vinegar

If balsamic is the only variety of vinegar in your pantry, then it's time to expand your horizons. Whether you're looking for a sweet, savory, or tangy taste, you can boost flavor easily with the right vinegar. Not sure where to start? We're breaking down some of the most popular types of vinegar and the best dishes to drizzle them on, so before you grab your standby balsamic, take a look at these must-try vinegars:

• Apple cider: Tan, tart, and slightly fruity, apple cider vinegar works best in salad dressings and poultry marinades.
• Balsamic: One of the most popular vinegars, balsamic can be used in dressings, dips, marinades, sauces, and reductions, topping everything from salads to desserts to meat and seafood. Made with white grapes and aged for several years, traditional balsamic vinegar is both sweet and sour, so it works well with sweet foods and salty dishes — especially cheese.
• Wine: Perfect to drizzle over sautéed vegetables and salads or in meat marinades, red and white wine vinegars are made from different types of wine and vary in quality accordingly. Splash a bit over bitter vegetables like brussels sprouts or cabbage to smooth out the taste, or use it to bring out the fruity flavors in berries and salsa.
• Champagne: Light like Champagne itself, Champagne vinegar is made with the grapes used for expensive bubbly. With a hint of vanilla, it's a great addition to fruity salads, poultry marinades, and sweet sauces.

Keep reading to learn more about different types of vinegar.

Ever since I first heard of Pok Pok — Andy Ricker's James Beard Award-winning Thai street food restaurant — I've been eager to try out the zesty cuisine for myself. While that has yet to come to fruition, I've satisfied at least a hint of my curiosity by sampling Ricker's drinking vinegar — a sweet-tart syrup not unlike a shrub — which brings us to today's artisanal pick: Pok Pok's Som Tamarind version ($15).

I first followed the bottle's suggestion, mixing four parts sparkling water with one part drinking vinegar for a tangy spritzer of sorts. Consumed as is, it's a bit too sweet, but diluted down with a ratio closer to 6:1 and punched up with a squeeze of lime, I could —and will — enjoy refreshing glass after glass as we head into sunnier weather. What's more, I can't wait to experiment with this tangy syrup in cocktails, where I imagine it would be a stellar match for tequila or white rum, as well as classic Southeast Asian ingredients like ginger, basil, mint, lime, and possibly even fiery peppers. Stay tuned for the results, and in the meantime, I suggest you order a bottle, or one of Pok Pok Som's other intriguing options like pineapple or pomegranate, and get experimenting yourself.

Many common kitchen ingredients are just as useful in the bathroom. In fact, L'Oréal hair colorist Christophe Robin turns to vinegar for many DIY hair and skin care remedies, his favorite brand being Santa Maria Novella ($52). But if you don't have the time to wait for this international beauty product to arrive (or are looking for something a little more practically priced), pick up a bottle of apple cider vinegar at your local grocery store. And to get Robin's tips — along with a few of ours — for using vinegar from head to toe, just keep reading.

If you haven't already, now is definitely the time to trade in your stash of cotton throw blankets for the woolen ones that have been in storage for the past several months. There's nothing as cozy as curling up next to a fire in a soft woolen blanket — that is, unless your wool blankets fresh out of storage are flattened and stale-smelling. What to do? Soften up your woolens by adding two cups of white distilled vinegar to the rinse cycle of the wash. The vinegar will eliminate any stale odors (without adding a vinegar tang to it). Additionally, the elixir will fluff and soften those blankets. Is there anything white vinegar can't do?

Did you know that more than 50 percent of Americans drink at least one cup of coffee a day? That statistic may not be too surprising if you're one of them. While the dark drink certainly has its benefits, there are other ways to get a boost of energy — and I'm not talking 'bout sodas.

The next time you need a jolt of energy, try sipping on apple cider vinegar. The tart liquid is known to boost one's immunity and help with digestive issues, but it's also credited for adding some pep to one's step. A couple of tablespoons of the golden liquid mixed with a full glass of water can make the difference between a productive energy driven day and an afternoon snooze fest doozy. Before you run to the pantry to make yourself the concoction, heed these two tips: Drink it with a straw to protect your pearly whites and if you're prone to heartburn, you might want to try adding some baking soda to the mix.

It's not always easy being green — or clean. Combining the two can be downright impossible, but making your own products can cut chemicals, crud, and cost. I simplify things even more by using one all-purpose cleanser nearly everywhere in my pad.

To make the cleaner, just combine equal parts water and vinegar in a spray bottle and shake to mix. Before storing, label and date your homemade mixture. It should be good indefinitely, but it doesn't hurt to mix up a fresh batch every couple of months.

Spring cleaning on the mind? Other DIY options include a heavy duty surface cleanser, a window solution, and a tub and tile scrubber.

If you live in a snowy climate, chances are that road crews are keeping the highways and byways of your hometown ice-free with the use of salt. It's likely that you, as well, are cutting down on ice on the steps and paths around your home by using salt. While salt can be a great tool, it can also wreak havoc on rugs and carpets inside your home — especially in the entry, where boots can too easily track salt all over these items.

Even if you've had salt stains on your carpets or rugs for most of this Winter, you can still banish them with some simple ingredients and a lot of elbow grease. To find out how to get rid of those stains, read more

Dishing out extra dough to fix pricey appliances is a real pain so it's in your best interest to keep them in tip-top shape. Consumer Reports recently put out a helpful guide to making appliances last, but washing machines didn't make the list. Thank goodness for the Thrifty Tips — Getting The Most Out of Life group in the SavvySugar Community. Beachwalker advises:

To keep your washing machine new, every few months fill the machine with warm water and a pint of vinegar. This will clean out the hoses and stop clogging. This works for the dishwasher as well!

Have you ever tried this tactic? Have a thrifty tip to share? Join the Thrifty Tips — Getting The Most Out of Life group in the SavvySugar Community and preach!

Ranch, blue cheese, and thousand island might make your taste buds happy, but they're pretty disappointing when it comes to nutrition. If you've been trying to fool yourself into thinking that a concoction of vegetables and saturated-fat-laden creamy dressing is healthy, it won't take long for your waistline to notice.

Enter your salad and weight-
friendly dressing, the vinaigrette. A medley of olive oil and vinegar, seasoned as you please and moderately portioned, is the best way to complement your greens. It's tasty, and what's more, new research from Japan suggests that ordinary household vinegar turns on genes that help fight fat.

Scientists put mice on a high-fat diet, and only some were given regular doses of acetic acid, the main chemical in vinegar. The mice who received the vinegar compound developed up to 10 percent less body fat than the mice who didn't receive it. Scientists believe that the acetic acid helps the body break down fats, which prevents fat buildup and weight gain.