The more I cook at home, the more critical I am of my own mistakes. More often than not, these mistakes have to do with seasoning a dish. True confession: I'm an under-seasoner, always hearing my mother's voice in the back of my head warning me to avoid using too much salt and remain cautious with herbs. But there's more to bland cooking than simply under-seasoning. So often it also has to do with a lack of acid, or that little bit of oomph!

What do you use to store your oil and vinegar? One reader sent us this really pretty setup he created for almost nothing out of Perrier bottles, which turn out to be rather good-looking, once you peel off the labels. Here's his rationale... 

Q: Can you recommend a good champagne vinegar?

Sent by Mary

If the only time you think of pulling that jar of balsamic out of the cupboard is when it's time to make a salad, you're missing out. This sweet and tangy vinegar is one of my favorite secret ingredients, and I've found all sorts of ways that its presence will perk up my everyday cooking.

Let's be honest with ourselves: half of the reason we eat salads is for the dressing. Whether it's a tart balsamic vinaigrette or a creamy blue cheese dressing, we love the way that dressing wraps around every bite. This new book by Michele Anna Jordan is a boon to us salad-lovers. Here are over sixty recipes to shake up your salad routine and ensure that you'll never buy dressing again.

Rice vinegar is one of our all-time essential vinegars. For Asian-style pickles, stir fries, salads, and dipping sauces, no other vinegar can compare. Less harsh than most Western vinegars, rice vinegar can also provide a mellow sweetness to salad dressings, vegetables, and other dishes. Learn more about the different kinds of rice vinegar and get some recipes after the jump. More

Q: Recently, I've been fermenting my own fruit vinegars: apple, pineapple and habanero, blueberry. They taste wonderful splashed on a salad or over a piece of fish. However, I'm looking for more ways to highlight the unique taste of these vinegars. How can I use them as more than a background note? 

When the guests left New Year's brunch on Tuesday and I began cleaning up, I found half a bottle of Champagne left on the counter. Exhausted and ready to put my feet up, the bottle went into the refrigerator and was soon forgotten. Now, with half a flat bottle on my hands, I've started brainstorming uses for it in cooking or baking. But you know what idea I like best? Doing almost nothing... More

Just one whiff of malt vinegar brings me back to my days living in England, where it's used to season comfort foods like fish and chips and beans on toast. The distinctive tangy condiment isn't just for pub fare, however. More

Q: Can someone recommend a good balsamic vinegar? I bought a locally made (NorCal) balsamic because I really enjoy this same brand's olive oil, but I do not really care for it. It's thin-bodied and just seems to be lacking something. More