I'm usually a basic pantry kind of gal but every now and then I like to treat myself to something a little special to inspire my palate and uplift my spirits. With their boldly designed labels and innovative flavors, the Noble Handcrafted Tonics line of maple syrups and vinegars are just the kind of thing to snag my attention and reel me, helpless, into temptation. More

Yes, you read that right. Banana vinegar. Have you ever tried this stuff? And if so, how do you cook with it? More

Q: I recently received a lovely bottle of lavender-infused balsamic vinegar from a friend. She says she loves it in salad dressing, but I'm wondering how else I can use it.

Any ideas for me?

Sent by Ann More

Q: Help! I'm trying a new "elimination diet" to try to cut out migraine trigger foods, as I suffer from chronic (near daily) migraines. There are lots of fresh foods I can eat, but I'm having trouble replacing citrus — especially lemon — soy sauce, and vinegar in particular. Oh, and I'm vegan. I know you will all say that the first thing that should go is my veganism, but it is not connected to migraines, and I have already sacrificed a lot of things I care about in order to try to control the pain.

So please, can anyone think of vegan alternatives to these three foods? How does one marinate tofu without these ingredients? Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

Sent by Marlene More

On a recent oil and vinegar tasting, my sister went wild for a chocolate balsamic vinegar. It had a sweet, tangy, and slightly bitter taste. And it made me want to make some for her as a gift (and a little for myself, too!). Here's how: More

If you're participating in the Kitchen Cure, chances are you've cleaned and organized your refrigerator. We're right there with you in our own kitchen.

But late last week, we discovered a much grosser problem on our hands than clutter: a moldy refrigerator. More

A couple years ago I fell in love with a fruit vinegar. This may sound like an easy love to consummate — there are many fruit vinegars in the stores, after all — but this vinegar was delicious beyond all of them. Unfortunately it's only available in England, so I had to turn to alternatives. This fall, I decided to try to fill my vinegar craving myself. The process turned out to be shockingly easy. Here's what I did. More

Q: Recently a friend came back from the Philippines and brought me a present of "Datu Puti" — coconut vinegar, I think.

I will like to know what kind of recipes you can recommend me to make with it. Thanks for suggestions.

Sent by Angela Maria More

Most fruit-flavored vinegars that you can purchase in the grocery store are too sweet and fake tasting for me. So in the summertime, when fruit is abundant and cheap, I like to put up a bottle or two of fruit vinegar. Nothing could be easier or tastier. It's cherry season here on the west coast, so this week it was cherry vinegar! More

If there's one thing we like to talk about more than the act of cooking food, it's cleaning up after ourselves (though we don't often like to!). Keeping your kitchen in tip top shape not only looks pretty, it means you're more likely to cook at home instead of running out for a bite to eat. Do you know all the tricks of the trade? More