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Vinegar, Preserving Of

The methods of preserving vinegar are various. It is a fact generally known that vinegar, of whatever kind, will not keep long, but in the course of a few weeks, especially in the warm temperature of summer, grows turbid; its surface is then covered with a thick mucilaginous substance, during which time the acid disappears by degrees, and at last is entirely lost; hence the vinegar must very often be thrown away. Now, in order to avoid this spoiling of the vinegar, five methods are known. The first is to prepare the vinegar very strong and sour at first, by using more sugar or other materials. It is well known that such vinegar will keep for several years; but as few people prepare their own vinegar, most persons contenting themselves with buying it at the shops, there are, of course, but few who can make use of this method. The second method is to concentrate the vinegar by freezing; after which a hole is made in the crust of ice which covers it, through which the part that is not congealed is let out, and afterwards put into bottles. This manipulation answers well enough; but nearly one half being lost, because that which forms the crust of ice is nothing for the most part but water, good economists dislike it. The third method is to prevent the access of air by filling the bottles, and keeping them corked. Though vinegar is kept long by this method, it is not much employed, probably because it is troublesome to fill up the bottle with clear vinegar from another bottle every time you make use of part of its contents. The fourth method is to distil the vinegar, and thus leave behind the impurities. Distilled vinegar does not suffer the least change, though exposed to a warm air for years; but the expense of distilling is often thought too much. The following method of purifying and preserving vinegar is the easiest, and answers sufficiently. Put the vinegar into a well-tinned vessel, and make it boil for a minute over a strong fire, or the vinegar may be put into bottles, and then into a kettle of water upon the fire, and boiled; this will coagulate the glutinous and mucilaginous matter which all vinegar contains, and this may be separated by straining; after which the clear liquor should be kept in well-corked bottles. Vinegar prepared in this way keeps long without spoiling, and should be so treated when intended for pickling vegetables.