Written on 6/27/2008 by Garrett Whelan who writes about cooking for men or anyone trying to kick the fast food habit at FatBastardEats.com. My girlfriend had gotten some marinade recipe off the internet and among it's ingredient list was vinegar. Not cider vinegar, not white wine vinegar, just vinegar. So she reached under the sink and pulled out the gallon jug of white vinegar. She might as well have soaked the meat in kerosene.
When I found out what she did I was a little peeved. Vinegar is a great ingredient that can add a lot of versatility and depth to food, I'd never suggest you shy away from vinegar as a whole. But not white vinegar, that is not a food product.
I really can't blame her though, not her fault. It's those lazy grocery stores. They're the ones who've decided to store the white vinegar with the food grade vinegars for some reason. You know where should they be storing the white vinegar? In the cleaning section.
That's right, white vinegar is the original miracle cleaning product. It's cheap, you can buy it in bulk, it's not particularly harsh and it works on almost anything. To prove it to you (or so you can prove it to yourself) here are 5 unexpected ways to clean with vinegar:
- Throw a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water into a spray bottle and you've got a substitute general purpose cleaner. You won't have to worry about the dog licking it or ruining fabrics because it's less harsh than bleach. It also cuts through grease better and handles foul odors.
- Mix a half cup of vinegar with 2 tablespoons of salt and you've got a nice metal polish. It's great for everything from silverware to bathroom fixtures. And if you've got some really tough hard water stains this works too. Just soak a paper towel with the mixture and leave it on whatever needs cleaning for about 5 minutes. Then wipe it off and the calcium deposits will come right off.
- If your shower pressure is getting so bad that you'd be better off dribbling on yourself, try taking your shower head apart and soaking the pieces in a bowl of vinegar. After about 20 minutes, rinse, wipe and put back together. It's like getting a brand new one.
- If your microwave looks like that scene from gremlins, try heating a bowl of 50/50 vinegar and water on high for 3 minutes. Then wait 3 more minutes for everything to soak in and wipe with a wet sponge. Everything comes off like it was never there and even the burned popcorn smell will disappear. By the way, this also works in the oven if you use a metal bowl.
- If your white plastic bowls are looking a bit yellow in the bottom and still smell like garlic from last weeks spaghetti you're not alone. Plastic has a tendency to allow oil and fat particles to 'stick' to it on a molecular level that won't wash off. Try pouring a cup of vinegar in there and then fill the bowl with water. Let it sit overnight and by morning your bowls should be good as new.
I like white vinegar. It has a place, just not on my plate. So I hope this list helps you put it in perspective and next time you need to add vinegar to a poorly written marinade recipe you'll choose something with more flavor and less scouring power.
Note: Here is a
pdf from the Vinegar Institute that lists dozens of additional uses for vinegar.
-Garrett