Skin on Balsamic Vinegar

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

Count Omulis

Assistant Cook
Joined
Jul 27, 2009
Messages
32
Location
Manhattan Ks
Afternoon all,

I was doing some house cleaning, and when I got to the kitchen, I noticed a skin, much like what you see on warm homemade puddings and the like, on top of my Balsamic Vinegar, and another mass toward the bottom of the bottle.

I keep my Balsamic Vinegar and Olive oil in oil bottles, with an open pour spout.

I was wondering if this is just due to evaporation and the vinegar is reducing as it would naturally during production of more expensive vinegars, or if this is something that is potentially hazardous, and I should toss my vinegar and think of a new storage method.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
 
I carry 12 different brands of balsamic vinegar in my cupboard (not on the counter), each in a dark glass or ceramic bottle, and I've never seen any of them pour out a skin or any other foreign material. Personally, I would throw it out.
 
I did some "Googleing". Come to find out, apparently what you have is called "mother". It's a cloudy, jellyfish looking thing that is actually alive and can be used to make more vinegar. Check out this conversation: Does vinegar go bad?
 
I did some "Googleing". Come to find out, apparently what you have is called "mother". It's a cloudy, jellyfish looking thing that is actually alive and can be used to make more vinegar. Check out this conversation: Does vinegar go bad?

That's what I was thinking too. I've never seen a mother in balsamic vinegar, but the apple cider vinegar I buy says on the bottle that it contains a mother.

I've never seen a skin vinegar.
 
This reminds me of when my Mother bought (she thought) Apple Cider Vinegar. It had been sitting in a cabinet for a very long time, and when she finally pulled it out to use it, there was a thick strange looking plug in the top of the bottle.

Instead of apple cider vinegar, she had picked up a bottle of apple cider (not vinegar). When she went to pour it out, the plug floated out of the way, and the apple cider had fermented into hard cider.
 
Try straining out the gelatinous mass and placing it in a quart bottle with two cups of red wine. Plug bottle with a wad of paper toweling. Google 'mother of vinegar' to see how to use mother of vinegar.
 
Back
Top Bottom