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It’s a far cry since the days vinegar was used by soldiers and mariners to stop food rotting on long journeys and to kill maggots and add flavour to meat that had already decomposed.
Since then this common food additive has developed hundreds of alternative uses, many every bit as good as proprietary health, beauty and household products, meaning you also get to save money by keeping a few spare bottles of vinegar handy.
Beauty Care
Add a cupful of apple cider vinegar to the bathwater to soothe tired muscles and relieve dry itchy skin and sunburn.
The tell-tale aroma of fish and onions on the hands can be removed by rubbing in neat vinegar before rinsing thoroughly in warm water.
Rinse dark or greasy hair after washing with a few cupfuls of neat vinegar added to the final rinse.
Condiments
Make your own mint by gathering and stripping leaves from the stalks when dry. Tear into tiny pieces and spread evenly in a shallow dish. Cover with vinegar and leave for two or three hours before straining and pressing leaves lightly in a screw-top jar. Store in a cool, dry place.
Children
Make your own playdough by mixing 2 cupfuls of flour with one cupful of salt, one-half cupful of water and 1 teaspoonful of vinegar. Mix the flour and salt first then slowly add water and vinegar, stirring all the time until the mixture is stiff. Use your hands to kneed the dough. The dough is ready to use or can be brightened with the addition of a little food colouring. (Saves £££s and means kids get fresh dough instead of hard multi-coloured lumps).
Cleaning and Polishing
Add a few drops of vinegar to shop-bought polish to improve the shine on wooden furniture.
Half a pint of paraffin mixed with half a pint of vinegar makes a great cleaner and polisher for most kinds of furniture and can also be used on lino, kitchen and bathroom tiles, marble and paintwork.
Keep colours fast on striped towels by washing in hot, soapy water mixed with a cupful of vinegar.
Make a cleaner for brass and copper by mixing equal parts of lemon juice and vinegar which should be applied carefully and left to stand for several minutes. Polish off with a fluff-free cloth.
Remove heavy dirt stains from children’s toys and baby hardware, tiles and other heavy duty surfaces, by using a cloth wrung out of lukewarm water to which a little vinegar has been added. Leave to dry before buffing with a clean fluff-free cloth.
Clean windows with a solution of 2 teaspoonfuls of vinegar to one pint of warm water.
Clean and polish stainless steels pans and other kitchen utensils using bicarbonate of soda on a cloth moistened first with vinegar.
Clothing
Make your own fabric softener by mixing bicarbonate of soda, vinegar and water (parts: 2/2/4). Add a quarter cupful of the mixture to the final rinse for hand or machine washing.
Cooking and Food
Add a teaspoonful of vinegar to water when boiling fish to keep it firm and white.
Add a little vinegar to water used to clean leafy vegetables. You’ll find insects and caterpillars will float to the surface and make cleaning easier.
To prevent cheese becoming mouldy wrap it in a piece of muslin which has been wrung out in vinegar. If you don’t have muslin try a piece of closely woven net instead.
To help tenderise inexpensive joints of meat, pour on a little vinegar before cooking in a very slow oven.
Make your own red food colouring by mixing one cupful of beetroot juice (tinned or fresh), two tablespoonfuls vinegar and water to your desired colour. Bottle and leave in a cool place.
Make your own yellow colouring by placing the dark outer skins of five onions in a saucepan with one cupful of water and half a cupful of vinegar. Allow to boil for ten minutes. Strain and bottle the juice and leave to stand in a cool place.
Add a teaspoonful of white vinegar to egg whites used to make meringue. Leave to stand for thirty seconds before whipping in the usual way. The vinegar increases stiffness and makes meringues brilliantly white.
If you run out of eggs, replace them with one tablespoonful of white wine vinegar per egg, as long as the recipe includes another rising agent such as self-raising flour.
Health Care
Use hot vinegar compresses to relieve pain from injury or arthritis and rheumatism. The lotion also benefits common sprains and strains.
Mix together equal amounts of cider vinegar and cold water to produce a toner for greasy and combination skin. The mixture can also be used as a soothing wash for tired puffy eyes.
In folk medicine vinegar is considered an elixir for a long healthy life and is recommended for internal and external use. Make a daily drink from one tablespoonful of apple cider vinegar to a cupful of warm or cold water, according to preference. The practice is believed to benefit the memory and to help the body fight many diseases of advancing years.
Lighten age spots with a daily application of pure apple cider vinegar.
Ironing Disasters
If linen is badly scorched take a cupful of vinegar to which is added half an ounce of soap, two ounces of fuller’s earth and the juice of one lemon. Boil well and spread over the damaged parts. Leave to dry and wash the linen. You’ll find the stain has completely disappeared.
Remove mineral deposits from a steam iron by filling it with equal parts of white vinegar and water. Let it steam until dry before rinsing thoroughly with clean water.
Smells
Make your own air spray by mixing two cupfuls of white vinegar with one cupful of crushed herbs, choosing from rosemary, lavender, cloves, thyme or pine needles. Place the ingredients in a saucepan and boil gently for ten minutes then leave to cool. Pour into a large jar with close-fitting lid. Leave to stand for three or four weeks. Strain and add the mixture to a spray container or atomiser. Use in the same way as commercial air sprays.
When a dishcloth or face flannel gets slimy and starts to smell, immerse it in a solution of water and vinegar in equal parts. Leave to stand overnight and in the morning rinse thoroughly with clean water.
Stain Removal
Ink stains can be removed by soaking the fabric in vinegar for an hour or two before washing in the usual way.
Hot vinegar quickly removes whitewash and distemper splashes from most surfaces, including fabrics.
Remove even stubborn stains from the inside of tea and coffee pots using a mixture of equal parts of white vinegar and water. Fill the pot and leave to stand for thirty minutes before rinsing thoroughly.
Stickers and their gooey remains can be removed by soaking the article in vinegar until the pieces float free.
Remove salt stains from shoes in winter by wiping them with a cloth wrung out in a mixture of one tablespoonful of vinegar to a cupful of water.
Remove grime from collars and cuffs by rubbing with a thick paste of baking soda and vinegar in equal parts. Leave to stand for half an hour before washing in the usual way.
Remove rust from bolts and other small metal objects by immersing in neat vinegar until the residue dissolves.
Make Your Own Wine Vinegars
Any bottle of wine or cider left open to the air - inside or in the fresh air - can be made into a basic vinegar for cooking or general use. White wines are best for lighter dishes, red for recipes requiring stronger flavours.
Cider and Bay Leaf Vinegar Mix one-quarter cupful of mashed bay leaves with one pint of cider vinegar and leave to stand for several weeks before straining. Bay leaves have an aromatic, almost pungent flavour and, as a wine vinegar, they complement virtually any savoury dish.
Cider and Sage Vinegar Take two tablespoonfuls of chopped sage and boil for ten minutes in a pint of cider vinegar. Remove from the heat, cool and strain. This is particularly tasty with savoury and most meat dishes, especially bacon, fowl and pork.
Garlic Vinegar Separate and peel the cloves of a large garlic bulb and combine with a quart of vinegar (cider or wine: any colour). Leave for two weeks. Remove the cloves.
Celery Vinegar Combine two cupfuls of chopped celery, a pinch of salt and one quart vinegar (cider, white or red wine vinegar, depending on preferred flavour and colour). Boil the mixture for three minutes and leave to stand for two or three weeks. Strain before using.
Onion Vinegar Peel three small onions and add them whole to one quart of vinegar (cider or white wine is best). Leave for three weeks and remove the onions. The vinegar can be used in most foods where onions would be served and also makes a delicious condiment.
Sherry Wine Vinegar Leave the remains of a bottle of sherry to stand in the open air for two weeks before re-corking and storing in a cool place. The vinegar adds flavour to most fish dishes, including shellfish and cocktail sauces used for shellfish. Different kinds of sherry give different strengths of vinegar. Try experimenting.
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Vinegar - Unusual Ways to Use Vinegar by Avril Harper |
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www.pimpernels.com |
