Types of Vinegar & Common Vinegar Uses

The Essentials on Types of Vinegar

If you’re already a Bremer Ingredients customer, buying the vinegars you need as you need them, you’re likely very knowledgeable in the many types of vinegar and how they’re used.

But what if you’re not a professional? Maybe you question why there are so many vinegars in the aisle at the grocery store. How could one be different from another? Can you buy distilled vinegar instead of white vinegar? Are either of those the same as apple cider vinegar?

First, yes, distilled vinegar and white vinegar are the same thing. You’ll often see it noted as “distilled white vinegar.” The “distilled” part of the name comes not from the distillation of vinegar, but from the fermentation of distilled alcohol. Once diluted, we have a vinegar that can be used for more than you think (more on this later).

Apple cider vinegar is, not surprisingly, created from cider or apple must. These vinegars are extremely acidic, sometimes reaching as high as 5 on the pH scale.

Uses for Vinegar

Apple Cider Vinegar

Almost always, apple cider vinegar is used for cooking, as its acidity makes it harsh on the throat when undiluted. While it’s sometimes consumed as a beverage (after being diluted with water or juice), you’ll most often find it as a cooking ingredient.

Distilled White Vinegar

Distilled white vinegar is more versatile (and common around the house). In addition to cooking and baking, distilled vinegar can be used for pickling (slice up a cucumber, put it in some white vinegar and within a few minutes, you’ll have some pickles), as well as meat preservation.

Outside food preparation and preservation, white vinegar is used as a cleaning agent and also plays a role in medicinal pursuits.

So, are all vinegars the same? Definitely not. But they’re all interesting and useful in their own ways.

/by

National Starch and Corn Products International become Ingredion

Two of the nation’s leading ingredient producers have changed their names and merged, but vow that the name will be the only thing that will change. Corn Products International and National Starch will, as of June 4th 2012, be known as Ingredion – a change that Ingredion Chairman, Ilene Gordon, says, “better reflects the ingredients we supply and the markets we serve”.

Based out of Westchester, IL Corn Products International, once known as a corn refining company, acquired National Starch in 2010. This acquisition, along with others, has broadened the company’s scope to include other ingredients and other processes which is part of the reason for switching names. The company has vowed with this transition to continue to provide the same quality service and same quality food ingredients that they always have.

Here at Bremer Authentic Ingredients, we will continue to supply the high-quality products from Corn Products International and National Starch, now Ingredion. We are excited for their transition and congratulate them in their great success over the years. We also want to let all of our buyers know that during this transition there will be no affect to you, everything will remain available!

For more information about this transition please contact us or check out their new website, ingredion.com.

/by

Whole Grains and Great Taste Still Top Industry

Over the past few years the economy has been shaky and that has had a influence in what people are eating and why they are eating certain foods. The economy and other trends have had people focusing both on high quality food but, as one might assume, price has become an increasingly large factor in purchasing decisions. The report, “What, When, and Where America Eats” by A. Elizabeth Sloan, was put out in the latest issue Food Technology and gives us an insight into why people are buying certain foods.

The number one motivator for eating particular foods is still taste (87%) and that will be something that we don’t see changing in the foreseeable future. However, affordability was a close second (79%) with nutrition falling to only 39% for why people eat what they eat. It should be noted that these stats do not tell the whole story since the numbers are vastly different when you compare what people are eating versus what people would like to be eating more of. People, obviously, do not want to be eating less healthy and, while the economy may be to blame for what we eat now, we are still seeing a surge in the number of people who want to buy local and organic foods. This is not much different than other years in recent history but what should be also a good sign for local bakeries is that the title “whole grain” is the number one thing people look for in packaging.

What this means for local bakeries and food manufacturers is to advertise where your products are being made, especially when they are made locally. Be sure to mention on the packaging or on signage that your products offer whole grains and when you use Bremer Ingredients you can feel free to mention our safety certifications. However, be careful labeling products as organic as it can be overlooked because people associate organic products with being more expensive even when they are not.

/by