How is white vinegar made

In today's society where commodities are circulated, white vinegar as a condiment is readily available in every household. However, before it was circulated, the preparation of white vinegar could be considered a family secret recipe. The method of making white vinegar is actually not complicated. One can make it at home by spending some time, but the time spent is not proportional to the reward obtained, so people tend to buy it on the market. Here are some steps to make white vinegar.

The traditional raw materials for making vinegar in China are mainly glutinous rice and rice (japonica rice) in the south of the Yangtze River, and sorghum and millet in the north of the Yangtze River. Nowadays, broken rice, corn, sweet potatoes, dried sweet potatoes, potatoes, and dried potatoes are often used as substitutes. The raw materials are first cooked, gelatinized, liquefied and saccharified to convert starch into sugar, then fermented with yeast to produce ethanol, and then acetic acid is fermented under the action of acetic acid bacteria to oxidize ethanol into acetic acid.

Vinegar is made from sugary raw materials. Various fruit juice vinegars can be made from grapes, apples, pears, peaches, persimmons, dates, tomatoes, etc. Honey and molasses can also be used as raw materials. They all only need to go through two biochemical stages: ethanol fermentation and acetic acid fermentation.

Using ethanol as raw material and adding acetic acid bacteria, only one biochemical stage of acetic acid fermentation is carried out. For example, if low-alcohol liquor or edible alcohol diluted with water is used as raw material and the quick brewing method is used to make vinegar, it only takes 1 to 3 days to obtain wine vinegar.

White vinegar is made by adding edible glacial acetic acid and water, and then adding seasonings, spices, colorants, etc. to make it have a flavor similar to brewed vinegar.

The main ingredients for making white vinegar are simple: barley, water, and smaller additions of wheat and corn. The method is to first pour the barley into a plate and wash it clean, then soak it in well water for one night. The next day, put the soaked barley and the water into the pot and cook it over high heat. When it is cooked to a certain degree, stir it once and change the water. Take out the barley and put it on a basket to drain the water, then replace the pot with clean water. The amount of water must be less than the first time. Put the drained barley back into the pot and cook it. Pour the barley on the top layer into the bottom of the pot, and put the barley on the bottom of the pot on the top layer. This can prevent the barley from being cooked to different degrees and ensure that the barley is cooked thoroughly. It is very important to control the temperature in this process.

When the water in the pot is almost dry, remove the open flame and leave only a little charcoal fire. When the moisture in the barley has almost dried up and the barley at the bottom of the pot has turned slightly yellow and is emitting a roasted barley aroma, it is time to turn off the heat. The barley was poured into the winnowing basket one basket at a time, and the whole room became hazy. When the wheat is still a little warm in the winnowing basket, it can be mixed with the yeast. After the koji is mixed evenly, the barley is put into a large bamboo basket for fermentation. The large bamboo basket should be covered tightly with linen, cotton cloth, etc. After the barley is fermented in a bamboo basket for two days, it is placed in an earthenware jar and slowly fermented. Fermentation time varies according to the season. It usually takes half a month in the warm spring and summer, and a month in the cold autumn and winter. During the fermentation period, the yeast must be turned over once a day, transferred from one tank to another, so that the fast-rising yeast and the slow-rising yeast can be mixed together. During this period, you need to observe whether the barley fermentation is normal. Normally fermented barley will feel cool to the touch. If it feels hot, it means that the barley has gone bad and cannot be used anymore. Another way to observe is to smell it. Normally fermented barley has a light and fragrant sour smell, while spoiled barley has a sour and smelly smell. Barley cannot be exposed to oil or salt during the entire process from cooking to fermentation, otherwise it will become sour. After the barley is fermented, you can add water to the jar and then filter out the water to get white vinegar. The color of white vinegar looks a little light yellow. Perhaps it is called white vinegar because it is lighter in color than other acid vinegars. Usually, two batches of water can be added to a jar of wheat. The first batch of water will filter out the first batch of vinegar, which has a stronger sour taste, while the second batch will filter out a lighter vinegar. You can choose according to your taste when eating.