Where to find REAL Balsamic Vinegar for cheap? Cheapest I can find is $99 for 100ml.

[WelshBloke]

In context with what I wrote before that.

They are the same in that if I hide the labels, you won't know the difference. The say way with balsanic vinegar.

I'm no wine expert but I could tell the difference between Champagne and, say, Cava blindfolded and with a stinking cold, and I bet most people here could as well.

 

[Howard]

Homemade will still be shit unless the person making it also blows their own glass and makes the actual bottle it'll go in.

I've done it before. It doesn't make a big difference.

 

[Howard]

The IGP label only means it contains a small portion of Balsamic Vinegar.

No it doesn't.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protected_Geographical_Status

 

[OverVolt]

Christ, now we have vinegar purists?

You should get out more. It's pretty big in Europe. You can buy 30yr old aged balsamic, so I'm betting vinegar purists aren't exactly something new like you think it is.

 

[W.C. Nimoy]

You don't need to find it on the web. Go to your local Marshalls or Ross and they will have decent authentic Modena balsamic on their shelves for a pittance. Pour the bottle into a sauce pan, reduce it on low heat by 1/2, then store it back in the bottle. I'd defy anyone to tell the difference between a reduction and an aged balsamic unless you're talking a balsamic that has been aged 50+ years.

Apologies for registering just to bump such an old thread, but I tried exactly that & was blown away by how much better even the stuff in marshalls is over what i've been buying in the grocery store.

So I joined hoping the above poster is still around & knows of a similar upgrade in olive oil. I'm not as interested in what's technically classified as real/not/best etc., but if just as small an increase in price will get me just as significant an upgrade in taste there too, I'd like to know about it.

Thank you.

 

[spidey07]

Big Bold Bombastic Balsamic Bump!

 

[shortylickens]

Damn noob necros!

I bet that guy doesnt even know you need a permit to buy vinegar.....

 

[Hugo Drax]

You can buy 10 liters of Balsamic for 16 bucks. Pour them in small bottles and sell the bottles for 5 bucks each.

http://www.webstaurantstore.com/balsamic-vinegar-5l-2-cs/101VINBALSM.html

 

[Red Squirrel]

Grocery store. You do know vinegar is just acetic acid that is diluted right? There's nothing really special about it. That's why you need a permit, because it's acid and only qualified professionals can transport it. You'll need to add the proper MSDS placard on your vehicle when transporting it.

I'm suddenly hungry for french fries now.

 

[spidey07]

Calling real balsamic vinegar "just acid" is like calling Dom champagne "just grape juice".

 

[WelshBloke]

Grocery store. You do know vinegar is just acetic acid that is diluted right? There's nothing really special about it. ......

Thats like saying wine is just diluted alcohol.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Calm down. So there's more to it? I thought it was just acetic acid? Either way, I've always just bought mine at the grocery store and it's fine. A jug last's pretty much forever. I don't really use vinegar much though, even with fries I prefer ketchup.

 

[Howard]

I heard North Korea is an underrated source for gourmet balsamic.

 

[Howard]

Calm down. So there's more to it? I thought it was just acetic acid? Either way, I've always just bought mine at the grocery store and it's fine. A jug last's pretty much forever. I don't really use vinegar much though, even with fries I prefer ketchup.

On a serious note, people who don't know the difference between white vinegar and any other kind should probably not really talk about it.

 

[WelshBloke]

Calm down. So there's more to it? I thought it was just acetic acid? Either way, I've always just bought mine at the grocery store and it's fine. A jug last's pretty much forever. I don't really use vinegar much though, even with fries I prefer ketchup.

:what: You have to be taking the piss.

 

[MaxPayne63]

It's funny to see people arguing about food based on what they read on the internet instead of what it tastes like when they try it.

 

[spidey07]

It's funny to see people arguing about food based on what they read on the internet instead of what it tastes like when they try it.

I didn't get it either until I had some. Nectar of the gods.

 

[Murloc]

I always used the fake Modena balsamic vinegar from Ponti, never tasted the real thing.
I'm content with it so I'd rather spend all that money on better meat instead of upgrading the salad sauce.
Also I put a lot on the salad of it so it better be cheap.

The real thing (Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena DOP or Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Reggio Emilia DOP) has a fancy bottle.
What I use is Aceto Balsamico di Modena IGP.
Instead of using cooked must and then fermentating it and then becoming vinegar and making it become over 12 years old, they simulate the flavours and consistency of the final product by mixing cooked must, red wine vinegar and caramel. This is the cause of italians using it in industrial quantities on their salads, it's dirt cheap and tastes good enough.
Industrial wine vinegar just tastes like nothing but acid if you're used to this.

 

[KeithTalent]

I heard North Korea is an underrated source for gourmet balsamic.

And crystal meth!

KT

 

[KillerCharlie]

Williams-Sonoma: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/prod...H||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_-Feature_Recipe_Rule-_-

When I bought it it was aged 25 years. It had like 170 5 start reviews. Now it doesn't mention how long it's aged, but I could check it out. It was $28 for a 17oz 25 year aged bottle.

 

[BladeVenom]

I heard North Korea is an underrated source for gourmet balsamic.

It's actually fermented fish.

 

[Rakehellion]

Bam.

I just saved you a cool Benjamin.

 

[spidey07]

Not even close to the same. The real stuff is worth every penny.

You don't normally use it to make a salad dressing so much as you drizzle a little bit on certain food. Adds amazing depth and flavor.

I use it mostly on tomatoes or tomatoes with mozzarella and basil. Or in pan sauces.

 

[WelshBloke]

Not even close to the same. The real stuff is worth every penny.

You don't normally use it to make a salad dressing so much as you drizzle a little bit on certain food. Adds amazing depth and flavor.

I use it mostly on tomatoes or tomatoes with mozzarella and basil. Or in pan sauces.

Try it on strawberries.

Quarter your strawberries, drizzle them with balsamic, tiny sprinkle of sugar. Give them a gentle mix and let them stand for an hour or so.

This really only works with the decent stuff, although you could boil down some of the cheaper stuff to make a glaze.

 

[Howard]

Not even close to the same. The real stuff is worth every penny.

You don't normally use it to make a salad dressing so much as you drizzle a little bit on certain food. Adds amazing depth and flavor.

I use it mostly on tomatoes or tomatoes with mozzarella and basil. Or in pan sauces.

Which reminds me, I need to break this open: