Vinegar – Uses and how-to-make
Vinegar, a staple in every pantry, is a multi-tasking wonder
with a rich history of use for everything from making pickles to treating war
wounds. The ancient Babylonians used it to preserve food; medics during World
War I treated wounds with it; and Roman armies diluted it with water to create
an everyday antibacterial drink. Today, versatile vinegar is still widely used
in food preservation, but its household uses extend well beyond pickling. Thanks to its acidity and neutralizing
properties, vinegar can clean, disinfect, soften, shine and more. Use it from
the kitchen to the bathroom, in everything from homemade cleaners to hair
rinses, to take full advantage of this humble household wonder.
1. Grease Cutter:
Vinegar’s acidity lets it cut through grease with ease. Dip a sponge in vinegar
and wipe to degrease stovetops, microwaves, dirty dishes and more.
2. Disinfectant:
A natural antibacterial, vinegar makes a great base for any nontoxic cleaning
solution. For an all-purpose disinfecting solution, dilute 1 part vinegar in 4
parts water and use anywhere germs are found, such as countertops, keyboards,
shared phones, doorknobs and remote controls.
3. Toilet Bowl
Cleaner: Clean, disinfect and deodorize your toilet by pouring 1 cup of
vinegar around the inside of the bowl. Let sit for an hour, use a brush to
remove rings, then flush.
4. Drain Cleaner:
To keep drains clog-free, pour 1/2 cup of baking soda down the drain, then
follow with 1/2 cup of vinegar. Wait for foaming to subside, then follow with a
gallon of boiling water. If necessary, remove hair and other debris with a
wire. Repeat if drain is still slow.
5. Glass Cleaner:
For a streak-free shine, combine 2 cups water, 1/4 cup vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon
liquid dish soap in a spray bottle. Spritz onto mirrors, then wipe down with
old newspapers.
6. Residue Remover:
Clean the glue residue that labels and stickers leave behind by wiping the
sticky surface with a rag dipped in a vinegar-water solution.
7. Hair Rinse:
Shampoos and other hair products can leave behind residue, making hair
lackluster. Remove buildup by diluting 2 tablespoons vinegar and 2 tablespoons
lemon juice in 3 cups water and mixing well. After shampooing, pour rinse over
hair before rinsing with water. The vinegar will close the cuticle and leave
hair soft and shiny.
8. Furniture Polish:
Combine 1/4 cup olive oil, 4 tablespoons vinegar and 2 teaspoons lemon juice in
a spray bottle. Shake well before use, and refrigerate any leftover solution to
keep it from going rancid.
9. Stain Remover:
Purge grass stains and blood spots by whipping up your own natural stain
remover. Mix 1/2 cup white vinegar, 1/4 cup baking soda and 3 cups water in a
spray bottle. Just spray on the stain and toss clothing into the laundry!
10. Laundry Softener:
Conventional fabric softener stays in clothing, where a buildup can cause
irritation, but vinegar breaks down and dissolves detergents. For softer
clothes, towels and sheets, just add 1/2 cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle.
11. Dandruff
Preventive: Vinegar’s acidity can help kill some of the bacteria
responsible for causing dandruff. Rinsing with vinegar can also deep-clean the
scalp and help remove flakes of dead skin cells. For a no-dandruff rinse, mix
1/2 cup vinegar, 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves (or 1 tablespoon dried leaves) and 1
cup boiling water. Let the mixture cool to room temperature, strain, then pour
over scalp after shampooing. Rinse treatment from hair with water.
12. Wart Killer:
To remove unsightly warts, dip a cotton ball in vinegar, place over wart and
secure with a bandage. Change the cotton ball daily. The acid in vinegar will
eat away at the wart over time. (Be sure to keep the skin around the wart
moisturized.)
13. Breath Freshener:
Eliminate bad breath by rinsing with 2 tablespoons vinegar and 1 tablespoon
salt diluted in 1 cup water. This rinse is especially effective at removing
onion and garlic odors.
14. Paintbrush
Softener: Make stiff paintbrushes useful again by dipping hardened bristles
in a bowl of vinegar for an hour or less. Rinse the bristles with warm water
and soap, then let dry before using.
15. Greens Reviver:
Leafy greens looking wilted? Soak them in a bath of 2 cups cold water and 1/2
teaspoon vinegar to bring them back to life.
16. Egg Aid: When
hard-boiling eggs, add 1 tablespoon of vinegar to the water to prevent egg
white from seeping out of cracks in the shell.
17. Rust Remover:
Revive rusted nuts, bolts, nails or tools by soaking them in a bath of pure
vinegar for several hours. If the solution becomes cloudy, change the vinegar.
After soaking, wipe away rust with a cloth.
Buyer Beware - Not all vinegar is created equal. While all
vinegars require ethanol for production, some vinegars are made with
synthetically produced ethanol made from petroleum. Check the label before you
buy for words like “grain alcohol” or “neutral grain spirits” to ensure you’re
buying a product made from natural food sources. Or, make your own vinegar!
HOW TO MAKE VINEGAR
There are many varieties of this homemade, tangy, fermented
liquid; homemade vinegar can be just what you want it to be. Choose a container made from glass or
enameled earthenware. You don't want the
container material to react with the vinegar. Aluminum, iron and plastic will ruin the
vinegar. If you are using glass, try to
select a dark bottle. Fermentation occurs in the dark, so you either need a
dark container or else need to keep the liquid in a dark place.
CIDER VINEGAR
Cider vinegar is made from sound, tart apples. Cut the
apples into small pieces . . . skins, cores, stems and all. Make a mush - by
hand or with an electric juicer and strain it through a muslin bag (you can
also hand press the pulp in a potato ricer lined with cloth or use a juicer).
Pour the juice that is collected into clean (dark, glass
jugs are preferable) and cover their tops with several thicknesses of
cheesecloth, held in place with string or rubber bands. Let the brew work in a
cool, dark place for about six months . . . then strain, bottle and cork.
TURNING APPLE CIDER
INTO VINEGAR
If you don't want to bother with apples, just allow some
sweet cider to stand in a warm place in an open jug for a few weeks. It will gradually
turn to vinegar.
APPLE PEELING VINEGAR
Vinegar can also be made from apple wastes, should you be
baking a lot of pies or canning peeled apples.
Put the peelings, cores and bruised fruit into a wide-mouthed jar or
crock and cover with cold water. Store — covered — in a warm place and add
fresh peelings, cores and bruised apples from time to time. When the batch
tastes sufficiently strong . . . strain, bottle and cork.
Unless you ferment the vinegar for a very long time, there
is probably alcohol still left in it, which you can remove by boiling. While you're at it, you can pasteurize and
reduce the vinegar, so that you can store it for longer and concentrate the
flavors, respectively.
To achieve pasteurization, heat the vinegar to 170 degrees
Fahrenheit (77 degrees Celsius) and hold it there for 10 minutes. Crock Pots are perfect for holding food for a
long time below the boiling point. Use a
thermometer to check your crock pot's temperature at each setting to determine
which setting is closest to 170 degrees.
Unpasteurized vinegar can be stored in sterilized, capped
jars in the refrigerator for a few months. Pasteurized vinegar can be stored in
sterilized containers with tight-fitting lids at room temperature for more than
a few months, as long as they are kept out of direct sunlight.
Bottle and store your delicious, homemade vinegar! Strain
out the vinegar through cheesecloth or a coffee filter, separating the mother,
which can be kept for making more vinegar.
MOTHER OF VINEGAR
The substance that gradually thickens on top during this
process is the "mother". You
can save it as starter for another batch (to speed up the process).
HERB VINEGARS
Once you have brewed up a few containers of apple cider vinegar you can use it as a base to add herbs into - to be infused. These vinegars can be used for salad dressings, on meat, as dips, and can be used as medicine. Vinegar acts as an "extractor" to pull nutrients and flavors from the fresh herbs.
Wash and strip basil, rosemary, tarragon, mint, dill and/or
other herb leaves from the plant stems. Spread the leaves on a cookie sheet
lined with wax paper and dry them in the sun or a very low oven until they
begin to curl. If that's too much trouble, just hang small bunches of herbs to
dry in a warm, clean attic.
Dump one packed cupful of the dried herbs (mix and match . . . try different combinations till you find
your own special blend) into each pint of your experimental cider vinegar and
pour into clear glass bottles or jars. Cover and let stand for two weeks in a
sunny window. Shake the bottles once or twice a day and — when the liquid
tastes sufficiently strong — strain, bottle and cap.
Herb vinegar can also be made with finely-chopped fresh
chives, celery leaves or cloves of garlic (remove garlic after 24 hours).
