What is your favorite Balsamic Vinegar?

I am making Peter's Amagansett Corn Salad as a birthday treat for a friend who loves corn. Recommendations on the brand of Balsamic Vinegar to use?

SKK
  • Posted by: SKK
  • September 28, 2011
  • 10539 views
  • 8 Comments
Amagansett Corn Salad
Recipe question for: Amagansett Corn Salad

8 Comments

daw November 3, 2011
You can try over 20 different types of naturally flavored balsamic vinegars, as well as traditional for about $16 for a 375 ml bottle. Nice selection of the freshest olive oils from around the world too as well as other gourmet food items, gifts etc. See what there is or order on-line at: www.miasorella.com Family owned & operated too!
 
sexyLAMBCHOPx September 28, 2011
Pierino, do you work for Eataly or simply worship Batali? Decent and exceptional balsamic vinegars can be easily sourced, imported or not.
 
pierino September 28, 2011
I'm just going to say, that "balsamic" vinegar is one of the most missused condiments in the kitchen universe because most of it is terrible when you compare it to what you can buy in Italy or Eataly for that matter. It's not a salad dressing vinegar. "Balsamics" are now arrived to what "sun dried tomatoes" were to the 90's. You don't have to buy the stuff reduced in 120 year old barrels. An aged Spanish sherry vinegar will often surpass supermarket balsamics when used for salads etc. And a white balsamic is a non sequitur.
 
Ghost T. September 28, 2011
Good point about the white vinegar. And just to be clear, I'm specifically talking about white balsamic vinegar -- actually I'm ashamed to say I wasn't aware such a thing existed until recently, but now I can't stop recommending it ;)
 
Peter September 28, 2011
Hmmm... a white vinegar might be an interesting choice in that the red vinegar can make the final dish look a little... muddy unless you drizzle it on at the very end as serving. (I bet Food52 left the vinegar off the photo for the photo on the recipe.)
 
Ghost T. September 28, 2011
I don't have specific brand recommendations, but I'd just like to give a shout out to white balsamic vinegar. In case anybody hasn't heard of it before, it's very light and not as sweet and overbearing as regular balsamic vinegar. I highly recommend trying it sometime!
 
Peter September 28, 2011
Ha! I just noticed this is a question on my own recipe. No need for $40 vinegar on the corn salad!
 
Peter September 28, 2011
For every day uses, I use some decent stuff from Fairway, a local grocery store here in NYC. For really special occasions, I use Villa Manodori. Someone gave me a bottle a decade ago and it's amazing. But it's also $40 a bottle. So I make a bottle last 5 or so years.
 
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