What is the difference between old vinegar and mature vinegar? What kind of food do hotels usually use for cooking? What brand is good?

Vinegar

Vinegar has a sour and mellow taste, and a soft and fragrant liquid. It is an essential condiment in cooking. Its main ingredients are acetic acid and higher alcohols. wait. The main types of vinegar currently used include "rice vinegar", "smoked vinegar", "sweet and sour", "wine vinegar", "white vinegar", etc. Depending on the variety of origin, the amount of acetic acid contained in vinegar is also different. Between 5% and 8%, the acidity intensity of vinegar is mainly determined by the amount of acetic acid contained in it. For example, the sourness of Shanxi mature vinegar is strong, while the sourness of Zhenjiang balsamic vinegar is sour but not strong.

In addition to acetic acid, vinegar also contains other nutrients that are beneficial to the body, such as lactic acid, gluconic acid, succinic acid, amino acids, sugar, calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamin B2, etc.

(1) The role of vinegar in cooking

1. Harmonize the taste of dishes, increase the aroma of dishes, and remove bad odors.

2. It can reduce the loss of vitamin C in raw materials, promote the dissolution of calcium, phosphorus, iron and other mineral components in raw materials, and improve the nutritional value of dishes and the absorption and utilization rate of the human body.

3. It can regulate and stimulate people's appetite, promote the secretion of digestive juices, and help the digestion and absorption of food.

4. During the processing of raw materials, it can prevent the occurrence of "rust color" in some fruits and vegetables. For example, when cooking vegetables that change color easily, such as lotus root, add a little vinegar to make them white.

5. Can soften meat.

6. It has certain antibacterial and sterilizing effects and can be used to preserve food or raw materials, such as pickled raw materials.

7. It has certain nutritional and health functions.

(2) Interaction between vinegar and other seasonings.

1. Sourness and sweetness

The relationship between the two is prone to weakening. For example, adding a sweet seasoning (sugar) to vinegar will weaken the sourness, and adding a small amount of vinegar to a sugar solution will weaken the sweetness.

2. Sour and salty taste

After adding a small amount of salt to vinegar, the sourness will be weakened, but adding a small amount of vinegar to the salt solution will enhance the salty taste. .

3. Sourness and umami

If a high concentration of fresh soup is added to the vinegar solution, the umami taste can be increased, so it is seasoned with vinegar. If you need to enhance the umami flavor of your dishes, you should add fresh soup instead of adding MSG.

(3) Vinegar commonly used in cooking

The raw materials for producing vinegar include rice, wheat, sorghum, millet, bran, sugary fruits, etc. There are many famous vinegars produced in our country: such as Shanxi mature vinegar using sorghum as raw material; Sichuan bran vinegar using bran as raw material; Zhenjiang balsamic vinegar using glutinous rice as raw material; Jiangbo rose rice vinegar using rice as raw material; and liquor as raw material. Dandong white vinegar; pineapple vinegar and banana vinegar made from glutinous rice, red yeast rice and sesame. Many stores abroad also sell alcoholic vinegar, wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, grape vinegar, malt vinegar, distilled white vinegar, etc. Here are some of them.

1. Shanxi mature vinegar

Shanxi mature vinegar is the most famous vinegar in northern my country. It is made of high-quality sorghum as the main raw material, and is made through cooking, saccharification, alcoholization and other processes, and then rapid aceticization at high temperature, warm-fire roasting of vinegar fermented grains and sun-draining and water-aging.

This kind of Shanxi mature vinegar is black and purple in color, clear in liquid, rich in sour aroma, soft in taste, mellow and not astringent. Moreover, it does not get moldy, does not freeze in winter, becomes more fragrant the longer it is stored, and does not rot after being stored for a long time.

2. Zhenjiang balsamic vinegar

Zhenjiang balsamic vinegar uses high-quality glutinous rice as the main raw material, adopts unique processing technology, and undergoes three major processes of brewing, fermented grains, and vinegar. It involves more than forty processes and takes 50-60 days to brew.

Zhenjiang balsamic vinegar is famous both at home and abroad for its "sour but not astringent, fragrant but slightly sweet, strong color and refreshing taste". This kind of vinegar has the five characteristics of "color, aroma, taste, alcohol and concentration" and is very popular among the people, especially in Jiangnan.

3. Sichuan bran vinegar

Bran ??is often used to make vinegar in various parts of Sichuan, and the bran vinegar produced in Baoning is the most famous. This kind of bran vinegar is fermented with bran and wheat rice as the main raw materials for making vinegar, and is made with more than 70 kinds of precious Chinese medicinal materials that strengthen the spleen and stomach, such as Amomum villosum, Eucommia ulmoides, Huading, Baikou, Muding, etc. Koji is fermented, and the clear and fragrant spring water is used. This spring water contains a variety of mineral components, which is helpful for making vinegar.

This vinegar is dark brown in color and has a strong sour taste.

4. Jiangzhe Rose Rice Vinegar

Jiangzhe Rose Rice Vinegar uses high-quality rice as the raw material to brew a unique style of rice vinegar. The biggest feature of Jiangzhe rose rice vinegar is that the color of the vinegar is bright and transparent rose red, with a strong and special fragrance that can stimulate appetite, and the content of acetic acid is not high, so the vinegar smell is not strong and very palatable, especially suitable for cold dishes and snacks condiments.

5. Fujian red yeast vinegar

Fujian red yeast vinegar is made of high-quality glutinous rice and red yeast sesame as raw materials. It is added in batches and liquid fermented for many years (three years). Above) is refined after aging.

The characteristics of this vinegar are: brown and black in color, sour but not astringent, sour and sweet, and has a pleasant aroma. This vinegar has a unique and very attractive aroma due to the addition of sesame for seasoning.

6. Pineapple vinegar

Pineapple vinegar is a famous vinegar from Taiwan Province of my country. This vinegar is made from pineapples produced locally in Taiwan. Its characteristics are that vinegar is clear in color, sour but not strong, and sour yet sweet.

7. Apple cider vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is made from apple juice. Apple juice is first fermented by alcohol and then by acetic acid fermentation to produce apple cider vinegar. In addition to acetic acid, apple cider vinegar also contains citric acid, malic acid, succinic acid, lactic acid, etc.

8. Grape vinegar

It is made from wine, grape juice, and grape flavoring agents. The prepared grape vinegar is mainly used for salad dressings, sauces and Worcestershire sauce.

9. Malt vinegar

Malt vinegar, as the name suggests, is a special vinegar brewed using malt as raw material. Its nutritional value is higher than other vinegars, and its taste is more pure and refreshing.

10. Distilled white vinegar

Distilled white vinegar is a colorless and transparent vinegar, which is a famous vinegar in France. When using this distilled white vinegar, pay attention to the dosage control to prevent the sourness from being too strong and affecting the original taste of the dishes. Distilled white vinegar is a sour seasoning used for cooking natural and light-colored dishes.

Vinegar brewing in my country has a long history of more than 2,000 years, and there are many varieties. Due to the different geographical environment, raw materials and techniques of brewing, there are many vinegars from different regions and different flavors. With people's understanding of vinegar, vinegar has developed from a simple condiment to a series of cooking, tableware, health care and beverage series.

Cooking type: This kind of vinegar has an acidity of about 5%, a strong and mellow taste, and has the effect of removing fishy smell, removing mutton and promoting freshness. It is very suitable for cooking fish, meat and seafood. If you use brewed white vinegar, it will not affect the original color of the dish.

Table type: This kind of vinegar has an acidity of about 4% and a sweet taste. It is suitable for cold dishes and dipping, such as cold cucumbers, snacks, fried foods, etc. It has a strong effect of promoting freshness. . This type of vinegar includes rose rice vinegar, pure brewed rice vinegar and table vinegar.

Health-care type: This kind of vinegar has a low acidity, usually about 3%. It tastes good. It is better to take 1 spoon (10 ml) every morning and evening or after meals. It can play a role in strengthening the body and preventing and treating diseases. This type of vinegar includes Kangla vinegar, red fruit fitness vinegar, etc. The vinegar used to make vinegar and egg liquid is also a health-care type, with a relatively strong acidity of 9%. The health care effect of this type of vinegar is more obvious.

Beverage type: This kind of vinegar has only about 1% acidity. During the fermentation process, sucrose, fruits, etc. are added to form a new type of acetic acid beverage called the fourth generation beverage (the first generation is citric acid beverage, the second generation is cola beverage, and the third generation is lactic acid beverage). It has the functions of preventing heatstroke and cooling, producing body fluids and quenching thirst, increasing appetite and eliminating fatigue. This type of beverage-type rice vinegar also has the characteristics of moderate sweetness and sourness, refreshing and non-sticky, and is liked by people. Such drinks include hawthorn, apple, honey pear, prickly pear and other thick juices, which become better-tasting drinks after adding ice water and carbon dioxide.

Types and purchase of vinegar

Due to different brewing raw materials and process conditions, vinegar has different flavors and there is no unified classification method. If divided according to the vinegar making process, it can be divided into brewed vinegar and synthetic vinegar. Brewing vinegar can be divided into rice vinegar (made from grain and other raw materials) and sweet and sour vinegar (made from maltose and sugar residues). Rice vinegar can be further divided into smoked vinegar, balsamic vinegar, bran vinegar, etc. according to different processing methods. Synthetic vinegar can be further divided into color vinegar and white vinegar (white vinegar can be further divided into ordinary white vinegar and vinegar essence). Vinegar is best made from brewed vinegar, among which rice vinegar is the best.

Although the varieties of brewed vinegar have slightly different properties and characteristics due to different materials and preparation methods, in general, those with pure sourness, rich fragrance and bright color are better. Pay attention to cleanliness when using. Store in a cool, low-temperature place to prevent fermentation, turbid juice, loss of aroma, weak vinegar smell, or odor.

If classified according to raw material processing methods, grain raw materials are directly used to make vinegar without cooking and gelatinization, which is called raw vinegar; vinegar brewed after cooking and gelatinization is called clinker. vinegar. If classified according to the saccharification koji used to make vinegar, there are bran koji vinegar and old Fa koji vinegar. If classified according to acetic acid fermentation methods, there are solid fermented vinegar, liquid fermented vinegar and solid dilute fermented vinegar. If vinegar is classified according to its color, there are strong vinegar, light vinegar, and white vinegar. If classified by flavor, mature vinegar has a stronger vinegar aroma; smoked vinegar has a special burnt aroma; sweet vinegar is added with Chinese medicinal materials, plant spices, etc.

Synthetic vinegar, also called vinegar essence, is diluted with edible glacial acetic acid. It has a strong vinegar smell but no fragrance. Glacial acetic acid has a certain corrosive effect on the human body and should be diluted when used. Generally, the content of glacial acetic acid cannot exceed 3-4%. This kind of vinegar does not contain various nutrients found in vinegar, so it is not prone to mold and deterioration; however, it has no nutritional effect and can only be used as a seasoning. Therefore, if there is no special need, it is better to eat vinegar.

When purchasing vinegar, you should identify its quality from the following aspects: First, look at the color. There are two types of vinegar: red and white. High-quality red vinegar is required to be amber or reddish brown. High-quality white vinegar should be colorless and transparent. The second is to smell the fragrance. High-quality vinegar has a sour aroma and no other odor. The third is to taste. Although high-quality vinegar has high acidity, it is non-irritating, has a soft sour taste, is slightly sweet, is not astringent, and has no other odor. In addition, high-quality vinegar should be transparent and clear, with an appropriate concentration and no suspended matter, sediment, or mold floating film. The bottled vinegar must not show signs of deterioration such as mildew or floating film within three months from the time it leaves the factory.

The color of real vinegar is brown-red or colorless and transparent, shiny, with incense, ester or mellow aroma; it has a soft sour taste, slightly sweet taste, not astringent, and has a long aftertaste; the concentration is appropriate and there is no precipitation. things. Fake vinegar is often made by directly mixing industrial acetic acid with water. It has a light and dark color; the sour gas irritates the eyes when opening the bottle, and it has no fragrance; it has a weak taste, with an obvious bitter taste in addition to the sourness; and there are sediments and suspended matter.

Bottles containing bulk vinegar must be clean and free of water. Add a few drops of white wine and a small amount of salt to the bottle of vinegar, mix well and leave it aside to make the vinegar fragrant and less likely to become white and fermented, and can be stored for a long time. You can also add a little sesame oil to the bottle containing vinegar to cover the surface with a thin oil film to prevent the vinegar from becoming moldy and deteriorating.

Putting a section of scallion and a few garlic cloves in a vinegar bottle can also prevent mildew. In addition, it is not advisable to use copper vessels to hold vinegar, because copper will react chemically with acetic acid and other substances to produce copper acetate and other substances, which are harmful to health.