SC -Asian cuisine

[kelsaborg]

In a message dated 5/17/2000 2:06:08 AM Eastern Daylight Time, 
stefan at texas.net writes:

> Well, a bit longer than overnight. One of the period ways to speed things
>  up was apparently to put the vinegar-to-be barrels on board ship and
>  ship them somewhere.

Makes sense.. the motion of the ship would probably aerate the wine a bit, 
speeding the mother along. Nowadays in factory production of vinegar we 
actually pump the stuff over the mother on big aeration racks, over and over 
again. Speeds the process up immeasurably. 

Perhaps my own poor efforts on vinegar making aren't clear though. After a 
quick and dirty websearch I found this, it might help. It's from the Ohio 
State University Extension site. While it deals with cider vinegar, wine 
vinegar can be made the same way. There are brewing supply places that sell 
vinegar mother, but I have had NO trouble getting started with unpasteurized 
vinegar from a health food store.

The Ohio State University Extension
Human Nutrition
1787 Neil Avenue, Columbus, OH 43212

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Making Cider Vinegar at Home
HYG-5346-97 
Two factors require special attention when making vinegar at home: oxygen 
supply and temperature. Oxygen is spread throughout the mixture by stirring 
it daily and by letting air reach the fluid through a cheesecloth filter, 
which is used in place of a regular lid. The temperature of fermenting cider 
should be kept between 60 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit (F). Lower temperatures 
do not always produce a usable vinegar, and higher ones interfere with the 
formation of the "mother of vinegar." Mother of vinegar is a mat that forms 
on the bottom of fermenting wine that has gone bad. 

Do not use a metal container when making vinegar; acid in the mixture will 
corrode metal or aluminum objects. Glass, plastic, wood, enamel, or stainless 
steel containers should be used for making or storing vinegar. The same holds 
true for making or storing foods that have more than 1 Tablespoon of vinegar 
in the recipe. 

Steps for Making Cider Vinegar
The following steps must be followed to make a high-quality cider vinegar: 


Make a clean cider from ripe apples. 


Change all of the fruit sugar to alcohol. This is called "yeast 
fermentation." 


Change all of the alcohol to acetic acid. This is called "acetic acid 
fermentation." 


Clarify the acetic acid to prevent further fermentation and decomposition. 

Step 1--Making Cider
Cider is made from the winter and fall varieties of apples (summer and green 
apples do not contain enough sugar). Fruit should be gathered, then washed 
well to remove debris. Crush the fruit to produce apple pulp and strain off 
the juice. Use a press or cheesecloth for straining. 

Adding yeast to activate fermentation is not essential, but will speed up the 
process. Special cultivated yeasts are available for this purpose at 
wine-making shops and biological labs--bread yeasts are not recommended. To 
make a starter, crumble one cake of yeast into one quart of cider. This makes 
enough starter for 5 gallons of cider; double the recipe proportionately when 
making more. 

Steps 2 and 3--Making Alcohol and Acetic Acid
Pour all of the liquid into one or more containers to about three-quarters 
capacity; do not close the lids on the containers. Stir the mixtures daily. 
Keep the containers away from direct sunlight and maintain the temperature at 
60 to 80 degrees F. Full fermentation will take about 3 to 4 weeks. Near the 
end of this period, you should notice a vinegar-like smell. Taste samples 
daily until the desired strength is reached. 

Step 4--Filtering
When the vinegar is fully fermented, filter the liquid through several layers 
of fine cheesecloth or filter paper--a coffee filter works well for this. 
This removes the mother of vinegar, preventing further fermentation or 
spoilage of the product. 

Storing Your Vinegar
The vinegar is now ready for storage in separate, capped containers. Stored 
vinegar will stay in excellent condition almost indefinitely if it is 
pasteurized. To pasteurize, heat the vinegar before pouring it into 
sterilized bottles, or bottle, then place in a hot water bath. In both cases, 
the temperature of the vinegar must reach at least 140 degrees F to sterilize 
the product, and should not exceed 160 degrees F. Use a cooking thermometer 
to ensure the correct temperature is met. Cool the containers and store at 
room temperature out of direct sunlight. 

Flavored Vinegar
Flavoring can be added to homemade vinegar just before bottling. Good 
examples of additives include green onion, garlic, ginger, or any combination 
of dried or fresh herbs. To make flavoring, place material in a small 
cheesecloth bag and suspend in the vinegar until desired strength is reached. 
This will take about 4 days, except for garlic, which takes only 1 day. For 
every 2 cups of vinegar, use one of the following: 1/2 cup crushed fresh 
herbs, 1 tablespoon of dried herbs, 2 large cloves of garlic, or 8 small 
green onions. Other good flavorings include tarragon, basil, nasturtium, 
chives, mint, chervil, borage, hot chilies, and raspberries. Adjust the 
amounts to taste, but be careful not to overload the vinegar. Too much 
vegetable matter can destroy the acid and ruin the preservative quality of 
the vinegar. 

Some flavorings may not go well with cider vinegar's distinct taste and 
color. When flavoring store-bought vinegar, use more delicate or decorative 
flavors. When flavoring store-bought vinegar, you will still need to 
pasteurize it and use sterile bottles. 

Flavored vinegars taste great and have a beautiful color, making them 
excellent for use in salads. You will be tempted to display flavored vinegar; 
however, be sure to keep your bottles out of direct sunlight, which will 
destroy the flavor, acidity, and color of the vinegar. 

Uses for Homemade Cider Vinegar
Because the acidity of homemade vinegars will vary, do not use them in foods 
to be canned or stored at room temperature. Homemade vinegar is, however, 
excellent in salads, cooking, or freezer and refrigerator pickled products. 

Prepared by
Christine Nicholas, Intern
Doris Herringshaw, Extension Agent, Family and Consumer Sciences