What to use instead of white vinegar
It depends entirely on what it's doing in the dish. Here's the job, what else does it, and what to skip.
Advertisement
Acid in the water that sets a poached egg fast
Acid speeds up the setting of the white at the surface, so it wraps around the yolk instead of trailing off into the pan in threads.
Lemon juiceRan out
1 tbsp per quart of water
Sets the same and leaves no vinegar smell on the egg. The skin comes out a touch softer.
Rice vinegarRan out
1 tbsp per quart of water
Milder and faintly sweet, so nothing sharp carries onto the egg. Slightly weaker acid, so give it a few seconds longer.
Cider vinegarRan out
1 tbsp per quart of water
Same 5% acidity and the same set. It tints the ragged edges of the white a faint beige.
What doesn't work: More vinegar than a tablespoon per quart on the theory that more is faster. Past that the outside of the white sets rubbery and sour and the egg tastes of the poaching water.
Sharp colourless acid that cuts fat and sugar
It is about 5% acetic acid and nothing else, so it brings sourness to a sauce or a dressing without dragging a fruit, wine or malt flavour in with it.
Cider vinegarRan out
1:1
Apple sweetness and a light brown tint, which shows up clearly in a pale fry sauce and suits a beetroot soup.
Rice vinegarRan out
1:1, then taste and add up to a quarter more
Weaker at about 4% and a touch sweet, so the sauce needs less sugar and more of the vinegar.
Lemon juiceRan out
1:1
Reads as lemon rather than plain sour, and the brightness fades within a day in the fridge.
Distilled malt vinegarRan out
1:1
A faint maltiness and a straw colour. Same strength, so no adjustment beyond the colour it brings.
What doesn't work: Balsamic. It is sweet, dark and roughly half as sharp, so it browns a white sauce and you have to add so much to reach the same sourness that the whole thing turns syrupy.
Acid that sets off baking soda in a batter
Baking soda needs an acid to release its gas. Vinegar's reaction is fast and it leaves nothing behind in the taste once the cake has baked.
Lemon juiceRan out
1 tbsp lemon juice per 1 tbsp vinegar
Identical reaction and a faint citrus note that bakes off. No change to the crumb.
ButtermilkRan out
1 cup buttermilk per 1 tbsp vinegar, minus 1 cup of the other liquid
A slower, gentler reaction with more body behind it, and a tangier crumb that stays moist an extra day.
Cream of tartarRan out
1/2 tsp cream of tartar per 1 tbsp vinegar
A dry acid, so no extra liquid goes into the batter. It fires in the bowl, so get the tin into the oven straight away.
What doesn't work: Baking powder while leaving the soda in the recipe. The soda still has no acid to meet, so it sits in the crumb tasting soapy and it turns the red of a red velvet muddy brown.
In borscht the vinegar also holds the beet colour. Put half in at the start and the rest off the heat, because a long simmer drives the acid off and the pot goes dull.