American Vinegar Works Finishing for Sauces and Soups
Is your soup, pasta sauce or stew missing ‘something’? It is likely acid!
This one is less of a 'recipe' and more of a guide on how to use vinegar to enhance your own recipes. Vinegar or acid is usually what is missing from the flavor balance of a recipe or meal-- I know, I know, so says the vinegar maker... but it is true. Adding a little bit of acid to your dishes including finishing vinegars for pan sauces, opens in a new tab will brighten them and will also help you reduce the amount of salt you need to add to get the flavor just right.
Start slow so that you don't make vinegar soup but do experiment to see what vinegar can do when something you can't quite put your finger on is missing.
This recipe features vinegar from our Essential Kitchen Vinegar Four Pack, opens in a new tab.
Which vinegar to use, and why
Sherry vinegar is a finishing vinegar. Added off the heat, its nutty depth reads as richness rather than acidity. We use American Barrel California Sherry Vinegar here. It is slow-fermented and aged in oak at our mill in Worcester, Massachusetts, which is why it seasons the dish rather than just souring it.
Make it ahead and keep it
It keeps covered in the fridge and the flavor settles overnight, which usually improves it.
What to cook next
Try Romesco Sauce, or browse all our vinegar recipes. If you have not cooked with craft vinegar before, a mini bottle sampler set lets you taste across the range before committing to a full-size bottle. Orders over $85 ship free within the contiguous US.
