how long does vinegar keep

[cecil39]

cleared out a cupboard today and found half a large bottle of cider vinegar, I must have had it years, and don't even remember why I bought it, will it still be good and what is it used for? any ideas please.

[ubasses]

I have never seen a sell by date on any of my vinegars and carry on using them for years. Can be used in recipes that say white wine vinegar as well as ones stipulating cider vinegar. Salad dressings are another option. Sure others will have some good ideas

[mccfluff]

if wine goes off and becomes vinegar, does vinegar go off and become wine?

[mazie]

I wish fluff :o)

[ladybirder]

Good for de-furring your kettle and shining ss sinks and taps.

[Bazile]

damn it mccfluff - when i saw this post on latest post , i duly scurried over to make a similiar comment - but you beat me to it :-)

[Old_Geezer]

I don't believe the organisms that make foodstuff 'go off' have much chance with an acidic substance like vinegar, either. I suspect it should remain consumable for a lifetime. That said, if squeamish, there ae plenty of cleaning uses for the stuff.

[Mosaic]

Careful with the use of vinegar for shining taps - some got into a bath tap when I did this and it became very difficult to turn. Cured by a few drops of baby oil. but took me a while to work out what had happened.

[cecil39]

thank everyone, I won't chuck it then, I intend to do something with red cabbage soon so maybe I can use it then, unless it turns to wine first (one can only hope)

[theprof]

Err you need to be careful here. The majority of malt vinegars will develop a degree of cloudiness once opened. You can see it yourself by holding the bottle up to the light.

T

[theprof]

This is due to an organism known as Mother of Vinegar or alternatively, a Vinegar Mother. Although harmless, it's not pleasant to taste. The advantage is that by cultivating it, you can make your own vinegar!

[theprof]

http://www.wisegeek.o...mother-of-vinegar.htm

[cecil39]

thanks prof thats given me the answer to something my Father once told me, he said that his Mum told him off when he was young because he tipped the mother of the vinegar out, I always wondered what he meant, ( I dont think he knew either)

[theprof]

I'm glad I've been able to answer a mystery for you cecil39! The cultivation of a vinegar mother was one of the first practical experiments I did in microbiology classes at uni many years ago. I'm afraid it's left me with a dislike for the organism as I've been chucking out half-used bottles of malt vinegar at home for years once they become cloudy, which can be indicative of the organism having colonised the vinegar although there are sometimes other reasons.

Having said that, we continue to fascinate students to this day with a vinegar mother culture and I'm constantly surprised about the number of people who have never heard of it. It's necessary to use unpasteurised vinegar for the job, which is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain nowadays.