Fish and chip shop vinegar and regular vinegar, the difference!

Mountain_RunnerMountain_Runner Posts: 1,925
Forum Member
✭✭✭
Have you ever wondered why fish and chip shop vinegar tastes totally different to the normal malt vinegar you get in the supermarket?

Well here's why. Fish and chip shop vinegar isn't actually vinegar, its 'Non Brewed Condiment' (NBC) Basically it is pure acetic acid diluted with water and brown colouring added. So all you are tasting is dilute acetic acid. The acetic acid is made industrially.

Malt vinegar by comparison is made from by malting barley and fermenting the malted barley. This is then mixed with acetic acid bacteria and air to convert it to malt vinegar. This is a more expensive process that making NBC.

Now here is why it tastes different often with a sour, fruity yeasty taste compared to chip shop 'non brewed condiment'

The acetic acid bacteria don't just make acetic acid, they use maltose as a food source and produce small amounts of lactic acid, propanoic acid, butyric acid, citric acid and various esters. This accounts for the different smell and taste of malt vinegar compared to non brewed condiment!

The reason why fish and chip shops use NBC instead of malt vinegar is that its much cheaper considering they use gallons of it a week!
Secondly its traditional. Fish and chips just do not taste right with malt vinegar and I always make sure a chip shop uses NBC before I buy fish n chips as malt vinegar spoils them! The amount of times I've thrown away a portion of chips because I sprinkled on malt vinegar thinking it was NBC is why I ask. As a conisieur of fish and chips it has to be just right, malt vinegar just doesn't go.

I actually much prefer the non brewed condiment I use it at home and can't stand the taste of malt vinegar.

Comments

  • BrotherDanielBrotherDaniel Posts: 1,439
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Vinegar ruins fish & chips, all soggy no thanks
  • Toby LaRhoneToby LaRhone Posts: 12,916
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    As a conisieur of fish and chips it has to be just right, malt vinegar just doesn't go.
    I'm loving it. :)

    Malt's fine by the way.
  • noise747noise747 Posts: 30,645
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    I don't normally have salt and vinegar put on my chips by the chippy, i normally put it on at home. I think the last time I had S and V put on in a chippy was the early part of last year.

    so i normally use Malt vinegar
  • neo_walesneo_wales Posts: 13,625
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    I prefer wine vinegar on home cooked chips.
  • Utopian GirlUtopian Girl Posts: 8,275
    Forum Member
    Picked onion vinegar is great IMO!
  • Jellied EelJellied Eel Posts: 33,091
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    +∞ for pickled onion vinegar!
  • norbitonitenorbitonite Posts: 8,653
    Forum Member
    Sarsons do a light malt vinegar, which I prefer for chips.
  • barbelerbarbeler Posts: 23,827
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Either lemon juice or cider vinegar for me.
  • grimtales1grimtales1 Posts: 46,684
    Forum Member
    Vinegar ruins fish & chips, all soggy no thanks

    Vinegar is fine on chips with salt, not on fish though :D
  • GogfumbleGogfumble Posts: 22,155
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Vinegar ruins fish & chips, all soggy no thanks

    When they ask if you want salt and vinegar I always so no then put it on at home so it doesn't have chance to go soggy.

    Can also control how much I put on, especially the salt as they sometimes seem to put loads on.
  • chopsimchopsim Posts: 3,522
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Picked onion vinegar is great IMO!

    Yes me too. Its so much nicer.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,291
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Can't beat waxy potato chippy chips fried in beef dripping then drenched in pickled onion vinegar. And they are alway's best if you don't get the fresh ones straight out of the fryer, but the ones that have been kept warm for a while.
  • HurlleyHurlley Posts: 2,162
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    how can i buy said vinegar then? in any case when i buy Fish and chips i always get salt vinegar, chilli sauce and mayonnaise. I like it soggy!
  • degsyhufcdegsyhufc Posts: 59,251
    Forum Member
    Picked onion vinegar is great IMO!
    +∞ for pickled onion vinegar!
    +
    Wouldn't have thought of it before Heston did it. Use it whenever I can on Fish n chips now, although Malt is also fine.
    grimtales1 wrote: »
    Vinegar is fine on chips with salt, not on fish though :D
    My fish n chips is swimming in vinegar :)
  • Welsh-ladWelsh-lad Posts: 51,904
    Forum Member
    'Non Brewed Condiment' crikey! It's like a pack of chicken nuggets I once saw, informing me that one of the components was 'poultry-based reformed product'.
    :D
  • Jellied EelJellied Eel Posts: 33,091
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    degsyhufc wrote: »
    +
    Wouldn't have thought of it before Heston did it. Use it whenever I can on Fish n chips now, although Malt is also fine.

    Heston is a noob. There are some philistines who also think pickled egg vinegar is a good idea, but that begs the question as to who buys a jar of pickled eggs?

    (and why)
  • Esot-ericEsot-eric Posts: 1,293
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Hurlley wrote: »
    how can i buy said vinegar then?

    They probably sell it in your local supermarket.

    If you have access to a Cash 'n' Carry it's sold there too. I pay around £3.60 for 5 litres. I use it for cleaning though, never on chips.
  • noise747noise747 Posts: 30,645
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    PJ2 wrote: »
    Can't beat waxy potato chippy chips fried in beef dripping then drenched in pickled onion vinegar. And they are alway's best if you don't get the fresh ones straight out of the fryer, but the ones that have been kept warm for a while.

    I love chips in beef dripping, but too much fat, so when I do cook chips at home these days it is normally in the Air fryer with a bit of Olive oil.

    Pickled onion vinegar is not for me.
  • noise747noise747 Posts: 30,645
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Hurlley wrote: »
    how can i buy said vinegar then? in any case when i buy Fish and chips i always get salt vinegar, chilli sauce and mayonnaise. I like it soggy!

    Sainsburys used to sell a chip shop style vinegar, but I just had a look on their site and can not find it, so maybe it did not sell well. I also looked on Tescos site, again it is not there.

    Maybe the cheap value stuff may taste more like it, I doubt they been brewed for long.
    I should think must people know that chip shop vinegar is not brewed.
  • grimtales1grimtales1 Posts: 46,684
    Forum Member
    degsyhufc wrote: »
    +
    Wouldn't have thought of it before Heston did it. Use it whenever I can on Fish n chips now, although Malt is also fine.

    My fish n chips is swimming in vinegar :)

    Chippy chips are nicer if you get the ones near the end of the batch and they're refried so much crispier :D
Sign In or Register to comment.