Great cooking so often hinges on the smallest details: a pinch of salt, a sprinkle of spice, or a single ingredient which brings a dish together. Vinegar is undoubtably one of those quiet heroes of the kitchen, often turned to for adding an extra dimension to the likes of sauces and marinades. Yet as somewhat of a pantry staple, it can be easy to overlook the wider uses of vinegars beyond simply balancing out flavours. 

With so many different types of vinegar out there, from balsamic to apple cyder and everything else in between, there are countless ways of making it a star ingredient in your cookery, whether that be in glazes, salads, sauces or braises. Using a good quality vinegar is essential, particularly when a recipe involves more than a dash. Aspall’s range of vinegars is produced with the same focus on quality as their pioneering British cyder and includes options for all kinds of recipes. Their newest creation is an apple balsamic vinegar, which combines two of their signature products into one for a sweet and fruity flavour.

In the interest of making as much use as possible of the vinegars you have on your shelves, below are a selection of recipes, all of which use more than just a dash of the stuff. We’ve included dishes that include various different kinds of vinegar, so there’s something for everyone.

You’ve probably tried a traditional aubergine-based caponata before but our winter caponata offers something slightly different, using slices of Delica pumpkin as the hero vegetable instead. A caponata wouldn’t be the same without its classic sweet-meets-sour dressing, however, and here we’ve a generous amount of red wine vinegar to provide that distinct sharpness.

When a recipe has vinegar in its name, you know that it’s going be playing a pretty important role in the dish. Our take on the classic French dish poulet au vinaigre uses plenty of cyder vinegar, which is reduced down to make a beautiful, tart yet creamy sauce. Served on top of a generous dollop of wholegrain mustard, this warming dish is perfect for a wintery day.

Balsamic vinegar is at the beating heart of this brilliant hogget recipe from chef Ramael Scully. It’s reduced with soy sauce, honey and Worcestershire sauce to create a rich, sticky glaze, which then coats the centrepiece hogget shoulder. If you’re looking for a Sunday roast with extra wow factor, look no further.

This marinated herring recipe from Andy McLeish nods to classic Scandinavian flavours and is, most importantly, incredibly easy to recreate. White wine vinegar is used both to marinate the herring fillets and also to dress the beetroots, ensuring that a gentle sourness runs right through the dish.

Not only does Roberta Hall-McCarron use a combination of cyder and rice vinegar to pickle her trout roe in this incredibly colourful plaice recipe, she also makes a cyder vinegar reduction to braise the radicchio in, as well as using a generous amount of cyder vinegar in her buttery sauce. A great showcase of the many ways vinegar can be used in a single dish.

Hailing from Tuscany, Rosticciana is a pork rib dish, traditionally cooked over a wood fire but we’ve simplified things here by instead cooking them in the oven. Red wine vinegar is used right the way through the cooking process, generously brushed onto the pork ribs to both keep them moist and give them an added dimension of flavour.

We’d be surprised if you haven’t stumbled across a dipping oil in some form on social media over the past year. Simple in concept, they basically involve combining all kinds of delicious ingredients with plenty of olive oil and mopping it all up with chunks of bread. Our dipping oil here is centered around balsamic vinegar and chopped olives, while chilli flakes and picked rosemary bring a touch of spice and fragrance to every mouthful.

Taking just twenty minutes to make from start to finish, this wild salmon recipe from Marcello Tully is perfect for a quick weeknight dinner. Two tablespoons of white wine vinegar are combined with mustard and sesame seeds, hazelnut oil and egg yolks for a punchy mayo-like dressing, whilst a tomato and spinach salad brings added freshness to the dish.