uses for balsamic vinegar

Balsamic Vinegar - a differet type of vinegar
United States
January 21, 2007 5:44pm CST
Can anyone tell me some good uses for Balsamic vinegar? I've finally bought some after all these years, but I want to make sure that I use it properly ....any recipes and ideas will be helpful...thanks
1 person likes this
15 responses
@babyhar (1335)
• Canada
22 Jan 07
I know that I have used it as a substitute. Instead of choosing more fatty cream salad dressings, I will instead use this to create my own. Then you can make it however you'd like.. I as well.. Do find it a lot more healthier then buying some of those salad dressings from the stores. It's nice to take a break sometime & make your own dressings I find! . . Another thing I enjoy using this for is mixing it with some olive oil. & then dipping some bread, or some type of crusty bread in it. I think this is very tasty! I as well have used balsamic vinegar & I've mixed it with brown sugar.. And it has made a great syrup for fruit.. I know that I've put it on top of strawberries & it's something so very different.. Yet very yummy all at the same time! I find it helps to bring out the color of this particular fruit & it also helps to enhance the flavor! I as well have used balsamic vinegar for my pork chops, mixed with rosemary & salt & pepper, as well as garlic. And I'll coat the pork chops with flour & then will cook it in a skillet in oil. Then sometimes I will mix a broth with my pork chops. All of the different flavors together taste so good I find when I make these pork chops with all of these ingredients! I've also made potato salad with balsamic vinegar. I use it as a marinate, & I find it's a very delicious way to have potato salad! It's very different & I know when I've made it in the past a lot of the people who had tasted it & had loved it.. They had to ask what I had put in it.. And when I had told them they we're quite shocked as well. It's nice to surprise people sometimes because some tastes/flavors are hidden. Some people can't identify the ingredients you put in a dish.. And I know I've had that happen to me & when I find out the ingredients list I am quite shocked then! . . I know that when I go to my Grandma's for dinner if she is having fries.. She will substitute it for ketchup. She really loves the taste of vinegar & I know she uses balsamic vinegar a lot more often then I do these days! She's also used it on her cod when she's made it in the past. I haven't ever tried that but I know a lot of people like dipping it in that stuff.. In conclusion I find that I use balsamic vinegar in quite a few different dishes when needed.. Sometimes I like giving my food a different flavor.. But you can use balsamic vinegar for a variety of different things.. I use mine mostly for cooking though.. And I know a lot of people do this these days.. It's a great flavor to add to one's cooking this is for sure! . .
• United States
22 Jan 07
how cool!...i knew that it could be used for several different things, but i've never heard of it having so many diverse uses. I can't wait to try some of these things. thank you so much for such a great variety of ideas!
• United States
2 Feb 07
Wow, you have a lot of great ideas! Who knew that it could be used for so much?
• United States
22 Jan 07
I love to combine balsamic with olive oil and some good spices to make a yummy steak marinade, great for grilling. You can also reduce the vinegar, which sweetens it and tastes really yummy drizzled over grilled meats and veggies.
1 person likes this
• United States
22 Jan 07
i'll have to try reducing it...that sounds good..thank you so much.
• United States
23 Jan 07
its really really good on a grilled portabella mushroom cap - add a little fresh basil, mozarella, and tomato and its a great summer meal!!
• United States
23 Jan 07
Ohhhh...that sounds yummy on grilled veggies!! thanks for the tip!!
1 person likes this
@Island_Geko (3759)
• Canada
2 Feb 07
Ingredients (Serves 4 to 6) 1 head romaine lettuce 2 cups fennel bulb sliced 1 cucumber, sliced 2 medium tomatoes, cut in wedges 4 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar - best quality Roasted Red Pepper (jar or prepare fresh) Salt and freshly ground pepper Fresh basil Preparation Clean romaine, dry it and tear into bite size pieces. Add the remaining vegetables. Pour olive oil, then balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper over the salad. Toss to mix, then taste. Add more salt, pepper or vinegar as needed. Chop basil, add to the salad, toss again. Garnish with strips of roasted red pepper.
1 person likes this
• United States
2 Feb 07
what a wonderful sounding recipe...what's it called???
• United States
2 Feb 07
I use balsamic vinegar in many food items. I love it for deglazing a pan and picking up the wonderful brown layer on the pan. It is great for meat, as a marinade or a dressing over the top. Can be used for beef, chicken or pork. I also love it with olive oil and garlic for sauteing brussel sprouts and other vegetables. Mixed with brown sugar and a bit of honey or orange marmalade and orange juice can be used for the top of a ham. It is so good!
1 person likes this
• United States
2 Feb 07
what great ideas!..thank you so much
@cassidy22 (2974)
• United States
1 Feb 07
Salad dressing is good. But you can take the same Balsamic/Olive oil mixture, toss in some rosemary - put it in a plastic bag or whatever and marinate red meat in it. Then cook it on the grill. (let is soak overnight if you can) FABULOUS!!!
1 person likes this
• United States
1 Feb 07
that sounds good, too...does a little bit go a long way? or would you use equal amounts?
• United States
2 Feb 07
I like to just cut up a cucumber and toss it with some basalmic vinegar and a little olive oil - throw in some red onion and some grape tomatoes, and you have a really simple refreshing summery salad.
1 person likes this
• United States
2 Feb 07
i love salads in the summer and i'm always looking for a way of making them a little different..thank you so much
@brimia (6581)
• United States
23 Jan 07
Try mixing some chopped tomatoes, 1 T. italian herbs, 1 T. garlic, 1 T. olive oil, and 1 T. of balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper and spoon onto slices of crusty bread for a yummy and healthy bruschetta.
1 person likes this
• United States
23 Jan 07
wow..that sounds just great..and easy, too...thank you very much!
• United States
23 Jan 07
lightly coat cubed red potatoes in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, sprinkle with rosemary, pour in a baking pan and roast at 400 degrees until you can pierce them with a fork, about an hour.
• United States
23 Jan 07
that sounds good..i'm sure it will give the potatoes a very different flavor..i'll try that..thank you so much
• Canada
27 Jan 07
A nice use for balsamic vinegar is to make a layered salad of fresh tomatoes and mozzarella cheese, sprinkle with a bit of fresh basil and then drizzle with the vinegar. Delicious! My sister can't survive without her balsamic vinegar LOL One of her favorite things to do is to put a small pool of it on a saucer and dip slices of fresh French bread/baguette. I'm not one for bread dips but she adores it :)
1 person likes this
• United States
30 Jan 07
sounds great! i love the idea about the tomatoes and cheese, i'll try both of these ideas!...thank you so much
@greenjam (26)
23 Jan 07
I too use balsamic for salad dressings which is lovely, it is fantastic for dipping ciabatta bread in mixed with some olive oil, but also try roasting some cherry tomatos with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, I don't like tomatos but these are great, so sweet and yummy. Enjoy
1 person likes this
• United States
23 Jan 07
the tomatoes sound great..i love them anyway, sounds like a good change from the usual..thank you very much!
@MsRetro (249)
• United States
23 Jan 07
I use it on salads most often, mixed with olive oil, fresh basil and black pepper. I also love it on baked potatoes, with just a touch of olive oil and parmesan cheese. It's also amazingly good on really sweet strawberries, tart appleas, or slices of melon. You just need a couple of drops. It sounds weird, but it's really delicious.
1 person likes this
• United States
24 Jan 07
thank you so much for the helpful ideas...
• Dallas, Texas
1 Feb 07
It is good to use with salad dressing, marinades, and I love to use it to soak cucumbers and other vegetables,in it!
1 person likes this
• United States
1 Feb 07
that sounds good...how much do you use, though?
• Philippines
1 Feb 07
i use it wiht olive oil over bread.. yummy :)
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• United States
1 Feb 07
interesting idea...thank you
• Canada
27 Jan 07
i always use it in my brushcetta: 4 roma tomatoes diced 1 cucumber diced 1 red onion diced 8-10 leaves fresh basil fresh grated paremsean cheese garlic as much as you like then drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar over top of this mixture get a baguette and lightly toast it then spoon mixture on top of bread. so yummy or you can use balsamic and olice oil for dipping bread into it is also yummy.
1 person likes this
• United States
27 Jan 07
oh gosh that sounds wonderful!...i will definitely try that!..thank you so much!
@dhouston (417)
• United States
22 Jan 07
My favorite use is to combine it with extra virgin olive oil for salad dressng. Finish by chopping some fresh tarragon and mixing it in with some crumbled blue cheese, salt and pepper. Very much like the dressing my friend's mother taught me to make in Marseille, France, many years ago.
1 person likes this
• United States
22 Jan 07
thank you very much...i've heard a lot about it over the years, but just now getting around to trying it...the dressing sounds great, i'll try that...thank you so much