Old pickling vinegar uses?

ubamother

presumably shoving down the loo/sink could use it's last bit of acidity for cleaning as the weird smell wouldn't linger very long?

Lotus-eater

The OH doesn't like using brown vinegar on the loo's, she says it stains them. Just been wondering if it would be of any use as a weedkiller?

~Chameleon~

You've just reminded me what the strange smell is that's coming from my utility room. There's a couple of old jars of pickling vinegar stored in there that I'd forgotten about :doh:

lisa26_2

At the risk of sounding like I'm taking OS a little too far............is it ok to re-use pickling vinegar? I made pickled red cabbage in the summer and was surprised how expensive the vinegar was so I wondered if I could save the vinegar and re-use it to make the next batch? Its only for me, not gifts or anything.

Farway

I use bog standard "economy" malt vinegar for pickles, always worked OK for last 30 odd years. Morrison's Value is 19p for 568ml for instance

Just make sure it is "vinegar" and not "non brewed condiment" on the ingredients, I think Asda Smart Price is non brewed

Not 100% sure what difference is regarding taste & keeping qualities, but suspect non brewed is just a chemical mix

valk_scot

lisa26 wrote: »

At the risk of sounding like I'm taking OS a little too far............is it ok to re-use pickling vinegar? I made pickled red cabbage in the summer and was surprised how expensive the vinegar was so I wondered if I could save the vinegar and re-use it to make the next batch? Its only for me, not gifts or anything.

I would say not. It's not pure uncontaminated vinegar now, after all, it's likely to have tiny bits of cabbage floating around in it. For ~40p a litre, not worth giving yourself problems and perhaps having to end up dumping your next batch of pickle.

lisa26_2

Thanks for the replies. I paid more than 40p per litre for mine, where do others get it from? Will also try the morrisons one.

mi_jardin

I reuse the vinegar I use for my pickled onions a couple of times to save a bit on the vinegar:D

voiceofreason

Nothing beats old pickling vinegar in the bottle to shake over fresh, hot chips - awesome.

Mind, re-using old vinegar shouldn't be a problem (though because of the deep red colour, I might hesitate to re-use cabbage-vinegar for something else - and don't re-use vinegar from pickled eggs. It just makes the pickles stink......) - in fact it's something I've done myself.

When your pickles are finished, empty the vinegar through a sieve over a saucepan to filter out any solids, then take and heat the vinegar until it just hits a simmer. You're done then - you can add any spices, herbs or flavourings you like (though you may need a little less than normal as the "old" vinegar will already have been flavoured from earlier, when you used it the first time), and pickle as normal.

But Farway is right - don't use non-brewed condiment; it's a solution of acetic acid (the acid in vinegar, which is why it tastes and smells similar) and colouring, and is simply not as good for pickling.

If it doesn't say it's vinegar on the bottle, then it isn't. (SmartPrice vinegar, though, is vinegar - have used Sainsbury's Basic vinegar in the past for pickling, which I imagine is pretty much the same, and it's been fine!)

Happy pickling!

charliee_3

i used the vinegar from my super yummy barry norman onions in my green tomato chutney and it is double lush because of it...

if its 'good' onion vinegar i save it for chips, etc.. i also, if i have say gherkins or onions in less good vinegar, i throw them into the jar of better vinegar so they get 'nicer'

as long as its boiled i dont see the problem to re-use it for onions from scratch?