Interesting comment regarding Vinegar!

Just wondered if anyone else has noticed a diminished strength in vinegar as per this thread in Recipes:

"I don't think it is you, either. I swear that vinegar has become of a lower strength over the last few years - it certainly tastes "flat"' My more scientific recipes state that pickles and chutneys should be made with vinegar that is at least 6% acetic acid - all our local vinegars are just 4%. So I had a word with my local pharmacist. To "beef up" vinegar, add 10 mls per litre of glacial acetic acid (from the chemist) for each percentage point you need to beef it up by. (Add 20 mls per litre to make 4% vinegar into 6%, for example). Be careful with the glacial acetic acid - the usual safety rules for handling chemicals apply. You may be able to reboil your chutney and add acetic acid to it and rebottle."

Wed 6 Feb

Hi Lindy. yes. and the colour is paler on some of the vinegar's too,. at PaknSave yesterday, we bought DYC vinegar's. the colour's are nothing like they were previously . I'll talk to my pharmacist about the glacial acetic acid too. we like a real tang in our food, including items made with vinegar and it would be great to have a stronger flavour for vinegar's.

glacial acetic acid, will not add whats missing in malt vinegar. I have made my own white vinegar using acetic acid years ago, it was no cheaper, or better than what was being sold at the time. I wish I got into making my own vinegars back then, I would have Balsamic vinegar to die for, by now. lol.

That comment was from me, OP. When I was feeding a family, and had an orchard, I used to preserve, make pickles, chutney, jam and wine, and I bought my vinegar in bulk. When I came to replace it, I found that the new vinegar was "flat" tasting, so checked what % Acetic acid our local vinegars are. The NZ standard is 4%, apparently. None of the local producers make stronger vinegar, and the Food Technologists at Otago University couldn't help either. I have an old Marshall and Cavendish book on Food Preservation. It suggests that the vinegar used for chutneys, pickles and sauces should be 6%, at least. While adding Glacial Acetic Acid sharpens the tang, it doesn't increase the "malt" flavour - I daresay you could do both by boiling the vinegar to reduce it by 1/3 before you use it, but that seems like an awful lot of faffing about to me.
I think we should, as consumers, ask the vinegar makers for the stronger vinegars we need, especially now that people are making their own pickles and chutneys and sauces again.

I thought this would bring out the 'real' cooks lolI hadn't noticed until punkinthefirstmentioned it in another thread.Glad you brought this matter up ;)Yes I think we should go back to the makers & see what they have to say.
Great to see your comments, thanks!

Bragg's raw cider vinegar is 5%, I just looked on my bottle. I would say the vinegar I make would be at least that. There is a limit.

i drink malt vinegar have done since i was a child according to my parents, only the malt dyc one and it has definetly changed