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Balsamic vinegar: like or dislike?

Balsamic vinegar

Welcome to Like or Dislike, where you get to share how you really feel about ingredients from the pantry, ingredients I'm thinking about adding to my pantry, other seasonal foods, even favorite cooking gear. Do you like, dislike, love, crave, despise, wish for, use in your own kitchen? The things you like are sure to find their way to the recipes here on The Perfect Pantry, so do tell!

Can you remember a time before balsamic vinegar found its way into every salad dressing and sauce served at every restaurant everywhere? Talk about fifteen minutes of fame! Balsamic has enjoyed a decade of fame, or more, and with good reason. A splash on slices of fresh tomato and mozzarella cheese, or added right at the end of cooking a vegetable soup, tickles your taste buds and makes them take notice of what's in your mouth. It's certainly my go-to vinegar. Real balsamic is unbelieveably expensive, so balsamic condiment is what most of us buy. The best balsamic condiment tastes sweet and mellow. I could eat it by the spoonful.

Balsamic vinegar: like or dislike?

Last week: pumpkin. I thought there would be more people who are crazy in love with pumpkin, but for many, it's a seasonal love affair. Most of the pumpkin lovers mentioned pumpkin pie. I like to play around with the savory dishes like soups and stews. Be sure to stock up now while canned pumpkin purée is on sale in the market.

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Comments

I like balsamic vinegar. I have an awesome recipe for basalmic roast beef made in the crock pot. I make it for hubby's lunch subs.

I love it.

I think that at the moment it is suffering from what I call the Chardonnay syndrome, which was the go-to white wine for many years, then all of a sudden was an anathema ("ABC?" "Anything But Chardonnay"). Then after the movie "Sideways" came out, Merlot was thrown into the dustbin in favor of Pinot Noir.

Right now all you read about balsamic is how it is overused and not so great anyway.

I'm in your camp. Few can afford the real deal, and we need to find good second-best, but its flavor is unmatched. Any recommendations on a decent condiment style?

P.S. I'd love to try real balsamic. Maybe I'll get a small bottle as a one-time indulgence.

Like! Full of flavor. A little will boost the flavor of broths and sauces

I am fortunate to have a store nearby where one can try a variety of balsamic vinegars (they provide bread cubes for dipping), as well as a variety of olive oils. My favorite is a thick, rich, aged balsamic vinegar. If you bring the empty bottle back for a refill, you get a dollar off. Good thing, when it is so costly!

Last night we had it drizzled on heirloom tomatoes with fresh mozzarella and basil - classic caprese salad is unbeatable!

You are reminding me that I do not remember to use it enough. When I first started noticing 'white balsamic' in recipes, I was more than puzzled; finally read how it is made; have not purchased it, or even tried it. Is it a useful ingredient to have on hand?

I like it very much. I use it in my marinade for steak. Love it for dipping bread. Now I"m craving some.

In addition to the pleasures of better quality everyday balsamics, I have found some novelty versions, one with fig flavor, one with pomegranate, which bring another dimension to the table.
A memory from early days: a friend had traveled in Italy, came back telling us how delicious plain cooked vegetables tasted with a last minute sear with balsamic vinegar. Late 80's, I think.

Definitely like it, but when I reduced it and topped fresh strawberries with the reduction and some black pepper, my hubby thought I'd lost my mind for sure. It was delicious!

Like everyone else, I love the good stuff, am not so fond of the stuff every restaurant brings you when you ask for oil and vinegar for your salad. (I never get a pre-made restaurant salad dressing.)

I'd also like your suggestion on brands ordinary folks could afford!

Love it! How did we live w/out it?

I like it. I have a very good recipe for chicken and zucchini that has balsamic vinegar in the sauce. It perks up what would elsewise a bland dish.

Love it! But not to the exclusion of other vinegars. Each has its place. A reduction is yummy, too. Hmmm. I have arugula, blue cheese, pecans and cranberries at hand. I think it's time to reduce some balsamic for tonight!

I like balsamic (well, the affordable stuff is all I've tasted) and use it in my basic salad dressing with olive oil, mustard, salt and pepper.

Love balsamic vinegar!

Balsamic vinegar is definitely a LIKE for me, although there was a while when I felt it was being overused. I also love the white balsamic vinegar my stepsister brings me from California, which is a lot less common.

I love it, and use it and olive oil only on every tossed salad I ever have. Never by tore bought dressing anymore.

Love it. Especially the white balsamics. Fiore in Maine has an incredible selection. My favorite is the Sicilian lemon. Adds just a hint of lemon.

@Ann Huebsch: You wouldn't be referring to Pure Mountain Olive Oil in New York, per chance? It's my weakness!

[Oh, Connie, the you missed the decades of Chablis prior to the Chardonnay decades.]

The only thing that gripes me is what Jean hints at above; there is NO Balsamic Vinegar, there is a Balsamic Vinegar SPECTRUM. I have a wonderful bottle of the REAL stuff that goes over strawberries with an eye-dropper and I have other bottles that are "kinda-like it". Just like soy sauce where you have to drill into the maker. It is so frustrating because we all know we are not all talking about the SAME STUFF! I need a brand name associated with something called "balsamic vinegar".

I'm a balsamic hoarder! 5 different types in my cupboard as we speak.
I'm sure I need some sort of 12 step program for my obsession ?!!!!

I make Balsamic reduction then add to good quality Olive oil and dip my homemade bread in it, that's all you need .... Yummy !!!!!

Love, even if I can't afford the best. I may have been known to pour a little in a shot glass when no one is looking.

dislike - 90% of the time. Dipping good bread in fine balsamic vinegar & olive oil is wonderful ... but as a salad dressing it just obliterates all other flavours (although I suppose that would not matter with iceberg lettuce!)

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