Boiling vinegar.

Recipes, Cooking tips and maybe some 'Home Made' secrets !
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Mallard
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Boiling vinegar.

Post by Mallard »

I like to have a small jar of pickled onions on my shelf so that I can munch them fairly fresh and do another jar to follow. I use sarsons white spirit vinegar straight on to the onions.
My sister insists that the vinegar must be boiled. When I asked why, she said it was mother's way and she had always done it that way!

I seem to recollect that "we've always done it like that" led to the demise of lots of British industry. So why, in the days of pasteurized vinegar is there any need to boil it?
I know if you use spices you should warm the vinegar to infuse them, but not boil it.
Ideas?
I'd like to live as a poor man with lots of money.
- Pablo Picasso
Freeranger
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Re: Boiling vinegar.

Post by Freeranger »

I think the white stuff is distilled, so it's already been boiled once. I use malt myself, and have bought the spices recently. The instruction is to bring to the boil and allow to cool, then strain or leave for a weaker/stronger flavour. Don't suppose boiling it would harm it - maybe take some of the sharpness off? I'm not sure of that because it's sharp all the way through.....Perhaps you could do a controlled experiment and let us know?
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Mallard
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Re: Boiling vinegar.

Post by Mallard »

Having delved a bit deeper, it seems that early vinegar had microbe called a vinegar eel among other nasties. These bugs are no longer present in modern vinegar, so I'm not going to stink the place out boiling the stuff!
I'd like to live as a poor man with lots of money.
- Pablo Picasso
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