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Answers: White vinegar, wine vinegar, rice vinegar, yellow vinegar, cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar! Aeeeeeeee! I don't want to buy out a supermarket but I keep running into so many variations of the same ingredient in different recipes? What am I to do?

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They all taste different but they all provide the same key need in a recipe: acidity.

The acidity in each will vary. White vinegar is the strongest. I've never seen yellow vinegar. Cider vinegar is also quite strong but has an aromatic element that white vinegar lacks. Rice vinegar has a smoothness to it that white and cider lack. Wine vinegar is tart with a definite fruitiness from the wine of which it is derived. Balsamic vinegar is heavily aromatic and I don't recommend using it as a substitute for any of the above vinegars. It's tartness can vary from being similar to wine vinegar to virtually a sweet syrup that you would never consider a vinegar - all depending on how long it is aged.

You didn't mention it but malt vinegar is another very distinct vinegar that I would no substitute with or for haphazardly. It's what you eat on chips. And even the various malt vinegars can vary immensely in taste.

To learn about good vinegar substitutions, try the site Cook's Thesaurus at www.foodsubs.com

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huge diff in flavor

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I always use apple cider vinegar and it really doesnt seem to be a big difference.

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They all taste different.

I manage to get by with just three: white vinegar, red wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar.

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