White Vinegar
© Denzil Green
White vinegar can be a generic term for any vinegar which is clear or light yellow in colour. In North America, however, it usually means white distilled vinegar.
All throughout North America, this is the one vinegar that you can count on finding in the cupboard. It is one of the best selling vinegars in North America because it is the most versatile and the cheapest. It can be used for pickling, cole slaw, cooking and household cleaning, even. It is even okay on fish and chips, but malt would be many people’s first choice.
White vinegar can be either distilled from grains such as barley, or from ethyl alcohol.
Cooking Tips
In one respect, standard white vinegar is good for pickling as it will not affect the colour of items being pickled. On the other hand, detractors say the taste is harsh, and requires a great deal of sugar to soften or mask.