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Vinegar is a cooking and household staple most people have in their pantry all year. It is a handy ingredient that helps add a tangy flavour to whatever dish you want to add. From marinades, and salad dressings to noodle preparations, vinegar has always proven itself to be the jack of all trades. Many recipes require vinegar and if you don't have it, it could turn into a confusing situation where you might end up feeling lost and maybe even drop the whole recipe altogether.
But what if we tell you that you can make your favourite dishes even if you run out of vinegar? In this article, we will go through the seven best substitutes to use when you don't have vinegar in hand.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is often promoted for its health benefits. This vinegar variety is created by fermenting apple cider. It is known for its tangy flavour with fruity notes. Not just that, it also works fantastically as a white vinegar substitute in dishes such as marinades, salad dressings and juice blends.
Lemon Juice
This is one of the easy-to-find alternatives which also works wonderfully well. As lemon juice is known for its citrus flavour, be careful as it might alter the flavour of your food while providing acidity just like vinegar.
Use lemon juice in a 1:1 ratio as a substitute for white vinegar.
Lime Juice
Just like lemon juice, lime juice also has a similar acidic flavour with citrusy notes. It is also sour with a hint of bitterness. Lime juice is more suitable for savoury dishes than sweet thanks to its sour and bitter flavour.
Use lime juice in a ratio of 1:1 as a vinegar substitute for the best results.
Fruit Vinegar
There are many types of vinegar and among them is fruit vinegar. The flavour of fruit vinegar is slightly sweet while having acidity along with the fruit flavours it was made from. Fruit vinegars are often incorporated in marinades, salad desserts, drinks and desserts. Using fruit vinegar in place of white vinegar would lend your dishes a fruity flavour so be careful in what dish you are using it in.
The appropriate ratio to substitute fruit vinegar with white vinegar is a 1:1 ratio.
White Balsamic Vinegar
Known for its acidic yet slightly sweet taste. White balsamic vinegar is created from Trebbiano grapes grown in the Modena region of Italy. The white balsamic vinegar is perfect for salad dressings or while preparing any other sauce where you won't use red vinegar. It lends a great flavour to the overall dish.
Malt Vinegar
It also has two varieties on its own: dark and light-coloured vinegar. The darker one has caramel added to it for the colour.
Malt vinegar is a grain-based vinegar which is created from ale. Using a light version of malt vinegar is a fantastic substitute for white vinegar and its light flavour won't disturb or alter the flavours of your dish.
Malt vinegar is a common ingredient in Canadian and British cuisine and is commonly used in bakery items and condiments.
White Wine Vinegar
Created from fermented white wine, this vinegar is known for its subtle flavour, unlike red wine vinegar. The grapes that are used to make white wine provide a mild flavour which does not alter the flavours of your food. White wine vinegar is perfect for making sauces, marinades and pickles.
