The Tasty Tang of Vinegar

Like primary colors to a painter, fat, salt and acid are the essential ingredients chefs use to flavor their masterpiece meals. Many home cooks know how to use fat (either oil or butter) and salt of course, but they skip on the acid, things like vinegar for example.

If you love to cook, try going beyond plain white vinegar and experiment with white balsamic, sherry vinegar (not to be confused with sherry cooking wine), rice wine vinegar or dark rich balsamic. Each one has a unique flavor from slightly sweet to rich, and all can work wonders in stir-fries, one-pot meals and even desserts.

Consider vinegar a skinny staple, because it's low in calories and high in flavor, costs very little and stores well for months in your cupboard. Recent studies show that acetic acid, the main component of vinegar, may help control blood pressure, blood sugar levels and fat accumulation. Even better, its wonderful flavor is entirely versatile--with its tart tang capable of making a good recipe great.


Get the Skinny Chef's Balsamic Salmon recipe.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1 6-ounce filet):
443 calories, 35 g protein, 12 g carbohydrates, 26 g fat (5 g saturated), 93 mg cholesterol, 0 g fiber, 391 mg sodium.