Too much vinegar in chutney- Help

davidscot

First time ever making green tomato chutney and ive mucked it up:mad:
Ive added way too much vinegar and its ended up really strong.
Is there anything I can add to rescue this or is it straight to the bin?

Any help here please

Seakay

When you say too much vinegar, do you know how much too much? Is it very liquid? What other ingredients have been added?

kerri_gt

I'm no expert as I haven't actually made my first batch of chutney yet (planned frugal Xmas pressie idea) but I have done some research and saw a suggestion that adding some honey can help combat too much vinegar. Also, the taste mellows over time so although it might taste really strong now, in a few weeks it may not be so acidic.

I'm not sure how much vinegar you have added, but if you specify this for more info, I am sure you'll get some advise on how to rescue the chutney - don't dispair!

davidscot

Seakay wrote: »

When you say too much vinegar, do you know how much too much? Is it very liquid? What other ingredients have been added?

Just added malt vinegar and some red wine vinegar to cover the other ingredients were green tomatoes, sultanas, chilli,garlic,ginger.

nuttywoman

I did exactly the same thing the other week and tried adding more sugar but it made no difference. In future if i make it i`m going to dilute the vinegar - if it works lol. I had to bin all mine in the end .

Seakay

So you've not started cooking or added the sugar or other spices yet?
If so then I would strain out the raw ingredients already in there, keeping both the solid ingredients and the liquid, then measure the correct amount of vinegar back into the mixture and then add the rest of the ingredients before starting to cook.
You say you know that there is too much vinegar because it is too strong - chutney when cooked tastes totally different to how it does raw and most chutneys mature after cooking and get less strong during that time.

davidscot

Seakay wrote: »

So you've not started cooking or added the sugar or other spices yet?
If so then I would strain out the raw ingredients already in there, keeping both the solid ingredients and the liquid, then measure the correct amount of vinegar back into the mixture and then add the rest of the ingredients before starting to cook.
You say you know that there is too much vinegar because it is too strong - chutney when cooked tastes totally different to how it does raw and most chutneys mature after cooking and get less strong during that time.

Oh yes its cooked, everythings added,sugar etc. Not very runny and looks not too bad but wow its strong
Its sitting in the pan right now and im wondering if its worth keeping.

jules42

davidscot wrote: »

Oh yes its cooked, everythings added,sugar etc. Not very runny and looks not too bad but wow its strong
Its sitting in the pan right now and im wondering if its worth keeping.

i made some for the first time about a month ago and mine was very vinegary, i bottled it up and it tastes a lot better now so dont chuck it

Seakay

Sorry, bit of confusion there.
So you followed the recipe and think it's too strong now it's cooked?
As I said, vinegar will mature with keeping once the chutney is cooked. If the texture isn't too runny then it's most unlikely that you have too much vinegar. Don't throw it away! That would be a terrible waste. Give it 6 months and then decide if it's for you or not.
It is possible that the chili is stronger than you anticipated, in which case not much will change but curry loving friends may appreciate it as gifts!
Also remember that hot vinegar is much more acrid than cold at the best of times, so if the chutney is still warm then it'll be a bit of a shock to the eyes and the back of the throat!
Don't forget to use vinegar proof lids when you pot up, that vinegar will corrode bare metal and rust will add nothing to your preserve's taste!

davidscot

No, its not that runny. In fact looks not bad its just the taste,smell etc.
So you think its worth bottling just to see if it gets better by age?

Seakay

Definitely.
Bottle it hot and make sure the jar lids are enameled or otherwise coated on the inside