How can I use up massive amounts of wine vinegar?
I cleaned out my moms cupboards for her and found she has been accidentally hoarding gallons of vinegar, particularly red wine vinegar and balsamic. She has enough to last her natural life for salad dressing. Any suggestions on how to use some of this?
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There are also several uses in house cleaning (e.g., mix with baking soda for a non-corrosive drain cleaner) and personal care (e.g. as a rinse after shampooing), especially for white and cider vinegars. Web search will turn up many ideas. As always, be sceptical and careful...example, some advise using it in machine washing clothes, others say it corrodes soft (rubber or synthetic) fittings of the machine.
Save several gallons for the summer time and use it for pickling other things. Any recipe that calls for "white vinegar" (bleahhhh. I agree with Kevin West that white vinegar should be kept in the cupboard with household cleaning supplies and used for no other purpose) and in many cases, cider vinegar, will be better when made with wine vinegar. Confirm the acidity level on the label (must be at least 4.6 for safe pickling or other canning), remembering that a lower number => greater acidity. Good discussion with accurate details on this topic here: https://food52.com/hotline/16762-pickled-shallots ;o)
http://www.christopherranch.com/archives/6371
Something fun to make with balsamic is a balsamic glaze. I don't know where the recipe that I used came from, but it's brown sugar and balsamic reduced on the stove until it thickens to a glaze to your liking. Delicious on meats.