The 6 Most Common Types of Vinegar to Know
I never thought a whole lot about vinegar when I was first starting to cook. I keep a bottle of balsamic on hand for my salads, and that was basically the extent of it. Soon, though, I realized not just how important vinegars are in the kitchen, but also how much variety there is among them.
Vinegars are made from a wide range of ingredients like wine, fruit, and rice that are soured and fermented and then diluted with water to maintain a mild level of acidity. Their tangy zip adds brightness to just about anything you make, whether it’s a simple vinaigrette or a slow-simmered soup. While there are many varieties of vinegars out there, there are a handful that you’re more likely to come across at the grocery store and in recipes, thanks to their versatility and wide appeal. These bottles are well-worth getting to know.
White Wine Vinegar
Don’t confuse white wine vinegar with the distilled white vinegar you use to clean your house with. White wine vinegar is made from — well — white wine, and is light-bodied and mild in flavor.
- Flavor: Mild-flavored but quite bright and tangy.
- Uses: It brightens without overpowering so it’s perfect for pickling vegetables and making mellow dressings.
- Considerations: White wine vinegar can taste sharper than others because it has less flavor, so you might use a lighter hand when cooking with it.
Recipes to Try
Red Wine Vinegar
A step up, in terms of flavor, is red wine vinegar. It’s a great all-purpose vinegar because it delivers fuller and rounder flavor than white wine vinegar, but is still quite light in body.
- Flavor: Fruity with a well-balanced zip.
- Uses: It’s a classic choice for pretty much all vinaigrettes and sauces, especially bolder ones like Greek vinaigrette and chimichurri sauce.
- Considerations: Since red wine vinegar is made from red wine, it’s also great in marinades for red meat.
Recipes to Try
Balsamic Vinegar
Balsamic gets a whole lot of love and it is easy to see why: It’s dark, sweet, and almost syrupy out of the bottle. It’s made from grape must, which is juice of freshly crushed whole grapes that contains the skins, seeds, and stems.
- Flavor: Sweet and mildly tangy with caramelized notes.
- Uses: While common in vinaigrettes, it can often be a bit overpowering. It’s even better to pair it with equally bold flavors like root vegetables and red meat.
- Considerations: Don’t forget balsamic’s sweetness also plays well with dessert. Try it drizzled over berries, slices peaches, or vanilla ice cream.
Recipes to Try
Apple Cider Vinegar
What makes apple cider vinegar unique is that it delivers the fresh fruitiness of the fruit itself. It’s medium-bodied and pleasantly sweet.
- Flavor: Mildly sweet with plenty of zip and brightness.
- Uses: It’s a classic vinegar to use when pickling since it’s mellow and tangy. It’s also a nice match with naturally sweet ingredients like corn and fall flavors like maple syrup.
- Considerations: Since apple cider vinegar is definitely fruity, it might not be the best choice if you don’t want to add a little apple-y tang to your dish.
Recipes to Try
Sherry Vinegar
Sherry vinegar is sort of like the little black dress of vinegars. It’s less sweet than balsamic but more rounded and interesting than standard wine vinegars.
- Flavor: Medium-bodied, mildly sweet, nutty, and complex.
- Uses: When you’re looking for a bold vinegar that’s not quite as heavy and sweet as balsamic, this is your best bet. It’s also classic in Spanish dishes like gazpacho.
- Considerations: For the best sherry vinegar, look for Vinagre de Jerez on the bottle. That means it’s sourced from the Sherry Triangle, right where sherry wine is made.
Recipes to Try
Rice Wine Vinegar
You’ll find this vinegar — made from fermented rice — commonly used in a number of Asian cuisines, such as Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, and Korean. It’s much less sharp and tangy than other vinegars, with a mellow sweetness.
- Flavor: Mild, sweet, and light-bodied without too much tang.
- Uses: A splash adds just the right amount of brightness to stir-fries and dipping sauces. Try it also as a milder alternative to white wine and apple cider vinegar.
- Considerations: You’ll find two types of rice vinegar at the grocery store: regular and seasoned. The latter includes added sugar and salt, so unless a recipe specifically calls for it, regular is your best bet.