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.

[ldamelio]

The Kirkland stuff is excellent for everyday use. Here's some info:

Best balsamic vinegars: Which won the taste test? – Orange County Register

[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.

[fastupslowdown]

i'm a pescatarian..usually. i go through a lot of salads. i refuse to use bottled dressing. a good quality olive oil and balsamic really makes the salad. grill some vegetables in the oven a little balsamic on roasted beets, rapini or asparagus does wonders. i even used it in tonight's dinner which was canellini beans, swiss chard and pasta. i'm adicted -mike g

[SpeedyChix]

Big fan of this: La Vecchia Dispensa 10-YR Balsamic (1 liter)
chefshop.com

[thomas]

Discovered this place in Santa Fe, New Mexico years ago. Still order from them. Their Traditional 18 year balsamic is fantastic. Home | Oleaceae

[rec head]

I'm not super picky but I know the difference between good balsamic and bad. I like the Kirkland. I reduce it and put it back in the bottle. I like it thicker than normal. Use it all the time.

[fastupslowdown]

I made an interesting discovery. Not sure how accurate this is but one noticeable difference between the good fairway balsamic and the kirland balsamic vs the crappy fairway one is the calories. seems the cheaper non-premium balsamic has 2/3 the calories. not sure if this is the result of reduction during the aging process or something else -Mike G

[fastupslowdown]

I'm not super picky but I know the difference between good balsamic and bad. I like the Kirkland. I reduce it and put it back in the bottle. I like it thicker than normal. Use it all the time.

I reduce on the fly if I have an application that requires it. such as using it as a glaze for black and blue tuna

[pdmtong]

we use the FINI - about $15 for 250ml
Fini Products | World Finer Foods

for the most basic dressing, whisk together
3 TBS fini
1 TBS dijon
garlic
salt
pepper
then slowly whisk in 1 cup olive oil.

[j44ke]

I kept looking for this thread in Cooks, then I realized it was in General and then I realized I was a moderator so now it is in Cooks.

Really the names of products here are a great resource. I've copied down some for later shopping.

We've been using some balsamic vinegar that is thicker, almost like high quality light maple syrup. Works really well in salads, with vegetables in general, particularly avocado and then great in the summer with fresh tomatoes and mozzarella - but I have no idea why it is thicker than typical balsamic. It is consistently so, because we've gone through several bottles (small bottles,) and it does have a big "Modena IGP" stamped on it - I don't remember the brand and we don't have any upstate. We first ran into balsamic this consistency in Italy. And we were told by an Italian while in Italy that it was not correct balsamic and should be basically tossed in the skip.

What's up?

[SpeedyChix]

In my world, great basalmic can be a salad dressing or can be drizzled on vanilla ice cream. The stuff is dark, robust and the bottom of the bottle may have a bit of sediment.

[nahtnoj]

I've got ten gallons of apple cider vinegar in flight right now that will come out the thickness of balsamic drizzle.

I use it in basically everything.

[fastupslowdown]

In my world, great basalmic can be a salad dressing or can be drizzled on vanilla ice cream. The stuff is dark, robust and the bottom of the bottle may have a bit of sediment.

ice cream strawberries and reduced balsamic -Mike G