How can I tell if a balsamic vinegar is good?
I bought a bottle of balsamic vinegar, and it smells so sour when I put my nose over the bottle.
Is it supposed to be like that?
Best Answer
Well, it IS vinegar. However as you probably already know, higher quality balsamic vinegar is less sour and more rich tasting than its cheaper counterpart. It's unlikely that your balsamic is spoiled--in most ways vinegar is as spoiled as it's going to get.
More likely is that you've uncovered one of the issues with balsamic vinegar: Most of what you can get in a supermarket is of low quality, and is not produced in the traditional way (years of curing and evaporation in wooden casks). What you can get is more likely to be much more mundane wine vinegar with flavorings. And that is often more acidic-tasting and pungent than the real thing (which costs an arm and a leg).
I'd say sample it carefully and see if it's as sour as it smells. It might be OK, or you might want to find a new brand or get it at a store that goes through it faster (check the best by date, if there is one).
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Quick Answer about "How can I tell if a balsamic vinegar is good?"
Good quality balsamic vinegar will have its ingredients listed as “Grape must, tradizionale'. This means that it has been aged for at least 12 years, and the vinegar will thick and sweet. Cheaper vinegar will be combined with a wine vinegar, caramel, flavourings and other ingredients.How can you tell when balsamic vinegar is spoiled?
How Can I Tell When Balsamic Vinegar Goes Bad?Why does my balsamic vinegar have chunks in it?
If there's a gross gel-like blob floating in your vinegar bottle, that blob is called the mother of vinegar. It's a form of cellulose and it's completely harmless. If it grosses you out, you can strain it using coffee filters. If not, you can leave it be, or even eat it.Can I use expired balsamic vinegar?
As I already mentioned, commercially prepared balsamic vinegar deteriorates in quality slowly with time. That means that after several years it won't taste the way it used to. If that happens, the vinegar is still safe for consumption, but you might discard it for quality purposes.How long is balsamic vinegar good for once opened?
Assuming you use and cap your bottle regularly, one can expect the Balsamic Vinegar to last for 12-18 months after opening. Towards the tail end of that range, you may begin to notice the flavor is more subtle.WHAT IS BALSAMIC VINEGAR? / Everything you need to know about Balsamic Vinegar
More answers regarding how can I tell if a balsamic vinegar is good?
Answer 2
I have found what improves a cheaper balsamic vinegar is to remove the top, rubber-band some cheesecloth on the top, and put it in the back of your pantry for a year or so.
Answer 3
There's a good chance your vinegar went bad, though vinegar of all qualities can usually be used while cooking. Expensive vinegars can be used straight, such as with cheeses, as a sauce over pasta, or glazed on fruit.
Lower quality vinegars are better for cooking (Put balsamic in towards the end of the cooking/heating cycle, as the flavor will dissolve when heated too much!) and mixing in foods.
How do you know when a balsamic is good quality? Yes, there are stamps of approval from balsamic boards in Italy, and high-quality balsamic vinegar should only come from a few of these regions. When you pay more for a good balsamic (price is a good indicator), you'll often get a wax seal, a sweeter flavor from aging, and a much more viscous vinegar. The older, more expensive, and more aged it is, the more like honey it will look when you pour it out of the bottle. Runnier, looser balsamics are diluted with water and will often taste more tangy (as does yours--though again, there's a good chance it went bad). Try Dodi brand or balsamics from the Emilio region, especially those that come with certificates.
Great balsamics are aged, thick, sweet, and sticky, so although yours is probably fine for cooking, I'd invest in a higher-quality vinegar for special occasions.
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