From pickling to adding flavour to Chinese dishes, vinegar is used in many dishes across cuisines. Legend has it that the varieties of vinegar worldwide have existed for more than 5000 years now. Hence, the presence of the ingredient in most cuisines is inevitable. From baked delights to pickles, vinegar is used in some of the most basic everyday dishes. The flavour profile of vinegar provides the dishes with the much-needed acidity needed to balance the flavour notes. White vinegar is the most widely used ingredient for culinary vinegar varieties. However, our cooking adventures often get cancelled due to the unavailability of vinegar. So, to give your culinary adventures a happy ending, here are some substitutes you can use in place of it.
- If you are using vinegar for baking, you can use lemon juice in place of it in case of unavailability. Apple cider vinegar can also be utilised for the same. If you are using ¼ cup white vinegar, then substitute it with 1/3rd cup of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar.
- Ran out of vinegar while making pickles? Bring apple cider or malt vinegar to your rescue. However, make sure you check the acidity levels before using them, as it may affect the discolouration of the fruits or vegetables. The acidity level must be more than 5%.
- Vinegar is commonly used for making sauces too. In case of unavailability, you can also use tamarind paste or fortified wine.
- In the case of cooking, vinegar is used to add the most-needed acidity. If you don’t have vinegar, substitute it with lemon juice. If the recipe calls for one tablespoon vinegar, add two tablespoons of lemon juice for the same flavour.
Now that you know the substitutes for vinegar, the unavailability shouldn’t stop you from trying out your favourite dishes.