100 year old vinegar

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WelshBloke

WelshBloke

Lifer
Jan 12, 2005
32,683
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kage69 said:
It all comes out to equal super high end fruit tech that doesn't share our Western emphasis on quantity over quality, size and appearance over taste.
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Thats why you buy them from a small producer that's carefully picked the variety that suits his soil and allows you to pick them when they are right.
 
kage69

kage69

Lifer
Jul 17, 2003
30,680
45,761
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WelshBloke said:
Thats why you buy them from a small producer that's carefully picked the variety that suits his soil and allows you to pick them when they are right.
Click to expand...

I'm not saying you can't get good produce from a farm that knows what they are doing, but I am saying the Japanese have figured out how to grow the best, the pinnacles of what fruit can be. There is a price premium for this, granted, but for many it's worth it. I'm one of those people.

My first designer mango had me almost hallucinating it was so damn good. Was like Kumar after his WhiteCastle, just content weeping.

I've had great quality fruit and veg, some wild, here in the States. Delicious stuff. But nothing here ever knocked my taste buds silly like a Japanese strawberry. Hawaii might be the exception. Fresh pineapple in Hawaii is far superior to any kind of pineapple (canned or fresh) I've had anywhere else.
 
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ponyo

ponyo

Lifer
Feb 14, 2002
19,688
2,811
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@DigDog ,

I agree with you about buying stuff good for daily use. I'm definitely bang for buck guy. But I'm also curious. Which is why I want to try the expensive stuff. I know it's likely the expensive balsamic is not worth the hype but without trying it, I will always be wondering what it tastes like. So I want to satisfy my curiosity. But I don't want to jump in the deep end right away. I need to build up to it so I can appreciate the finer differences. And that takes time and trying many different things.

Thankfully, I'm not wine or fine liquor snob. I don't really drink much and perfectly fine with the cheap stuff when it comes to alcohol.
 
Fritzo

Fritzo

Lifer
Jan 3, 2001
41,920
2,161
126
When you find a decent balsamic vinegar, you have to remember the brand. There's some excellent cheap brands, and there's some complete crap expensive brands. Something you can look for: if you swirl around the bottle, it should leave some residue as a good balsamic will be semi-viscous (not liquidy like regular vinegar). If you can find balsamic syrup that's my favorite to use- it's pre-reduced and great for desserts or sauces. Normally if you're using balsamic you're looking to add sweetness or fruity flavors. A good affordable brand I've found is Sparrow Lane- usually in the $8-$15 range per bottle.

A great place to find decent balsamic...of all places...is TJ Maxx or Marshalls. They tend to have high-end stuff for around $10 a bottle. Not sure how they do it but it's become one of my favorite places to get kitchen supplies :)


Hi. I geek out over vinegar. :confused_old:
 
W

woodman1999

Golden Member
Sep 19, 2003
1,711
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It seems the thread took a turn to strawberries but just wanted to throw Villa Manodori Aceto Balsamico di Modena out there as an option for you ponyo. It's in that $40-$50 range and my whole family loves it. My 5 year old and 8 year old won't eat their prosciutto without it.
 
MrSquished

MrSquished

Lifer
Jan 14, 2013
26,040
24,351
136
Fritzo said:
When you find a decent balsamic vinegar, you have to remember the brand. There's some excellent cheap brands, and there's some complete crap expensive brands. Something you can look for: if you swirl around the bottle, it should leave some residue as a good balsamic will be semi-viscous (not liquidy like regular vinegar). If you can find balsamic syrup that's my favorite to use- it's pre-reduced and great for desserts or sauces. Normally if you're using balsamic you're looking to add sweetness or fruity flavors. A good affordable brand I've found is Sparrow Lane- usually in the $8-$15 range per bottle.

A great place to find decent balsamic...of all places...is TJ Maxx or Marshalls. They tend to have high-end stuff for around $10 a bottle. Not sure how they do it but it's become one of my favorite places to get kitchen supplies :)


Hi. I geek out over vinegar. :confused_old:
Click to expand...
That's what I need. Something around 40 bucks that I can put on ice cream or fruit or cheese. My brother in law was gifted a small bottle of a very aged balsamic from someone who was in italy years back, and it was amazing on vanilla ice cream.

I think pretty much all the berries I've eaten around these parts are subpar.

When I go to Cyprus and eat berries or certain fruits there like cantaloupe and honeydew, they are miles ahead of anything I've eaten here. My relatives picked some wild berries from their land and served then to us after dinner at their house, to this day I remember the flavor explosion in my mouth wondering what the imposters that we called berries from the supermarkets in Jersey were. Obviously it helps that they were grown just miles away and picked fresh. I'm sure folks in places like Cali where these fruits can grow in the correct climate have similar experiences.
 
Fritzo

Fritzo

Lifer
Jan 3, 2001
41,920
2,161
126
MrSquished said:
That's what I need. Something around 40 bucks that I can put on ice cream or fruit or cheese. My brother in law was gifted a small bottle of a very aged balsamic from someone who was in italy years back, and it was amazing on vanilla ice cream.

I think pretty much all the berries I've eaten around these parts are subpar.

When I go to Cyprus and eat berries or certain fruits there like cantaloupe and honeydew, they are miles ahead of anything I've eaten here. My relatives picked some wild berries from their land and served then to us after dinner at their house, to this day I remember the flavor explosion in my mouth wondering what the imposters that we called berries from the supermarkets in Jersey were. Obviously it helps that they were grown just miles away and picked fresh. I'm sure folks in places like Cali where these fruits can grow in the correct climate have similar experiences.
Click to expand...
Check out the Sparrow Lane variety for fruit. It's excellent and fairly inexpensive. https://sparrowlane.com/product/15-year-imported-balsamic-vinegar-2/
 
bbhaag

bbhaag

Diamond Member
Jul 2, 2011
7,198
2,664
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Thanks for the link. I was getting low so I just bought two! Should be here early next week.
 
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