Go-to Player: Vinegar works wonders nearly everywhere you use it
It’s a pantry staple in any even remotely well-stocked kitchen, but in many cases vinegar is woefully underused. Yes, you can use it to color Easter eggs, or as a basis for salad dressing. You probably know that malt vinegar is good sprinkled on french fries, balsamic vinegar on strawberries. But here are 10 uses for vinegar from The Vinegar Institute that may not have occurred to you.
CHIP IN FLAVOR
Sprinkle 2 to 4 tablespoons of white distilled vinegar over barbecue potato chips for a nice tangy flavor.
TAKE OUT THE EWW!
Does your child’s lunchbox — or yours — have a sour, stale odor? Dampen a piece of bread with white distilled vinegar and leave it in the lunchbox overnight.
FIND EVERY LAST DROP
When you can’t get the last bit of mayonnaise or salad dressing out of the jar, try dribbling a little of your favorite vinegar into it. Put the cap on tightly and shake well. You may be amazed at how much you’re wasting.
MAINTAIN SHAPELY FISH
Try soaking fish in white distilled or rice vinegar and water before cooking it. It will be sweeter and more tender and hold its shape better. When boiling or poaching fish, 1 tablespoon of vinegar added to the water will keep it from crumbling as easily.
TURN BACK SPLATTERS
Boil a solution of 1/4 cup of white distilled vinegar and 1 cup of water in the microwave. It will help loosen spattered-on food and deodorize as well.
SEE OUT WINDOWS
Wash with a mixture of equal parts of white distilled vinegar and warm water. Dry with a soft cloth. This solution will make your windows gleam and will not leave the usual film or streaks on the glass.
MAKE SPUDS SPARKLE
Adding 1 teaspoon of white distilled vinegar to the water in which you boil potatoes will keep them nice and white. And you can keep peeled tomatoes from turning dark by covering them with water and adding 2 teaspoons of vinegar.
Send weeds to their graves
To kill grass or weeds in the cracks of sidewalks or driveways, pour full-strength white distilled vinegar on it.
EMPOWER PRODUCE
Add 2 tablespoons of white distilled vinegar to 1 pint of water and use to wash fresh fruits and vegetables, then rinse thoroughly. Research has shown that vinegar helps kill bacteria on fresh produce.
LEND A HAND
Moisten cornmeal with apple-cider vinegar. Scrub hands, rinse in cold water and pat dry.
