I Swear This Cheap Ingredient Makes All My Recipes 100% Better
If I were challenged to make a whole menu with only one type of vinegar, I’m choosing white balsamic every time. The balance of zing and sweetness hits you right in the throat and resonates with everything I want in a vinegar. I keep a bottle on hand and have influenced friends to do so. I’m going to convince to you, too! As much as I adore a true Italian aceto balsamico from Emilia Romagna, white balsamic is a more versatile, modest, and inexpensive vinegar.
White balsamic vinegar isn’t even technically balsamic vinegar. It’s easy to be fooled with the word “balsamic” right there in the name. Unlike the rich, caramel-colored balsamic of the Emilia Romagna region, white balsamic has its own tangy thing going on.
White balsamic is made only with grape must (basically unfiltered grape juice) and white wine vinegar. But it doesn’t get processed the same way as “real” balsamic does, and it retains its lighter color. Real balsamic vinegar is made from grape must—sangiovese, trebbiano, and lambrusco grapes, to name a few—then cooked and aged into a concentrated liquid, according to Aceto Balsamico di Modena Consortium. In the same way Parmigiano Reggiano is controlled by a governing body, balsamic vinegar must be crafted, aged over a decade, and packaged within specific parameters of Modena or Reggio Emilia to be considered the real thing.
While white balsamic may not technically be a "real" balsamic vinegar, it’s just as wonderful in my opinion. Here are a few of my favorite ways to use it.
It Makes Every Salad Better
The most obvious and easiest way to use white balsamic is in a salad dressing. I love when my dressings lean on the sweeter side; there’s nothing worse than getting puckered lips from a bite that’s too astringent. If I can use a product like white balsamic, I don’t need to reach for the honey or another sweetener. Mix it with extra virgin olive oil and mustard or tahini. It really makes a difference.
Your Sauces Will Shine
Just like halibut yearns for a lemony gremolata, a hearty taco could benefit from sauce that’s lightly sweet, sour, and herbaceous. When I developed Frico Egg Smash Tacos, I wanted the sauce to be bright, salty, pungent, and subtly sweet. Adding white balsamic with chopped cilantro, scallions, and cojita makes this dish pop. Balancing white balsamic with other savory notes ended up being a great decision.
The Best Marinades Of Your Life
When you need to kick your beef, chicken, or fish into gear, start with an acidic marinade made using white balsamic vinegar. While citrus is refreshing, a white vinegar with a little sweetness imparts a double acting flavor. You may not even need additional ingredients like sugar or honey.
Deglaze Your Veggies
Sautéing bell peppers and onions? If you’re looking for an adventurous way to make peppers and onions a little different, use white balsamic. After the veggies have reached the caramelization stage, add a splash of vinegar to the pan the same way you would white wine. It will give those sweet and sour agrodolce vibes.
Top Your Desserts and Fruit
Why the heck not. One of my favorite vinegar brands, Caradini, suggests adding their sweet white balsamic to fruit and ice cream. I’ve also made dressing with it that’s used in my viral Blueberry Peach Feta Salad. If aceto balsamico goes great with cheese and strawberries, then white balsamic can too.
Just Drink It—Hear Me Out
Have you ever had a vinegar-based shrub drink? White balsamic is perfect for them. It can also be the star of a tangy mocktail. Just a little bit in a drink gives you a spicy zing and imparts that sweet flavor.
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