Vinegar

[Winchester]

I'm not sure if anybody does much canning around here, but thought I'd mention it.

When you buy vinegar, make sure the bottle says 5% acidity. The manufacturers are making it now with 4% acidity. I don't know why, unless it's to try to save money. Anyway, most canners use 5% and that's what Ball, etc. will tell you to use. I don't know if a 1% difference would hurt. Everything I've read says do not use 4%.

I don't do much canning anymore; all I really ever did anyway was pickles and some red onions to use as a sauce for steak, pork, etc.

Just thought I'd put it out there.

 

[catapault]

Thank you for mentioning this. There's a term for this kind of reduction, and it's all over the place. It's called "shrinkflation" and here's a link telling about it: Shrinkflation - Wikipedia

Smart Balance - the containers are the same size and same price, but the one made with olive oil weighs less than the "regular" one. Pasta - boxes look the same but one brand weighs 16 ounces and the other brand weighs 12 ounces - a big difference!

 

[lizzie]

I'm not sure if anybody does much canning around here, but thought I'd mention it.

When you buy vinegar, make sure the bottle says 5% acidity. The manufacturers are making it now with 4% acidity. I don't know why, unless it's to try to save money. Anyway, most canners use 5% and that's what Ball, etc. will tell you to use. I don't know if a 1% difference would hurt. Everything I've read says do not use 4%.

I don't do much canning anymore; all I really ever did anyway was pickles and some red onions to use as a sauce for steak, pork, etc.

Just thought I'd put it out there.

I've noticed that too,and I think it's important enough to throw out a reminder.My thoughts are this...canning is like chemistry.The proportions and percentages they say to use are for a reason.If you don't follow their recipes correctly,and process them as you are instructed,in my humble opinion,your food is not safe to store and surely not safe to eat.Putting up what you've worked so hard to grow,not to mention the expense of sugars,spices.jars,lids and rings,etc....what a waste by using the wrong vinegar!Whether the jar seals or not,if you've processed it the correct way and time doesn't matter if your vinegar solution is not right,it's not safe.My belief anyway.

 

[Mv00]

I don't can, but I imagine the 1% makes all the difference. I would think if you can only get 4%, then you'd have to add 25% of the amount you're using to compensate to make it 5%, but I could be wrong. Good luck

 

[catapault]

M Mv00 Change from 5% to 4% vinegar is a 20 percent reduction. If more 4% vinegar is added to the recipe it is also adding more liquid and throwing off balance of other ingredients.

It would be a matter of discussion with each state's university extension program, which is available to answer for free all sorts of home and garden questions.

 

[piano cat]

I use 10% vinegar for some cleaning uses and having a hard time finding it. Can only find 7%.

 

[artiemom]

The size of the Dawn dish soap has also shrunk, incredibly.. as the size of tissue boxes, cereal boxes, coffee, toothpaste, etc... and we are paying for more less...

 

[catapault]

Winchester Was it you or someone else who quite some time ago mentioned that boxed cake mixes had also suffer "shrinkflation"? And it has been a couple of years since baking chocolate also reduced the number of ounces in the package.

What next? Eggs by 10 instead of a dozen? Butter as 12 ounces rather than a pound? No wonder a friend who is a baker prefers recipes listing ingredients by weight rather than volume.

Do maufacturers truly think we won't notice? I was at the store the other day, and said something in passing to an older couple. And she said, rather sadly, "And everything has gotten so expensive."

 

[Winchester]

C catapault Yeah, that was me. I only use cake mixes now as an absolute last resort, for those recipes that I haven't been able to duplicate properly without a mix.

We went to Giant yesterday. It's been a while since we actually walked around the Giant because we've been shopping at Sam's/Costco and going to Giant for milk and fresh produce. I was appalled. You cannot tell me that a jar of Kraft mayo is worth over $6! A small bag of Utz pretzels is now almost $5. Ridiculous. We used to be able get them for $2.50.

I had a coupon for 50 cents off one can of Friskies cat food. I bought one can. It was 85 cents. *shaking my head*

One thing that the warehouses don't carry is white chocolate chips, so I'm dependent on the grocery store for them. Rick's mom loves white chip and macadamia nut cookies and I keep macadamia nuts in the freezer for when she wants cookies. Giant had the Nestle brand of white chips 2 for $6. I had a dollar coupon off one bag, so I was able to get the chips 2 for $5, which is what they used to be on sale.

I don't know how people can keep up with this. I think the manufacturers are simply increasing prices because they know the public will sigh, shake their heads, and buy the stuff anyway. But I don't see the market bearing much more; people simply cannot afford it.

I bought a jug of apple cider vinegar with 5% acidity. I didn't see anything higher or lower than 5%.

 

[furmonster mom]

I haven’t done any pickling in a long time, but I would definitely be wary of a 20% reduction in acidity. Canning any kind of vegetables, whether with brine or not still needs a high level of added acidity. Reducing that just sounds like an invitation for botulism or other bacteria to survive the process.

 

[lizzie]

C catapault Yeah, that was me. I only use cake mixes now as an absolute last resort, for those recipes that I haven't been able to duplicate properly without a mix.

We went to Giant yesterday. It's been a while since we actually walked around the Giant because we've been shopping at Sam's/Costco and going to Giant for milk and fresh produce. I was appalled. You cannot tell me that a jar of Kraft mayo is worth over $6! A small bag of Utz pretzels is now almost $5. Ridiculous. We used to be able get them for $2.50.

I had a coupon for 50 cents off one can of Friskies cat food. I bought one can. It was 85 cents. *shaking my head*

One thing that the warehouses don't carry is white chocolate chips, so I'm dependent on the grocery store for them. Rick's mom loves white chip and macadamia nut cookies and I keep macadamia nuts in the freezer for when she wants cookies. Giant had the Nestle brand of white chips 2 for $6. I had a dollar coupon off one bag, so I was able to get the chips 2 for $5, which is what they used to be on sale.

I don't know how people can keep up with this. I think the manufacturers are simply increasing prices because they know the public will sigh, shake their heads, and buy the stuff anyway. But I don't see the market bearing much more; people simply cannot afford it.

I bought a jug of apple cider vinegar with 5% acidity. I didn't see anything higher or lower than 5%.

C catapault Yeah, that was me. I only use cake mixes now as an absolute last resort, for those recipes that I haven't been able to duplicate properly without a mix.

We went to Giant yesterday. It's been a while since we actually walked around the Giant because we've been shopping at Sam's/Costco and going to Giant for milk and fresh produce. I was appalled. You cannot tell me that a jar of Kraft mayo is worth over $6! A small bag of Utz pretzels is now almost $5. Ridiculous. We used to be able get them for $2.50.

I had a coupon for 50 cents off one can of Friskies cat food. I bought one can. It was 85 cents. *shaking my head*

One thing that the warehouses don't carry is white chocolate chips, so I'm dependent on the grocery store for them. Rick's mom loves white chip and macadamia nut cookies and I keep macadamia nuts in the freezer for when she wants cookies. Giant had the Nestle brand of white chips 2 for $6. I had a dollar coupon off one bag, so I was able to get the chips 2 for $5, which is what they used to be on sale.

I don't know how people can keep up with this. I think the manufacturers are simply increasing prices because they know the public will sigh, shake their heads, and buy the stuff anyway. But I don't see the market bearing much more; people simply cannot afford it.

I bought a jug of apple cider vinegar with 5% acidity. I didn't see anything higher or lower than 5%.

That's one of the reasons I do so much of my shopping at Aldis now.There was a time when I wouldn't shop there,but they've improved so much in recent years,we love it.It used to be that we got an insert in our local paper that was full of coupons,and for some unknown reason that stopped.So I shop what sales I can find at Woods in their weekly ad ,if there is anything of interest to me.

 

[IndyJones]

The strongest vinegar I have seen is a 75% one but it says "not for human consumption." On it. Said its an industrial cleaner.

I have also seen double strength cleaning vinegar 10% but don't know if you can cook with it or not.

They are shrinking and upcharging everything even pet food and supplies. Indy's food has doubled in price. I can kind of tell that some flavours are more watery too.