Apple Cider Vinegar

One of the things I always keep stocked in my food cupboard is apple cider vinegar. I use ACV so frequently when I cook that I always have a large bottle in my kitchen.

There are many brands of apple cider vinegar out there, but my favorite is Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar. Compared to other brands, Bragg apple cider vinegar is more concentrated but less harsh in terms of sourness. Bragg has number of apple cider vinegar blends and my go to bottle is their Miracle Cleanse Concentrate, which is a blend of organic honey, cayenne pepper and lemon juice. This blend already has just the right amount of sweetness from the honey that I don’t need to add huge amounts of sugar or honey in my dishes. I also love a dash of heat in my ACV from the cayenne pepper.

If you think vinegar is all the same, whether it’s apple cider vinegar or regular vinegar, that’s not correct. Regular vinegar to me just adds very strong sour taste to your food, whereas ACV even though it’s sour, has roundness to it which makes it easy to incorporate in your cooking.

ACV for Salads

Number of recipes I have shared so far in this blog include apple cider vinegar. Many of my salads have apple cider vinegar, whether it’s added directly, added as a dressing or added as a salad ingredient. If you haven’t already, please see my recipe for Hearts of Palm Salad, Japanese Potato Salad, Ginger Onion Dressing, and Pickled Red Onions.

ACV in Main Dishes

There are lot of other uses for ACV in cooking besides salads. For certain marinades, like my Marinated Tuna Steaks , one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar helped to balance out the saltiness of soy sauce and sweetness of rice wine. Same thing with Sweet and Sour Pork Meatballs, yes vinegar is one of the main ingredients in this dish, but again, Bragg ACV with its concentrated flavor, brings all the flavors together. If you haven’t tried apple cider vinegar, especially made by Bragg, you should definitely try it.