For the last few years, there has been a great push by people to invest time, money, and energy in finding food products that take the general eating experience to amazing highs. One of the products that has been very popular in this push has been balsamic vinegar. The interesting thing is that balsamic vinegar is not new, with some estimates of its use going back nearly 1,000 years. But as more people have become invested in trying to take their own food prep in new & exciting directions, balsamic vinegar has been found to be a crowd favorite.
Unfortunately, most people don’t really know what to do with it. Sure, there is the tried-and-true way of using it as part of a salad condiment, but aside from that, how exactly do you use balsamic vinegar? Well, as it turns out, when a product has been around for half a millennium, there are no doubt a number of ways to use other than just making your salad pop.
Here are a few tips on using balsamic vinegar that you may not have though of:
Drizzle It Over Fruit – Combining the unctuous flavor of the balsamic vinegar, which has its own unique sweetness, with your favorite fruit will take a simple dessert and make it a gourmet offering fit for a fancy restaurant.
Make A Reduction – With the use of heat and a sauce pan, you can create a truly gorgeous reduction that is perfect with any meat with which you wish to pair it.
Kick Cocktails Into High-Gear – The last few years have seen the age-old bartender that slings drinks become a well-dressed, mustachioed mixologist. Along with the general array of flavors that a mixologist brings to the table, a little balsamic can quite revolutionary.
Jazz Up A Marinade – Marinades have earned a reputation for being somewhat flavorless or perhaps infusing too many flavors & overly spicing the meat being marinated. By using balsamic vinegar, you can reduce the number of ingredients you use & keep the marinade very simple.
Give Depth to A Soup – Soups tend to be savory dishes that can often have one flavor note. While this note is pleasing, it leaves you wanting something more. A little drizzle of balsamic vinegar turns your one-note soup into a symphony of flavor.
Roasting – You can make relatively bland vegetables such as brussels sprouts stand out in a meal with the addition of this magic elixir.
Use It in Relishes or Jams – Canning and preserving is usually something used to make sure certain food products were available during the winter. Now, there is a resurgence of using these same methods to make table pickles and amazing relishes & jams. One special ingredient can take a basic relish or jam & blow the doors off your sense of taste.
Balsamic vinegar is one of the most versatile food products you will ever have in your home. If you are willing to be creative in your approach to its use, you will find that the stellar meal experience you’ve wanted to create in your own home is certainly within reach.