Vinegar Fridays

TGIVF!

Here it is again. After a brutally hot week in Pittsburgh, it's Vinegar Friday once again. Too bad I don't have a vinegar remedy for the heat!

While you might want nothing more than to stay out of the kitchen in this heat, I thought I'd give you some vinegar-related food tips today.

Some of you have complained a bit about the smell of distilled white vinegar, even though it does dissipate quickly. But do you know what's worse? The smell of fish! To minimize fishy odor, just apply some of the distilled white vinegar to the fish, rub it in, and suddenly neither the vinegar, nor the fish, smell too bad.

Cut out another foul odor by boiling cabbage in water with a touch of vinegar added.

Hands smelling oniony? Rub them with some distilled white vinegar. Problem solved.


In our house, cheese gets eaten rather quickly, but occasionally we'll not close a container properly and the edges of a block of cheese get hard and rough. Once again, vinegar is the answer! Simply dampen a cloth with vinegar, wrap it around the cheese and seal it in an airtight container. This will also ward off mold.

Fluff up your rice by adding a tablespoon of vinegar to the water.

Tenderize a nice piece of beef by marinating it in a cup of liquid bouillon with 1/2 cup of any type of flavored vinegar. Experiment according to taste. This works well for lamb, pork, seafood and poultry as well. Make sure you use a nonmetallic container as you marinate and keep the meat in the refrigerator -- do not marinate out on the counter at room temperature! Pierce the meat a few times with a fork so the marinate can work its way in. And always toss the marinade when through!!

Vegetables wilting in your crisper drawer? Plop 'em in a bowl of cold water with a bit of vinegar added. They'll bounce back nicely.

If you choose sodium-free vinegars, you can add a splash to your recipes in place of salt when you're trying to reduce your sodium intake.

No buttermilk in the house for your favorite coffee cake recipe? Not a problem. Just add a tablespoon of distilled white vinegar to a cup of milk.

And here's the best tip of all this week: to rid your fruits and vegetables of chemicals, toxins and pesticides, wash them well in water with white distilled vinegar added (3 tablespoons/quart). I love this one. A simple way to protect your family from the harmful effects of pesticides on your food.

Vinegar...don't you love it?!

Keeping it green, healthy, sweet smelling and yummy with vinegar,

Hana

Photo courtesy of Petr Kratochvil