One of the staples you’ll always find in my pantry and refrigerator is vinegar. Both apple cider vinegar and distilled white vinegar because there are so many uses for vinegar. Whether it’s in recipes, household uses, or health benefits, like apple cider vinegar with Mother, there are many uses for vinegar.
I eat a lot of salads in the summer. Not only because I’m trying to watch my calories, but when it’s hot, I don’t like eating big, heavy meals. Salads make the perfect lunch… add some grilled chicken and make a bit bigger salad and it’s a great dinner.
I am picky when it comes to my dressings, though. I tend to stay away from creamy dressings but love oil & vinegar-based dressings. I love me a good vinaigrette!
But I have to use a good oil and vinegar to make vinaigrettes. I get the best results and the best taste when I use quality oil and vinegar.
I recently used apple cider vinegar to make one of my favorite things… Berry Vinaigrette dressing. Yum!
Check out the recipe and if you like vinaigrette dressing, you must try it. You will love it!
Berry Vinaigrette
Prep Time: 5 mins
Makes 2 cups
Ingredients:
- 2/3 cup Apple Cider Vinegar**
- 1/4 cup sugar**
- 1 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 cups chopped berries (strawberries, raspberries, or blackberries)
Directions:
- Whisk all ingredients together in a medium bowl.
- Cover and store in the refrigerator.
- Serve at room temperature.
- It can be made a day in advance.
**Replace with distilled white vinegar by using 1/3 cup of sugar instead of 1/4 cup.
Notes: I used this Berry Vinaigrette on a salad of spring mix, red onions, walnuts, a few strawberries. This is a great vinaigrette for a spinach salad, too. You could also use any berry, so if you want to use blueberries or raspberries, for example, they would be perfect with this vinaigrette.
My husband loved this, and he doesn’t generally like vinaigrettes. He thinks they are too acidic, but he didn’t find my berry vinaigrette acidic at all. I found this delicious Berry Vinaigrette recipe on the Heinz Vinegar Recipe site.
Another Use for Vinegar
I also tried this quick pickle recipe with Heinz Distilled White Vinegar I had on hand. If you love pickles, these are phenomenal. So quick and easy, too.
Quick Pickle Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon mustard seed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried dill or 2 tablespoons fresh dill leaves, chopped or snipped
- 1-2 large English cucumbers or 4-5 Kirby cucumbers, sliced thinly using a mandolin
Directions
- Heat small saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Add vinegar, sugar, mustard seed, salt, and garlic to the pan and cook until it begins to simmer and sugar dissolves.
- Toss the dill and sliced cucumbers together in a heat-proof bowl.
- Pour the simmering liquid over the cucumbers and stir to evenly coat.
- Allow to cool to room temperature or chill before serving.
I keep vinegar on hand at all times because there are so many uses for it, besides recipes. Here are 10 of my favorites:
Uses for Vinegar
- 2 Tbs of vinegar to water just before eggs start to boil, keeps them from cracking.
- 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar added to water (with a bit of honey for flavor) helps curb appetite and aid in weight loss.
- Deodorize kitchen drains by pouring a cup down the drain. Let stand 20 minutes and flush with water once a week.
- Use equal parts of vinegar and water to clean out your refrigerator.
- Clean stainless steel (sinks, etc.) by wiping down with vinegar.
- Clean the microwave by boiling 1/4 cup vinegar with 1 cup of water in the microwave. It will loosen up splattered on food and deodorize at the same time.
- Get stains off of pots. Fill a pot with 3-4 Tbs vinegar with a pint of water and bring to a boil. The stain should loosen. Wash as usual.
- Clean your dishwasher by running one cup of vinegar through a whole cycle to reduce soap build-up and to keep your glassware sparkling.
- Make vinegar ice cubes and drop them down the garbage disposal. After grinding flush with water.
- Rub your hands with a little vinegar before and after handling onions to avoid the odor of onions on your hands.
To find other uses for vinegar check out the Heinz Vinegar website.
As you can see, there are many other uses for vinegar than just cooking.
And of course, we now know how wonderful Apple Cider Vinegar with the Mother is for you.
