10 ways to use apple cider vinegar & 15 delicious recipes
Apple Cider Vinegar has long been praised for its amazing properties. The father of medicine, Hippocrates, is said to have treated his patients with it, as he believed it to be a natural cleansing tonic. He’s not the only one who thinks so, just google apple cider vinegar and you’ll be drowning in articles singing its praises and with good reason.
What Is Apple Cider Vinegar Anyway?
We love it not only for its healing properties but also for its versatility. It’s one of our favourite kitchen staples. It’s a wholesome way to add delicious flavour to just about anything. Use in dressings and marinades, or simply take a teaspoon daily for general wellbeing. It can be used in drinks and tonics, in baking, pickling and so much more. People online are also talking about it being great as an all-purpose cleaner, face toner and weed killer but we will let you try that out for yourself.
If you’re able to down it with water, cheers to you (and where did you get your secret powers?). For those of us who need to disguise it a little, here are some delicious uses.
Apple cider vinegar, or ACV to those in the know, is a type of vinegar made by crushing apples and squeezing out the liquid. Bacteria and yeast are added to the liquid to start the fermentation – a process that converts sugars to alcohol. Then some next level fermentation occurs where the alcohol is converted into vinegar by acetic acid-forming bacteria. Now you have ACV!
Make sure that you are buying unpasteurised apple cider vinegar, which contains the ‘mother of vinegar’ – a cloudy cobweb looking mass which sinks to the bottom of the bottle. It sounds a bit gross, but it’s fine, in fact it’s the best bit! The Apple cider vinegar we make here at Ceres Organics is unpasteurised, unfiltered and undiluted and the whole product from apple to apple cider vinegar is organically grown and made in NZ. Tick, tick, tick if you ask us.
Now dust off that bottle of apple cider vinegar you’ve got already in your pantry or grab the bottle you’ve been meaning to buy.
1. Dressings:
Dressings are an easy way to get the benefits of apple cider into your life on the regular. We like this turmeric tahini dressing, on everything especially on a salad or buddh1 bowl.
2. ACV Gummies:
These taste as good as they look and are possibly the easiest way to get apple cider vinegar into your families diet. We highly recommend making your own though as many store-bought kinds contain a lot of added sugar.
3. In Baking:
Say what?? It may seem like an unusual place to use apple cider vinegar but don’t knock it until you try it! The acids in the vinegar also help activate baking powder and baking soda making cakes rise and pancakes extra fluffy.
or these blueberry and chocolate muffins.
4. Bone Broth:
Bone broth is essentially when you cook bones and other veggies in a large pot for 24-48 hours to make a stock like soup. You will see apple cider vinegar used in most recipes, why? ACV is used to pull the nutrients and minerals from the bones. Make sure you’re using organic apple cider vinegar that contains the mother to get all the gut healing benefits from your broth.
5. As a Sauce:
Dressings aren’t the only use for apple cider vinegar (which we hope is very obvious by now) it’s also great in sauces.
6. In Shrubs:
A shrub is a drinking vinegar, a combination of apple cider vinegar, reduced fruit syrup, and sugar. The Vinegar brings the best out of the fruit and cuts right through it. You serve a shrub with alcohol or with sparkling or still water. They are amazingly refreshing plus you get the health benefits if the apple cider vinegar and if Nadia Lim makes them, so do we!
7. To Make Jam:
Try this delicious tomato chilli jam
8. Morning Elixir:
On cooler mornings this elixir is perfect to wake up your digestive system and warm you up. Full off ginger, turmeric, lemon and honey you’ll be skipping through your day. Or on warmer mornings try this spiced apple cider vinegar tonic. You can make it chilled and pour with sparkling water for a refreshing summer drink. Options galore!
9. Pickling Vegetables:
Make something delicious, while extending the life of your veggies and supporting your gut in the process. It might sound complicated but it is anything but.
Pickling transforms raw red onions from pungent and crunchy to tangy and crisp. It’s like magic! These pickles onions are perfect in a salad, paired with tacos, burgers or almost any sandwich.
10. To cook quinoa using the ACV soaking method
Soak your quinoa in a glass or ceramic bowl with two cups of filtered water to every cup of quinoa and 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. Cover with a tea towel and leave it to sit in the fridge for 12–24 hours.
Strain your quinoa through a fine mesh sieve, rinsing thoroughly to remove the bitter saponins* until water runs clear.
Add quinoa to a pot with 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 10–15 minutes with the lid on. You will notice that the quinoa seeds will sprout ‘tails’ and become translucent, that’s how you’ll know it’s good to go.
Remove the lid and leave to sit until all liquid is completely absorbed, then fluff up quinoa lightly with a fork.
