Re: [CH] is it possible to extract vinegar

Dave Drum (xrated@cityscape.net)
Sat, 20 Nov 1999 08:03:05 -0600

Robert Dunbar wrote:

> > One of the most common ingredients in hot sauce is vinegar . Unfortunatly
> > it's an ingredient  that I don't care to much for. And as I buy and use
> > large quantities of many varities of hot sauce I would like to know if
> > anyone has come up with a way to redice the amount of vinegar in
> > comercially available hot sauces

> I think that the only way that you could use without a chem laboratory is to
> carefully heat the sauce to just below boiling.  The water and vinegar in the
> sauce will evaporate, leaving a steadily pasty mix.  Add the fluid of your
> choice (I'd use lime juice) as the sauce dries to keep it sauce-like and
> taste frequently to determine the level of vinegar reduction.  I've never
> tried this; I like vinegar.  But if I were goint to attempt to extract the
> vinegar, that's how I'd do it.  Use a cheap sauce to experiment on, might
> want to use a double-boiler to stabilize the temperature.

It's easier to buy sauces that have less of the "nasty vinegar" taste.
For example - I don't like Tabasco sauce because of the nasty, sour
vinegar taste that overpowers the food. Trappey's Red Devil sauce is
made by the same company and looks much the same. But.... the taste is
much less vinegary. Trappeys adds a nice level of flavour and heat to
the food without drowning the other flavours. Go figure. My local Odd
Lots store had Trappey's in quart size the other day when I was in
there... 78c per quart. I cleaned the shelf and sent the stock kid
into the back room to look for more. Now all the members of the
Illinois Chilli Society will get an Xmas season present from the fat
kid.

There are usually alternatives to many sauces... Tabasco Jalapeno
(green) is less vinegary than the regular red sauce - but, I've never
got it to live long beyond opening the bottle. So, I use Panola
Jalapeno sauce instead. Since I like the flavour of jalapeno sauces it
dopesn't have to survive for years <GGG> but it's nice to know I can
let it live a couple of weeks after I open the jug.

Almost all commercial sauces will have some vinegar in them since it
is both cheap and a preservative. Bro' Robert should pick sauces that
have less of a vinegar flavour if he doesn't like it. Much easier than
trying to seduce the vinegar out of the sauce.

ENJOY!!!
-- 
Uncle Dirty Dave's Kitchens
Home of Yaaaah Hoooo Aaahhh HOT Sauce & Hardin Cider