How many vinegars are in your kitchen?

OK, now it's time to really talk about obsession. I currently have 25 bottles of vinegar in my kitchen, with no exact duplicates. A number were gifts, so I can't say I chose them all, but the majority I picked on my own.They are:

champagne
merlot
pinot noir
good 25-year-old sherry
cheap sherry (for marinades)
pedro ximinez sherry vinegar
hot pepper sherry
good 12-year-old balsamic
2 different cheap balsamics (again for marinades)
chestnut balsamic
black mission fig balsamic
black currant balsamic
balsamique blanc (hey, that's what the label says; I know it's white balsamic)
white balsamic
cara-cara orange/vanilla white balsamic (I'm almost afraid to try that one)
raspberry with whole raspberries
raspberry without whole raspberries
malt vinegar
homemade tarragon
white wine
apple cider
rice wine
chive blossom

I've also recently used up generic red wine, white wine, [sweet] zinfandel and mixed herb vinegars

[Robin Garr]

For some reason, we've never become vinegar geeks. We keep standard-issue cider and white for cooking. There's a gift bottle of a nice but not ethereal balsamic tucked away on a higher shelf, but we're pretty much over lower-end "balsamic," and don't consider the good stuff a rational investment for us. A rice-wine vinegar in the Asian-foods department, and i think maybe an ancient little bottle of champagne vinegar that I usually forget is there. On the whole, though, we use it rarely - and often substitute fresh lemon juice when a shot of acidity is needed in a dish.

[Jenise]

Wow, Ted, I'm impressed! I selected 5-9 but I might actually be in the 10-14 department. Will have to count. But from this desk, I can account for:

Sherry Vinegar, though I'm currently out of it (Trader Joe's has stopped selling this, dammit)
Chinese black vinegar
Red wine vinegar from various leftover red wines that I make myself and age three years before using
Heinz white wine vinegar (the workhorse of my kitchen)
A 100 year old solera balsamic vinegar that is too expensive for anything but condiment use, often ice cream
A blood orange vinegar
A fig vinegar made by the same company who made the blood orange vinegar
Several balsamic vinegars I received as gifts and which sit there because I am so over balsamic vinegar

On the whole, though, we use it rarely - and often substitute fresh lemon juice when a shot of acidity is needed in a dish.

Don't you need acidity in every dish/meal? Do you get good lemons?

I'm a big fan of adding freshness and acidity to dishes (especially at the end before serving), and always have lemons and limes in the house. But this is not lemon/lime country, so they are not always the most delicious and often vinegar has more flavor. So I try to keep 5-8 around.

An excellent balsamic (for drips) and a very good balsamic (for cooking/finishing), the champagne grape/muscat orange vinegar from TJoes, a sherry vinegar, a rice vinegar, and maybe a couple of others depending on what I have.

I bought a coconut vinegar from Whole Foods the other day, it was too interesting not to try. But the flavor is pretty basic. I should have known because the label says it is a more nutritious replacement for cider vinegar.

Dale's red wine vinegar (potent stuff, never measured the ph, current batch had wines from 1964 to 2007)
Champagne
sherry
rice
seasoned rice
Chinese black
good Modena balsamic
Pure Mtn balsamic
Pure Mtn fig balsamic
cider
white balsamic
malt
white wine

there's also distilled white in basement, but that's used for cleaning

[Jenise]

On the whole, though, we use it rarely - and often substitute fresh lemon juice when a shot of acidity is needed in a dish.

A question: how often do you make salad?

I have distilled white vinegar, rice vinegar, Chinese black vinegar, and red wine vinegar.

-Paul W.

For me it's raw apple cider, Champagne, Sherry, red wine, white wine, rice wine, distilled, and George Paul "Emelia" aged balsamic (from Nebraska), which used to cost about $30 for about 3.5 ounces, and ever since it was featured in Food & Wine Magazine, now costs $45. Luckily I got some before he became famous. It is the best balsamic I have ever had - insane over fresh mozzarella.

On the whole, though, we use it rarely - and often substitute fresh lemon juice when a shot of acidity is needed in a dish.

A question: how often do you make salad?

I am the one above who was also incredulous at Robin's lack of acid, but I'm not sure salad is the key? When I lived in California and had access to such lovely citrus, I rarely used vinegars in salad dressing because there were so many other purer flavor lemon and lime options. Of course now that I don't live in CA, I do rely more heavily on vinegar. And I suppose Robin should too!

checked pantry, to me list need to add:
a lemon white balsamic
elderberry (this is an apparent gift I had forgotten about, smells great, will use in a dressing soon)
raspberry ( "Maitre Jacques Raspberry French Red Wine Vinegar" should use up or dump- wonder re quick pickles would work?)

actually noticed I have 2 Chinese black vinegars, not something I use that much!

Am I only person who keeps vinegar crock? Great way to use leftover wine.

I spelunked through the pantry and found the following vinegars:

Red wine
White wine
Apple Cider
Plain white vinegar
Various bottles of balsamic ranging from very cheap to pretty decent (we still enjoy using it in a variety of dishes)
Sherry
Rice
Ume Plum
Nipa Sap
And a couple of bottles of vinegar that came from the garage of a neighbor of Nilo's mom. It had been in a barrel in that garage for uncounted years and (since they were Italian) was almost certainly based on red wine. It's pretty good stuff.

Red wine
Apple cider
Rice wine
White
Balsamic, cheap
Balsamic, expensive (for drop by drop usage!)

I can get lemons and limes very easily.

cara-cara orange/vanilla white balsamic (I'm almost afraid to try that one)

That is going to taste like a Creamsicle.

[Jenise]

raspberry ( "Maitre Jacques Raspberry French Red Wine Vinegar" should use up or dump- wonder re quick pickles would work?)...Am I only person who keeps vinegar crock? Great way to use leftover wine.

Yes, quick pickles would work well. Also consider using the raspberry vinegar on a salad of just sliced small tomatoes (cut in crescents, not lateral slices, for better bites)--will intensify the 'fruit' qualities in the tomato.

Re the crock, I don't have a 'crock' per se, I just keep filling wine bottles with leftovers and a mother that I share from bottle to bottle--these are what makes my homemade red wine vinegar. When they seem ready after a few months (I taste), I cork them and stick them in the wine cellar to age.

[Jenise]

I am the one above who was also incredulous at Robin's lack of acid, but I'm not sure salad is the key?

I asked the question that way because to me, it is. Yesterday for lunch we had curry roti's grilled and rolled up burrito style around a salad made from escarole and green cabbage tossed with sunflowers seeds and a vingaigrette made from oil, vinegar and a scoop of Patak mango pickle (explained in detail because I highly, highly recommend this). For dinner, another salad shared the plate with a rice and pea dish. Day before, lunch was another salad with tuna and dinner included a tomato salad. So vinegar figured into four meals in two days, which is likely higher than average but not unusual for us. We eat salad every day, and vinegar's indispensable (though yes, I sometimes use citrus too.)

[Robin Garr]

A question: how often do you make salad?

Almost daily, usually with a lemon/olive oil/garlic vinaigrette.

[David M. Bueker]

Red wine
Champagne
Apple cider
Balsamic (a good one, not a great one)
Rice wine
White balsamic which is used for one dish and one dish only

[Robin Garr]

White balsamic which is used for one dish and one dish only

Okay, I'll bite. What's the dish?

I don't want to count. My guess is maybe a dozen. I used to have a couple of bottles of the 3 digit balsamico, but I think we finished one, and the other is even more expensive. I may be "over" the fake stuff for $20 per bottle but who could be "over" the real aceto balsamico di Modena? Anyway half of my vinegar is stuff I'm not directly responsible for -- gifts etc.

It's funny, at Weight Watchers periodically someone will start to rave about the place they get their balsamic vinegar, and I start to wonder if I should chime in, but then they rave about how they can get chocolate balsamic, vanilla balsamic, blueberry balsamic, and raspberry balsamic and it makes things taste so interesting. I can't even think what to say when it reaches that point, and it always seems to reach that point.

I wonder if those people also like their coffee with the same artificial crap in it?

I wonder if those people also like their coffee with the same artificial crap in it?

Yes, Frank, they do.

Only three viniegars for me.

Red wine vinegar - for mint sauce, salad dressings, recipes requiring wine vinegar
Sarsen's Malt Vinegar - for fish and chips
Tarragon vinegar -- bought it years ago and never opened it but I think its somewhere there ready for the day.