle of this, but I'm not sure what to do with it.

Is it used like standard vinegar or does it have a special purpose?

Thanks

Knox G.

kilikini said:

(snip)

Quoted message said:

Wanna try something that sounds even wierder but is fabulous? Get some GOOD balsamic and drizzle
it over some good vanilla ice cream. OH MAN....

--
Steve

Men are from Earth. Women are from Earth. Deal with it.

Really????????? I think I'll have to take your word for that one. How in the heck did you
discover that?

Kili

If the good balsamic works over sweet stuff like strawberries and so on, why do you suppose it would
not work with ice cream? Sounds like people who are incredulous when someone says put salt on
watermelon.

jim

JimLane wrote:

<snip>

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

If the good balsamic works over sweet stuff like strawberries and so on, why do you suppose it
would not work with ice cream? Sounds like people who are incredulous when someone says put salt
on watermelon.

jim

Isn't that the only way to eat watermelon? ;-)

--
Steve

Men are from Earth. Women are from Earth. Deal with it.

Served this recipe, culled from RFC some years back, at a Christmas Day potluck, to rave
reviews --- Pam

MARINATED PEPPERS (Douglas - RFC 12/22/97)

3 sweet red peppers

1/2 cup olive oil

2/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 cloves garlic, chopped

Roast peppers under broiler or in gas flame until they are charred all over. Cool slightly. Place
charred peppers in paper bag and seal. Let stand few minutes so steam will loosen skins. Peel
peppers and slice thinly.

Combine olive oil, vinegar, garlic, and peppers in a small bowl. Marinate at least 1 hour. You can
try substituting raw peppers. Thinly slice them and marinate 2 to 3 hours before using.

Drain peppers before serving. Excess marinade can be used for salad dressing.

"Knox Graham" wrote

Quoted message said:

Hello,

My neighbor gave me a bottle of this, but I'm not sure what to do with it.

Is it used like standard vinegar or does it have a special purpose?

Thanks

Knox G.

(WhansaMi) said:

Slice plum tomatoes and marinate in balsamic vinegar and fresh basil leaves for about 3 hours.
Place one slice of tomato on a baguette slice; top with fresh mozarella.

For another quick and easy: A couple of times a week, I throw some cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and
red onions in a bowl, pour in some Balsamic vinegar and let sit in the fridge until lunch. Just
before eating, I toss on some reduced fat feta. Excellent low fat salad!

try a few drops on a piece of parmesan cheese...

best,

Jiminy