Thread: White Balsamic Vinegar

Mark Thorson wrote:

> I saw bottles of white so-called "balsamic" vinegar
> at Trader Joe's. It does say on the bottle that
> it is not aged in wood barrels. That leads me
> to ask in what sense is it balsamic vinegar?
>
> I didn't buy any, so I don't have an opinion on
> the taste.

We use it a lot. It's got a very pleasing taste. We have several
varieties of balsamic vinegar from top-of-the-line to average, but the
white is my go-to in cooking and salad dressings.

According to the label, it says "Trader Joe's White Balsamic Vinegar is
made using the same traditional methods used to produce conventional
Balsamic Vinegar. Two differences in the process result in a similar
vinegar of a different color; it isn't aged in wooden barrels, and the
dark color is filtered out, leaving a crystal clear tint and distinctive
taste of Trader Joe's White Balsamic Vinegar."

Comparing it to their regular Balsamic, it's half the calories (5) but
the same amount of carbs (2) per tablespoon.

--Lin

Mark Thorson wrote:

> That's like a knife which has lost both its blade
> and its handle.

LOL! Yeah, I thought the double-speak was pretty good.

>> Comparing it to their regular Balsamic, it's half the calories (5) but
>> the same amount of carbs (2) per tablespoon.
>
> Huh? All of the calories in vinegar are carbs,
> either sugar or acetic acid. There's no significant
> amount of protein or fat in vinegar, so what's left?

Just comparing the two labels of the same brand. I did notice that the
dark vinegar had caramel added (for coloring it claimed).

*TJ's "regular" Balsamic Vinegar (in a jug)*
INGREDIENTS: Wine vinegar, concentrated grape must, caramel (color).
Contains natural sulfites.

*TJ'S "White" Balsamic Vinegar (tall, thin bottle)*
INGREDIENTS: White wine vinegar (contains sulfites) concentrated grape must.

Yes, the 2g carbs are sugars.

*TJ's Gold Quality Balsamic Vinegar (premium aged, in small bottle)*
INGREDIENTS: Wine vinegar, cooked grape must. Contains sulfites.
This one has 20 calories per tablespoon and 5g carbs, all sugars.

--Lin

I saw bottles of white so-called "balsamic" vinegar
at Trader Joe's. It does say on the bottle that
it is not aged in wood barrels. That leads me
to ask in what sense is it balsamic vinegar?

I didn't buy any, so I don't have an opinion on
the taste.

Lin wrote:
>
> According to the label, it says "Trader Joe's White Balsamic Vinegar is
> made using the same traditional methods used to produce conventional
> Balsamic Vinegar. Two differences in the process result in a similar
> vinegar of a different color; it isn't aged in wooden barrels, and the
> dark color is filtered out, leaving a crystal clear tint and distinctive
> taste of Trader Joe's White Balsamic Vinegar."

That's like a knife which has lost both its blade
and its handle.

> Comparing it to their regular Balsamic, it's half the calories (5) but
> the same amount of carbs (2) per tablespoon.

Huh? All of the calories in vinegar are carbs,
either sugar or acetic acid. There's no significant
amount of protein or fat in vinegar, so what's left?

"Mark Thorson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]..
> I saw bottles of white so-called "balsamic" vinegar
> at Trader Joe's. It does say on the bottle that
> it is not aged in wood barrels. That leads me
> to ask in what sense is it balsamic vinegar?

It is imported from the island of Balsama. They have a big vinegar factory
there.

"Lin" <[email protected]> wrote
>
> *TJ's "regular" Balsamic Vinegar (in a jug)*
> INGREDIENTS: Wine vinegar, concentrated grape must, caramel (color).
> Contains natural sulfites.
>
> *TJ'S "White" Balsamic Vinegar (tall, thin bottle)*
> INGREDIENTS: White wine vinegar (contains sulfites) concentrated grape
> must.

> *TJ's Gold Quality Balsamic Vinegar (premium aged, in small bottle)*
> INGREDIENTS: Wine vinegar, cooked grape must. Contains sulfites.

> --Lin

Right there, both are fakes. Real Balsamic vinegar is made from grape
pressings that have never fermented into wine. At best, it may be Trebbiano
grape wine vinegar, but they are marketing the stuff to unsuspecting people
that think they are getting something that does not even exist. The real
deal contains no caramel coloring either. Just a fraud to mark up the price
using the word "balsamic"

Ed Pawlowski wrote:

> Right there, both are fakes. Real Balsamic vinegar is made from grape
> pressings that have never fermented into wine. At best, it may be
> Trebbiano grape wine vinegar, but they are marketing the stuff to
> unsuspecting people that think they are getting something that does not
> even exist. The real deal contains no caramel coloring either. Just a
> fraud to mark up the price using the word "balsamic"

I'm sure Bob has plenty of the "real" in the cupboard. He's got some
realllllly old stuff for special occasions and recipes. A couple drops
'ill do ya. I was just pointing out what TJ's has out. Product of
Modena, Italy in any case. And I like it fine for "everyday" use. Tastes
okay to me, "fake" or not.

--Lin

In article <b13aa$4bae86a5$453e8ce6$[email protected]>,
Lin <[email protected]> wrote:

> Ed Pawlowski wrote:
>
> > Right there, both are fakes. Real Balsamic vinegar is made from grape
> > pressings that have never fermented into wine. At best, it may be
> > Trebbiano grape wine vinegar, but they are marketing the stuff to
> > unsuspecting people that think they are getting something that does not
> > even exist. The real deal contains no caramel coloring either. Just a
> > fraud to mark up the price using the word "balsamic"
>
> I'm sure Bob has plenty of the "real" in the cupboard. He's got some
> realllllly old stuff for special occasions and recipes. A couple drops
> 'ill do ya. I was just pointing out what TJ's has out. Product of
> Modena, Italy in any case. And I like it fine for "everyday" use. Tastes
> okay to me, "fake" or not.
>
> --Lin

Lin, ever tried combining Balsamic vinegar with soy sauce?
It is so very, very good. About 50/50. Kinda sweet and sour.
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
"We're all adults here, except for those of us who aren't." --Blake Murphy

Omelet wrote:

> Lin, ever tried combining Balsamic vinegar with soy sauce?
> It is so very, very good. About 50/50. Kinda sweet and sour.

I can't say that I have. I'll give it a try sometime!

--Lin

Ed wrote:

> Real Balsamic vinegar is made from grape pressings that have never
> fermented into wine.

99% (and probably at least a couple nines after the decimal point) of what
is sold as balsamic vinegar is actually "de Modena," which is to say they
are made of wine vinegar which has been treated to (shabbily) imitate real
balsamic vinegar. It's a HUGE corruption of the system which takes advantage
of ignorant shoppers.

Genuine balsamic vinegar is a rare and precious commodity. I have two
bottles of the stuff; one is 50-year-old balsamico tradizionale (with the
consortium's seal of approval), the other is a 25-year-old vinegar which was
aged exclusively in cherrywood casks. (As traditional balsamic vinegar ages
and reduces in volume, it's moved to smaller and smaller casks. Most of the
time, each cask is made of a different type of wood. I don't remember the
exact woods used -- it's in a book I have at home -- but I do remember that
mulberry wood was the final one.)

Bob

In article <c73a8$4baef543$453e8ce6$[email protected]>,
Lin <[email protected]> wrote:

> Omelet wrote:
>
> > Lin, ever tried combining Balsamic vinegar with soy sauce?
> > It is so very, very good. About 50/50. Kinda sweet and sour.
>
> I can't say that I have. I'll give it a try sometime!
>
> --Lin

Cheers! :-)
I don't know if you saw my sauce recipe I've been using lately for my
spring rolls (made with rice/tapioca wrappers). Rough proportions are:

4 tbs. Balsamic Vinegar
4 tbs. Soy Sauce
2 tbs. yellow mustard
1 tbs. Oyster sauce
Light drizzle of dark sesame oil (roughly 1 tsp.)

It are really really good shtuff! ;-d

I keep my spring rolls light. Main filling is romaine or sprouts with a
little meat. I've also been playing with strips of canned green chilis
lately. No pasta, no rice. Maybe some egg, but rarely.
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
"We're all adults here, except for those of us who aren't." --Blake Murphy

Omelet wrote:

> I don't know if you saw my sauce recipe I've been using lately for my
> spring rolls (made with rice/tapioca wrappers). Rough proportions are:
>
> 4 tbs. Balsamic Vinegar
> 4 tbs. Soy Sauce
> 2 tbs. yellow mustard
> 1 tbs. Oyster sauce
> Light drizzle of dark sesame oil (roughly 1 tsp.)
>
> It are really really good shtuff! ;-d
>
> I keep my spring rolls light. Main filling is romaine or sprouts with a
> little meat. I've also been playing with strips of canned green chilis
> lately. No pasta, no rice. Maybe some egg, but rarely.

I read off and on. A little bit more the last few days but most of the
time I see the sheer bulk of posts and mark them as read.

Your recipe looks great! Out here "spring" rolls are deep fried, whereas
"summer" rolls are in the rice paper wrappers. We have an excellent
Vietnamese restaurant close by that does Summer rolls to die for with a
special peanut sauce. However, on their menu they refer to summer rolls
as just "rolls" ... Spring are classic deep fried and they have "spring"
in the menu name.

Bob has made me summer rolls before that were excellent. Now I'm craving
them!

--Lin (should head off to bed now)

In article <7765b$4baf0682$453e8ce6$[email protected]>,
Lin <[email protected]> wrote:

> Omelet wrote:
>
> > I don't know if you saw my sauce recipe I've been using lately for my
> > spring rolls (made with rice/tapioca wrappers). Rough proportions are:
> >
> > 4 tbs. Balsamic Vinegar
> > 4 tbs. Soy Sauce
> > 2 tbs. yellow mustard
> > 1 tbs. Oyster sauce
> > Light drizzle of dark sesame oil (roughly 1 tsp.)
> >
> > It are really really good shtuff! ;-d
> >
> > I keep my spring rolls light. Main filling is romaine or sprouts with a
> > little meat. I've also been playing with strips of canned green chilis
> > lately. No pasta, no rice. Maybe some egg, but rarely.
>
> I read off and on. A little bit more the last few days but most of the
> time I see the sheer bulk of posts and mark them as read.

I have to do that too sometimes!

>
> Your recipe looks great!

Thanks. :-)
That's a huge compliment coming from you!

> Out here "spring" rolls are deep fried, whereas
> "summer" rolls are in the rice paper wrappers. We have an excellent
> Vietnamese restaurant close by that does Summer rolls to die for with a
> special peanut sauce. However, on their menu they refer to summer rolls
> as just "rolls" ... Spring are classic deep fried and they have "spring"
> in the menu name.

There seems to be some confusion sometimes in terms. :-) These are
called "spring rolls" at the local Sushi places. That's why I just
describe them anymore as the cold ones with the rice wrappers.

>
> Bob has made me summer rolls before that were excellent. Now I'm craving
> them!
>
> --Lin (should head off to bed now)

Heh! Me too.
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
"We're all adults here, except for those of us who aren't." --Blake Murphy

"Bob Terwilliger" <virtualgoth@die_spammer.biz> wrote in message
news:4baef815$0$14672$[email protected]..
> Ed wrote:
>
>> Real Balsamic vinegar is made from grape pressings that have never
>> fermented into wine.
>
> 99% (and probably at least a couple nines after the decimal point) of what
> is sold as balsamic vinegar is actually "de Modena," which is to say they
> are made of wine vinegar which has been treated to (shabbily) imitate real
> balsamic vinegar. It's a HUGE corruption of the system which takes
> advantage of ignorant shoppers.
>
> Genuine balsamic vinegar is a rare and precious commodity. I have two
> bottles of the stuff; one is 50-year-old balsamico tradizionale (with the
> consortium's seal of approval), the other is a 25-year-old vinegar which
> was aged exclusively in cherrywood casks.

I have a bottle of the 50 year old. I was in a store in Providence on
Friday and they had some 75 year old that was selling for $250.

The "balsamic" name has been bastardized and overused both in the US and in
Modena for the sake of money that it has become meaningless. Thee are some
vinegars that are young and have a similar background that carry the
"balsamic" name and are actually pretty good for what they are. But don't
ship me a Fiat with a Lamborghini emblem on it and expect me to pay a
premium for it.

One of the delights we discovered here in France were Nems, mini Spring
rolls that you eat wrapped in lettuce leaves with a few mint leaves.
Never saw these in the UK

The idea of soy and Balsamic as a dipping sauce appeals

Steve

On 28/03/2010 09:34, Lin wrote:

>
> Bob has made me summer rolls before that were excellent. Now I'm craving
> them!
>
> --Lin (should head off to bed now)

In article <[email protected]>,
Steve Y <[email protected]> wrote:

> One of the delights we discovered here in France were Nems, mini Spring
> rolls that you eat wrapped in lettuce leaves with a few mint leaves.
> Never saw these in the UK
>
> The idea of soy and Balsamic as a dipping sauce appeals
>
> Steve
>

It truly is complimentary. :-)
Surprisingly so. I discovered the combo when I was looking to create a
salad dressing that was rich in flavor, yet fat free and relatively low
carb. Granted, vinegar is not carb free (and neither is soy sauce) but
it's so rich in flavor, you can use a very, very small amount. Adding
mustard to it as a thickener also worked out well.
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
"We're all adults here, except for those of us who aren't." --Blake Murphy

Mark Thorson wrote:
> I saw bottles of white so-called "balsamic" vinegar
> at Trader Joe's. It does say on the bottle that
> it is not aged in wood barrels. That leads me
> to ask in what sense is it balsamic vinegar?
>
> I didn't buy any, so I don't have an opinion on
> the taste.


Not balsamic white, but I really like
Trader Joe's Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar.

gloria p

Bob Terwilliger wrote:
> Ed wrote:
>
>> Real Balsamic vinegar is made from grape pressings that have never
>> fermented into wine.
>
> 99% (and probably at least a couple nines after the decimal point) of
> what is sold as balsamic vinegar is actually "de Modena," which is to
> say they are made of wine vinegar which has been treated to (shabbily)
> imitate real balsamic vinegar. It's a HUGE corruption of the system
> which takes advantage of ignorant shoppers.
>
> Genuine balsamic vinegar is a rare and precious commodity. I have two
> bottles of the stuff; one is 50-year-old balsamico tradizionale (with
> the consortium's seal of approval), the other is a 25-year-old vinegar
> which was aged exclusively in cherrywood casks. (As traditional balsamic
> vinegar ages and reduces in volume, it's moved to smaller and smaller
> casks. Most of the time, each cask is made of a different type of wood.
> I don't remember the exact woods used -- it's in a book I have at home
> -- but I do remember that mulberry wood was the final one.)
>
> Bob


Really? I always assumed "balsamic" was aged in some kind of
coniferous wood to get that piney flavor.

gloria p

"gloria.p" <[email protected]> wrote
>> Genuine balsamic vinegar is a rare and precious commodity. I have two
>> bottles of the stuff; one is 50-year-old balsamico tradizionale (with the
>> consortium's seal of approval), the other is a 25-year-old vinegar which
>> was aged exclusively in cherrywood casks. (As traditional balsamic
>> vinegar ages and reduces in volume, it's moved to smaller and smaller
>> casks. Most of the time, each cask is made of a different type of wood. I
>> don't remember the exact woods used -- it's in a book I have at home --
>> but I do remember that mulberry wood was the final one.)
>>
>> Bob
>
>
> Really? I always assumed "balsamic" was aged in some kind of
> coniferous wood to get that piney flavor.
>
> gloria p

That could be Christmas Vinegar.

From Wikipedia:
True balsamic vinegar is made from a reduction of pressed Trebbiano and
Lambrusco grapes. The resulting thick syrup, called mosto cotto in Italian,
is subsequently aged for a minimum of 12 years in a battery of seven barrels
of successively smaller sizes. The casks are made of different woods like
chestnut, acacia, cherry, oak, mulberry, ash, and, in the past, juniper.
True balsamic vinegar is rich, glossy, deep brown in color and has a complex
flavour that balances the natural sweet and sour elements of the cooked
grape juice with hints of wood from the casks.