Vinegar substitute

[Danny]

My wife has a HUGE aversion to vinegar. She does like some of the sweeter bbq commercial sauces, and they have some vinegar, but in general.... NO GO. In recipes that call for Apple Cider Vinegar, would it be reasonable to substitute plain apple juice/cider? Is there any other liquids that would suffice?

 

[K Kruger]

It would depend on the quantity and whether it is used as major flavor component.

In many recipes you certainly could make that switch (or to another fruit juice or combination of juices). What vinegar offers (flavor profile-wise) is counterpoint to the sweetness. If she does not have an aversion to lemon juice, you might switch to apple (or whatever) juice(s) and add just enough lemon to balance out the sweetness and add some high notes.

Again, though, this depends on the recipe in question and what the vinegar is there for. But there are workarounds for most issues.

 

[Danny]

Thanks K! That sounds very reasonable.

I'm mostly looking at subbing out the vinegar for various Mop Recipes. Adding the lemon juice should do the trick. Lord knows the woman likes her sauces sweet!

 

[j biesinger]

I'll second lemon juice. The sour in my sauce comes from cider vinegar and lemon juice. If I want it less sour, I skew the ratio towards lemon.