Red wine vinegar!

Lots of different vinegars have lots of different tastes. If apple cider vinegar and red wine vinegar are the only things you've tried, you have a whole world open to you. For example, I like to marinate and then cook lean, boneless pork chops in a marinade of equal parts maple syrup, Dijon mustard and balsamic vinegar. Rice wine vinegar adds a wonderful light tang to Asian foods and is a staple for Thai cucumber salads. Vinegars are relatively inexpensive (except for REAL balsamic vinegar -- most of what we call balsamic vinegar is only flavored) and can be stored for long periods at room temperature.

In answer to your actual question, red wine vinegar is great in an Italian-style vinaigrette dressing. It's also good used in marinades, especially for red meats. Red wine vinegar can be used for making ricotta cheese but you would need more of it because it is less acidic than white vinegar. I wouldn't use it for canned pickles because of its lower acid level but I might use it for refrigerator pickles that are eaten soonish.

Basically, there are few "rules" as to what vinegar to use when. Use what tastes good to you.

Marinated mushrooms, if you like them (I know many people don't). White mushrooms, a combination of red wine vinegar and water (50/50ish should be OK - depends on taste prefs), garlic cloves (peeled, chunked up a bit so raw surfaces), fresh thyme and oregano (can just put in whole clean sprigs, no fussing necessary; at most crush them slightly to bruise and maybe release flavor faster), salt. It's slow, and a rational amount of liquid may not cover immediately, but they'll shrink (stir now and then). Can happen in the refrigerator (very slow) or put in an acid-resistant pot (stainless steel, glass) on the stove on very low (pretty fast).

It's also used in skordalia (Greek garlic dip), but that's more caloric. Many recipes online.

Almost any grilled/roasted vegetable is nice with vinegar (red among others) seasoned in whatever way sounds nice (garlic, herbs, etc.). Red (or the less-aged balsamic) is good in a tomato sauce that doesn't quite have enough acid tang.

Like others who've posted, I use various vinegars: Red, ACV, regular and white balsamic (long aged and not, in different ways), sherry vinegar, champagne vinegar, beer vinegar, coconut vinegar, . . . . It's kind of a stumper to tell you what I use different ones in, because I use them a lot in various things, based on which one sounds tastiest in the particular dish (yes, they all taste just a little different).

My regular use for RWV is potato salad and my mom uses it for green salad.

I use it a ton for dressings. Some with olive oil and some super low cal with a tasty mustard and maybe herbs or a bit of juice from a bottle of olives. Cabbage, yes. I love the chicken idea, although my own vinegar chicken standby uses white wine vinegar. I wholly co-sign Ann's post above.

Vinegar, o, vinegar, how do I love thee?

Blueberry balsamic on cottage cheese, blueberries and (frozen) cherries, with a few grams of grapenuts. Divine happiness in a bowl.

Pork marinated in chocolate balsamic and spices then pressure cooked and broiled to make the best homemade carnitas ever.

Trader Joe’s fried rice, supplemented with extra chicken, cauliflower rice, and a scrambled egg or two, topped with a dash of honey ginger balsamic.

Strawberry balsamic on fresh strawberries.

Any sweet balsamic on a large salad with some chopped meat of any persuasion and some feta or halloumi cheese.

A dash of sweet balsamic in sparkling water.

Maple balsamic on sweet potatoes or squash.

ACV mixed with Mayo, sugar free maple syrup, shredded apple and a little salt and fresh ground pepper, stirred into broccoli slaw. Even better the next day.

Pineapple slices or pears split in half, hit with a dash of the appropriately matching balsamic and baked in the oven til it browns and starts to caramelize.

High quality balsamic is incredibly sweet and satisfying, comes in an enormous range of flavors, and has negligible calories. I go through a quart of it every couple of weeks.

If anyone asks me, what’s your Diet Secret? It’s truly and sincerely vinegar, but not ACV, thank heavens.

lemurcat2 wrote: »

GrizzledSquirrel wrote: »

Red wine vinegar + dollop of whole grain mustard + olive oil (roughly double the amount of red wine vinegar and mustard) whisked vigorously and poured over every leaf salad ever.

This actually works even with a much smaller portion of olive oil. It's my favorite basic dressing.

Or no olive oil at all . . . while I like some fat in a salad, I sometimes prefer to use just vinegar + seasonings to dress, and add some pumpkin seeds or something like that.

springlering62 wrote: »

(snip)

If anyone asks me, what’s your Diet Secret? It’s truly and sincerely vinegar, but not ACV, thank heavens.

Hey! ACV's good, too. Reality's more nuanced, but generally I prefer ACV to balsamic, when with some fruits, or in cocktails.

Personally - and this is just a taste pref, not "me right, you wrong" - I'm not mostly very fond of pre-flavored vinegars, preferring to just keep the various basic types in the pantry, and season them myself on the fly.

lemurcat2 wrote: »

GrizzledSquirrel wrote: »

Red wine vinegar + dollop of whole grain mustard + olive oil (roughly double the amount of red wine vinegar and mustard) whisked vigorously and poured over every leaf salad ever.

This actually works even with a much smaller portion of olive oil. It's my favorite basic dressing.

Good point - and worth mentioning, especially when you can’t afford the calories in that extra lug of olive oil. Otherwise, some days, when my body is craving a proper vinegar hit (you know, that eye-watering, slap to your tastebuds and a shiver up your spine), I gladly bypass the oil altogether.

Yum.

I'm loving vinegars and mustards- low cal, low sodium flavor. Red wine vinegar is one of my favorites, and used in lots of dressing and Greek salad.