I remember watching a TV show about women who went around the country cleaning other peoples houses and tut-tutting at all the dirt and grime that they found. Now I'd never let them into my house, not because it's particularly untidy or dirty but I'm sure that they'd find something to complain abut.
One thing that struck me however was how they used vinegar in a number of ways to help clean the house whether it be cleaning, stain removal or in doing the laundry yet most of us think about vinegar when it comes to cooking.
I'm not going to go on about the cleaning side of things but I am going to look at how we use it in the kitchen and I bet there's a number of tips and techniques that you can use below that will make vinegar an essential ingredient to have on the shelf at all times.
One apology before we start and that is that I am a barbecue enthusiast so I'm using vinegar all the time in my homemade barbecue sauces so if the tips and techniques below have a little slant towards outdoor cooking and the sorts of things that we use and eat whilst outdoor cooking then sorry
When cooking fish, soak the fish in a vinegar and water mix before putting it on the grill. The end results will be more sweet and the fish is less likely to lose its shape and break up during the cooking process.
Use vinegar to help get the last remnants out of your mayonnaise jar. When you get to the bottom of the jar and have been scraping away and getting nothing on the end of your spoon, add a few drops of vinegar. Put the top back on and give it a shake.
I often find that when I'm cooking on the barbecue I make stuff in advance such as salads and when doing it, some foods will discolor such as potato and avocado. Just a splash of vinegar and the problem is solved.
Likewise, making a rice salad can be a bit of a trauma especially if the rice starts sticking together and forming lumps. Add a teaspoon of white vinegar to your boiling water when cooking the rice and everything finishes up that bit fluffier.
Vinegar is a good meat tenderizer and this is why you'll find it in lot of grilled marinades. A classic one to start you off is a mix of vinegar and oil. Just rub it onto your favorite steaks a couple of hours before you hit the grill and enjoy a beautifully tender result.
I can't finish without mentioning the flavor enhancing properties of vinegar. We all know that it is one of the significant ingredients in any barbecue sauce but even any other sauce or gravy will taste all the better for a teaspoon of vinegar being added.
One last use for vinegar when grilling, and probably one of the most important elements is the cleaning properties. Now I know I said I wouldn't mention it at the start but come to think about it, when you've had a great cookout there's nothing worse than spending a lot of time and effort cleaning the cooking grates. Soak the grids in a vinegar solution or just apply vinegar to the grids with a cloth. Note that using a vinegar soaked cloth is also a great way to remove stains from your stainless steel grill.
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