The canning process is not complete without the use of acetic acid. It gives a spicy taste that most of us like so much, and also prevents the growth of pathogenic bacteria that can ruin the entire workpiece. Today, the housewives can no longer imagine how to do without this simple, but such an important component. What about those who, for health reasons, should not use vinegar? Is it really necessary to completely abandon homework? Not! Citric acid can be used instead of vinegar. We will consider proportions in our article today.
What is vinegar?
We are so used to using it that we almost never think about this issue. Acetic essence is a solution that consists of 80% concentrated acid and 20% water. It is a colorless liquid with a pungent odor and specific properties. There are two ways to get this substance. The first is the distillation of vinegar, which is formed by the natural souring of wine. And pure acid is obtained through a special chemical process.
Pure product
If you take 100% acid, then it is a very interesting product. When cooled to 17 degrees, it becomes not just ice, but crystallizes. This amazing phenomenon cannot be observed at home, because in this form it is not for sale in the store. In home cooking, we do not encounter such a substance. Usually a 70% acid solution is required. But most often housewives are dealing with an aqueous solution, which is called table vinegar. Its concentration is from 3 to 13%, and this is quite enough for most dishes. It is allowed to use citric acid instead of vinegar. Proportions will be considered a little lower. In the meantime, let's decide what manipulations you need to do with the essence to get the product of the desired concentration.
If the original product is an essence
Standard in the store, it has a concentration of 70%. We will focus on this indicator. Before you figure out the proportions of citric acid instead of vinegar, you need to understand what is considered as such.
- If you need a 3% solution, then take 1 teaspoon of the essence, dilute it with 23 teaspoons of water. This procedure can be done in advance. To do this, take an empty bottle, pour the prepared solution into it. Now it will be safely stored in the closet.
- A 4% solution is made by mixing one tablespoon of essence and 17 tablespoons of water.
- 5% - 1/13.
- 6% - 1/11.
- 9% - 1/7.
Each of these solutions can be converted to a weaker one by adding water.
Lemon acid
Many people prefer to use it in the kitchen as an acidifier. In what proportions is citric acid used instead of vinegar without prejudice to the finished dish? Professional chefs recommend putting 2 tablespoons of citrus juice or 0.5 teaspoon per liter jar. powder. Please note that this is a bottle of juice. If you want to use freshly squeezed citrus, then you need to slightly change the proportions. Citric acid instead of vinegar in this case can be used as follows. Instead of one spoon of 6% vinegar, you will need to take about 50 g of juice squeezed from citrus.
For preservation and salads
You can safely use citric acid instead of vinegar. Proportions for preservation are taken based on the characteristics of the recipe and the products used. For example, for 0.5 liters of tomato juice you need only 1 g of citric acid. It can be diluted directly in a teaspoon and poured into the juice at the right time. It’s best to find an adapted recipe, but it’s allowed to experiment independently. For this we give the following proportions.
How to breed dry powder
What to do if the essence is indicated in the recipe? You can use the following memo, based on it, perform not too complicated calculations. The ratio of essence and table vinegar to citric acid is considered. Dry crystals need to be bred with plain water. In order to get a substitute for 70% of the essence, you need to dilute a tablespoon of acid in two tablespoons of water. This solution must be taken in accordance with the recipe, as indicated by the essence. For example, a teaspoon.
- if you add one citric acid to 14 parts of water, you will get a solution equal to 9% table vinegar;
- for the analogue of 6%, you need to take 1/22;
- 5% vinegar will turn out if you mix 1 part citric acid and 26 parts water;
- 4% - we breed 1 to 34;
- 3% - 1 to 46.
Now you know how much citric acid instead of vinegar is needed in order to prepare the desired solution. Remarkably, no special conditions are needed. Only a clean bottle, water and lemon powder, which is in any store. At a cost such a solution will turn out even cheaper than vinegar.
Weigh without weights
It’s hard to imagine how many food industries use citric acid instead of vinegar. Proportions per liter of approximately ½ teaspoon is a universal formula that can be used in most recipes. By the way, if you take a teaspoon without a slide, it will be 5 grams of citric acid. The product is widely used; cooking sauces is not complete without it. This is an essential component of cold drinks. In the confectionery industry, too, nowhere without it. Lemon is often added as a preservative to increase shelf life of products. In particular, it is added to some canned foods. In cooking, finding an equally simple and safe acidifier is simply impossible. Moreover, it does not have such a harsh taste as vinegar. Pure lemon juice can sometimes be used. However, this is an option that is ideal for salads, and not for canning. Citric acid is not only safer than vinegar, but also beneficial to the body in moderation.
Instead of a conclusion
Not all winter blanks can be made using citric acid. Cucumbers and eggplants do not like such a replacement, they can greatly change their taste. Therefore, most often it is used for sweet compotes, desserts. Tomato juice with the addition of "lemons" is also not bad. Try, experiment, but in small quantities. Perhaps you will find that unique recipe that will become a favorite in your cookbook.