let's talk balsamic

[fastupslowdown]

the neighborhood supermarket just went chapter 11. they apparently stopped carrying their premium balsamic and now only put out something that i describe as red piss water. doesn't feel as if its done in wood or aged.

what's a good substitute? looking for a not too expensive premium balsamic sold in one liter bottles. Is Kirkland any good? This is a staple for me. I cook with it and use it in salads -Mike G

[mzilliox]

I have no idea about kirkland brand stuff, bt i feel for ya.
I spend more on a bottle of balsamic than a bottle of wine any day. gotta have that thicker aged stuff, none of the red piss water you describe.

[jclay]

My oldest brother lives in Modena, IT. He brought me this a couple of months ago: Flickr

Can't remember if it's 12 or 6 years aged. (edit, it's 12 yo)

This IS the stuff....unless you spring for 25 YO.

[Too Tall]

I don't see anything wrong with this guys advice >> Balsamic Types — The Balsamic Guy

[jeagelman]

I use it quite a bit on my daily lunch salad. I get the "Carlini" brand from Aldi and it as good as the premium brands

[bigbill]

Not certain about the Kirkland product, but as a person who used to engineer products for Kirkland, the product is required to be as good or better than the premium product that Costco sells.

FYI, if you've got kids in diapers, Kirkland Supreme is a very good product.

[Mark Kelly]

I don't see anything wrong with this guys advice >> Balsamic Types — The Balsamic Guy

IMO he's a bit biased, he only sells the DOP product so he glosses over the fact that some of the IGP product is actually very good.

The problem is that the GI boundary is quite small so the production of DOP product is necessarily very limited and the stuff is expensive: like $1000 per litre expensive. This is after all the reason for having a GI in the first place: to restrict supply of product and drive the price up*. I could not afford to use DOP product as an everyday vinegar but I also wouldn't want to: it would be like drinking Grand Cru Burgundy as the house wine.

A big brand that is widely available and good is Mazzetti, their aged vinegar (four leaves) is very good (but not DOP).




*This may sound jaundiced but please remember that I am a winemaker by trade and my product has GI protection so it's informed jaundice.

[jclay]

IMO he's a bit biased, he only sells the DOP product so he glosses over the fact that some of the IGP product is actually very good.

After getting my bottle of DOP balsamic, which I figured I ought to try once in my life, my Italian brother told me that everyday cooks, including outstanding ones (including those in his extended Modenese family), use the better offerings from amongst the IGP products; wish I'd asked him what's in their pantry and have him bring that instead. I've just used a little of the DOP. It's nice but that will be the only bottle I'll ever have.