Vinegar is an absolute natural marvel. Thousands of years ago someone accidentally discovered it by letting some wine go a bit too long. The world has never been the same. Although made with various bases as the sugar component, the basic process has remained the same… sugars fermented to alcohol (wine) and alcohol further fermented to vinegar. Of course, that is the simple version, but you get the general idea.
There is a proliferation of posts and sites out there dedicated to vinegar. The uses are seemingly endless. Within the past few sentences, you have probably already started thinking of all the ways you know to use vinegar. In fact, we just posted a tip about it a couple of weeks ago as a laptop cleaner.
Today we cover some less common uses for vinegar. From jellyfish stings to fresher lunchboxes, it does it all. Send us some of your favorite uses for vinegar after the post so we can share it with the other readers. Don’t forget to check out our simple solution for keeping basil flavor in our salads year-round in the second half of this post.
Garbage Disposal Cleaner – Freshen your garbage disposal with vinegar cubes. Distribute one cup of vinegar evenly over an ice cube tray. Fill remaining space with water and freeze. Grind ice cubes in garbage disposal. Flush with cold water for 1 minute.
Grass Killer – Pour distilled white vinegar full strength on grass growing in cracks and driveways to kill it.
Lunchbox Freshener – Lunchboxes take on an odor all their own. To rid yourself of the smelly menace completely, wipe the lunchbox out with a damp rag. Moisten a slice of white bread with distilled white vinegar and place it in the lunchbox overnight. In the morning, remove the bread and any crumbs.
Jellyfish Sting Relief – To relieve the pain of a jellyfish sting, try blotting with a paper towel doused in vinegar. Do this over a sink to avoid any mess. Repeat as necessary to reduce the sting.
savour… multi-purpose miracles
Basil Infused Vinegar – My very favorite use for vinegar will always be salad dressing. Use this simple method to make an infused vinegar that can be stored for up to a year. Long after the basil growing season has ended you will have basil-infused vinegar for your vinaigrettes. Simply place 1 large, cleaned bunch of basil leaves and stems in a carafe with a lid or lidded glass jar. Pour 3 cups of vinegar over it. Make sure the leaves are submerged. Store in a cool, dry place and use in your vinaigrettes in place of regular vinegar.
