In Modena you can taste the original balsamic vinegar (even aged 50 years) for free if you take a tour of a farm where it is produced. They usually offer tasting with a free tour because they know the stuff is so good that you will end up buying it

@Birdylockso

2 ай бұрын

True. We went and bought a ton. The good thing about buying a lot is that they will never go bad. Balsamic vinegar stays what it is, maybe forever? (Assuming that it does not evaporate and dry out.)

@XBullitt16X

2 ай бұрын

It would age further, so taste could change, but yes it would never truly go "off" no vinegar can, even balsamic.@@Birdylockso

@Birdylockso

2 ай бұрын

@@XBullitt16X Right, that would be my guess also. But isn't the aging process only take place in the barrel? By interacting with the barrel, wine, (I'm assuming balsamic vinegar also), would take on more nuanced flavors. Without the barrel, how would the vinegar continue to age in the glass bottle? Wine could, because of the tannin; therefore, in theory, the balsamic vinegar which also contains tannin from the grape skin, could also age, albeit slower? Any experience in this area? This is very interesting...

@XBullitt16X

2 ай бұрын

I make a lot of my own vinegars and I can tell you it will age in the bottle, my vinegars age in glass bottles and form mothers, so yep. The barrel is just for flavour and thickening.@@Birdylockso

@Birdylockso

2 ай бұрын

@@XBullitt16X Good to know, thanks. I have a good bottle that I have been using very sparingly, for almost 3 years now. I don't see any "mothers" formed in the bottle. Is that normal? And, I am assuming the "mothers" is just a top white/grey layer?

The difference between $3 vs $150 balsamic vinegar is $147.

@lasoren

3 ай бұрын

Well technically and mathematically, you're right.

@cocainedealer9037

3 ай бұрын

Genius level observation, my guess of a 120$ dollar difference was close but not as precise as your analysis. Fantastic job.

@Goingnorth751

3 ай бұрын

Didn't even take 35 min to explain. cool vid thou

@wesleywalker4709

3 ай бұрын

He's Technically Correct. The BEST kind of correct.@@lasoren

@rogink

3 ай бұрын

@@lasoren Not really. The traditional came in 100ml bottle, the cheap stuff in 500ml. So you need to multiply the difference 5 times to be mathematically correct :)

For anyone interested, I made a lot of testing when the original video came out and here is the best adjusted recipe I got: - 1 cup cheapest BV 4 leaf you can find - 3/4 tbsp maple syrup - 3/4 tbsp sugar - 3/4 tbsp msg - 3 tbsp aged tawny port - Mix all ingredients - Reduce to half volume - Remove from heat - Add back 1/3 cup BV 4 leaf

@EthanChlebowski

3 ай бұрын

Hell yea, glad to hear you did the testing!

@erzsebetkovacs2527

3 ай бұрын

Also, for the "healthy coke," you should just make switchel or posca. Vinegar plus water can be refreshing and healthy, but it needs some form of sweetener (honey, molasses).

@buzzaard7036

3 ай бұрын

Thanks for your version

@bendingriver7101

3 ай бұрын

I'm so curious if smoking the reduction or added a piece of oak wood charcoal to "steep" like a tea, then strain out, OR just liquid smoke would help add that aged wood flavor

@MsHojat

3 ай бұрын

have you considered using molasses or wood essence?

my cousin owns an authentic vinegar manufacturing plant in Reggio Emilia near Modena and your explanations here are on the spot. She makes regular and all the way to gold traditional in barrels that date back to 1892. The real stuff is heavenly. For day to day, I like the Kirkland brand Costco one, it's 4 leafs. If they still sell it, have not been to Costco in a while and just ran out of my last bottle recently. For glazes I like the Trader Joes one, tastes great and while not anywhere close to the real stuff, works great. My favorite way to use the top shelf balsamic is to drizzle it over really good parmesan cheese, break some chunks off, drizzle with balsamic and enjoy. Or really good fruits or berries. Never use the top shelf stuff in a vinaigrette, that would make zero sense. Like gold leaf on a steak, LOL

I dont think I caught the original videos and I much prefer this longer deep dive format so this I really appreciate this video

@hungsimon4174

2 ай бұрын

Same, awesome satisfying format

Thanks for being upfront about it being a directors cut. Too many creators will just repost a version of the same thing they’ve already done and hope people don’t notice.

Watched all the others and will watch this too. Really respect going back and fixing the series if it wasn’t to your liking.

For making a reduction, there IS a trick to get the wood notes that the barrel aged product has. Homebrew shops carry food grade oak cubes/chips/spirals that you throw into the liquid and let it age for a while. If it works for beer, it will work for balsamic. Get some cubes & age the stuff in a mason jar for some 2-4 weeks. I'd suggest trying this both before & after the reduction to see which you like better but this should get you even closer to the real (very expensive) balsamic.

Went from watching Ethan Chlebowski's cooking videos for pleasure and to become a better home cook, to assigning some of these in-depth videos to my college-level science class. You definitely hold this channel to a high standard. Thanks for all your thorough research and testing!

@samatkinson420

3 ай бұрын

Did you have your students watch them or did they have to do projects/papers? What a fun and interactive way to learn, you sound like a great professor

Ethan I loved the original release of this series, and it's great that you've updated it. Also, as a result of this, I picked up some legit Balsamico de Modena and holy crap it's wonderful. I know it's expensive but it goes a long way since you use it very small amounts at a time. thanks for being awesome!

@EthanChlebowski

3 ай бұрын

You are welcome, glad you enjoy the Balsamic from Modena. It’s truly such a unique flavor!

@mordaxpraetorian1110

3 ай бұрын

I also got my hands on a bottle based off of the original video series and it is so awesome

Here's a quick "Blow your mind" ice cream dessert serving suggestion: Strawberry ice cream + shavings of frozen mango + Basil chiffonade + balsamic vineger. Seriously mind-blowing how good this is.

@latarn817

Ай бұрын

what kind of balsamic vinegsr?

@gregbailey45

Ай бұрын

Long ago, I discovered the joy of drinking a good red wine while eating vanilla ice cream. Heavenly.

My grandmother taught me a long time ago to always buy 12 year aged balsamic vinegar. The extra price is worth it. But she was referring to bottles in the 20-45$ price range. It’s a rule of thumb I’ve always stuck to, and the difference between a 30$ 12 year aged balsamic vs a 6-10$ bottle is huge, big enough for me. Sometimes good enough is good enough. I’d like to see a comparison of only 12 year aged balsamics at different price points.

The higher end Balsamic Vinegars are the best with a good fresh Italian bread and a touch of Olive oil to go with your meal.

@sonodiventataunalbero5576

3 ай бұрын

It's very nice on vanilla ice cream. And on strawberries

@ryancols

3 ай бұрын

​@@sonodiventataunalbero5576and watermelon

@Markinfilm

3 ай бұрын

NO!!!!!!! you do not mix high-grade olive oil and high-grade balsamic. They are 2 flavors that stand on their own. So American. Sorry. Real olive needs just a pinch of salt, that's it.

@DreadKyller

3 ай бұрын

@@Markinfilm please show where they said the olive oil had to be high-grade? they specified good fresh bread, but said nothing of the quality of the oil. While the traditional balsamic has a viscous texture, a small amount of some form of oil adds a silkiness to the texture that you only get from fats. While true that it'd be a waste to put high quality olive oil with the balsamic and vis-versa a cheaper olive oil with the balsamic adds a lot of texture without interfering with the flavor of the balsamic.

@UsernamesForDummies

2 ай бұрын

⁠@@DreadKyllerI tend to agree with @Markinfilm. Olive oil comes in many different flavour profiles. From extremely fruity, over musky to fairly bitter. So the oil can really interfere with the taste of a BV. And though I also like to dunk bread in some olive oil and BV, I would never choose a high-end BV for that purpose. Anyone who’s ever taste-tested different olive oils understands how powerful and even overpowering they can be.

Wow I thought I already saw Ethan’s videos on balsamic vinegar but I think making it one video is good, I just wish he didn’t delete the old ones

@EthanChlebowski

3 ай бұрын

I unlisted them for now! Is there any specific reason you think I should keep them up? For me, this is how I wish I would have done the video in the beginning so I don’t see any reason to keep the other ones live!

@TrystanBrock

3 ай бұрын

​@@EthanChlebowski I personally don't see any value in keeping the older ones. As the audience I also wish it would have been uploaded like this to begin with. (Not knocking the originals I know you had good reasons to do it the way you did, that's totally fine.)

I really appreciate all of the deep dives on single ingredients, super informative.

I really appreciate the editing of this video. I remember having to rewatch the first few trying to get all the information straight now that this is a single video I really feel like I can understand all that the first few were trying to say. Great work!

I discovered your videos a couple of weeks ago and I am hooked. Extremely informative, interesting and watchable

I'm impressed by your comprehensive reviews as well as the background information. Many thanks for your efforts.

25:57 you are so genuinely happy! I'm so glad you can make these videos for us and enjoy making them so much 😄

I watched every epispde in the series as they came out. I'm hype to watch this one as well!

Not sure if you're planning on traveling anytime soon again but a video of you exploring and explaining Italy's food culture would be really fascinating from your perspective.

Damn your channel has grown so much and done so in such a focused manner. I remember finding you 2-4 years ago where we would just cook fun stuff and learn a few cool science based hacks. I really appreciate and am proud of you for taking this turn into extreme science and empirical evidence based approach to cooking smarter and better. I think you found a great niche and created a great community. I hope one day soon you and Kenji get together because I feel like it'll be a sick ass video or at the very least a cool moment for the both of you food science heads!

You are the channel I've been looking for since i started cooking. Why did i just discover you despite the fact that I've been researching food videos for about 8 years now

You’re killing it Ethan, keep up the fantastic work!!

Thanks for the deep dives on single ingredients, super helpful.

Even though I watched the original 3, this was a great update. So much information for an awesome ingredient. Thanks Ethan, great work!

I cannot imagine putting balsamic vinegar on ice cream.

@sweetmusic3821

Ай бұрын

I do not recommend it. I had some super-expensive balsamic vinegar on top of strawberries and ice cream. I thought it ruined the strawberries and ice cream. I hated it.

@vi-yn1ss

Ай бұрын

​@sweetmusic3821 maybe you were duped? Both are amazingly good with the real stuff.... Just a thought ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Enjoyed the rewatch 👍 thanks for your great work!

As a nutrition and food sci student I absolutely eat up all your videos but I really enjoyed this directors cut format a lot. Thanks Ethan!!

I was so confused and thought KZread had unliked the video for me. But now I see it's the combo of those 3 videos and I think it's a good way to do it. Looking forward to the next ones.

I definitely appreciated this video, even after watching the others. I love balsamic in all of its forms. I've never had 2 bottles that taste the same and I love to just try them whenever I can. I was somewhat surprised that you never mentioned that some balsamic tastes a lot more fruity, or sometimes even a little spicy, than others do. I generally keep several different bottles around for different cooking and eating applications. I do the same thing with olive oil. There's such a huge variation in taste and texture. Adding olive oil and balsamic together to things is such a great way to experience the variety in otherwise familiar foods.

This was fantastic! I'd love to see a similar video for maple syrup.

@katiegraham6149

Ай бұрын

Yeeessss!

FYI, at 22:22, there is a glitch screen where there should be a video of a hoagie.

I think the main thing is make sure grape must is the first ingredient and vinegar the second. Not the other way around.

Thanks for the very thorough comparison. I have a bottle of Giuseppe Giusti (which I bought in Milano, and over there it was only about 95 USD), some Roland condiment grade and a vinegar based balsamic all on hand for different uses. The traditional is by far my favorite!! Not only is it great on ice cream, but on various cheeses it's phenomenal. Somehow it adds to the flavor of the cheese.

Just finished for the second time through man. Your videos are great.

Ethen, I’m surprised you were wondering why the producers of authentic balsamic don’t mention ‘Salad dressing’ as a culinary use for balsamic. I’ve had many, ‘Insalata Verde,’ dressed with real balsamic and olive oil in Italy. They mix it right into the salad as it’s served, they don’t mix it in a bowl or jar beforehand.

This version is much better and easier to track. Thank you!

I love the direction your channel has taken, with a heavy focus on the food science and its practical uses. I've started using cookwell weekly for making 3-5 meals and its easily the best experience with an online recipe repository I've ever had. Used to use allrecipes before, but the quality there was just so hit or miss.

I love these series. Thanks you!

I would like a follow up one day of how long that expensive bottle lasted you and the different things you tried using it for!! also, love that you joined these!

Very interesting. Thank you for the video!

It's really cool that you came out with this. I have had your older bals vin video on my to-watch list for a while, which I think is why KZread just reccomended this to me. Then just now the poor balsamic vinegar was on sale at the store!

Love to see you balancing the trend of KZreadrs retiring while also improving your content. You go glen coco

Enjoyed this video always wanted to know the differences. Had to share

I bought a bottle of 10 year-aged balsamic vinegar while I was in Nice, France last year. And you are right, there is no comparison. I never even liked balsamic vinegar...until I tried real balsamic vinegar. No idea if it was real or not, but man it tasted so good, I really don't care. If you are in Nice, I found it at this place in old town: Girofle Et Cannelle

@v0ldy54

2 ай бұрын

12 years is the minimum for the DOP stuff so no, it wasn't authentic

@OswaltSamuel

2 ай бұрын

@@v0ldy54 Thanks for the confirmation. I will ensure that I get 12 year minimum this year when I am over there. And going to get a ton of it this time. It was a very sad day when I used the last of the bottle I bought last year.

❤this video covered everything clearly thank you!

Good timing, as I'm in Bologna rn and am headed to Modena tomorrow to sample and buy some DOP Balsamico to bring back to the States. And yes, I saw your original video. :)

Watched a of the previous video's ofcourse, but i'm glad you made a single cut more refined video which i'm going to watch to just resfesh all that information. Especially since ive actually gotten that real balsamic although not for 150 since i live in Europe.

The most confusing thing (which I don't think you explain) is that Balsamic Vinegar and Balsamic Vinegar of Modena are different products, and while the "of Modena" sounds like it should be fancier (because it sounds like it's more of a protected product from a designated region), it's actually the inferior product, which was invented to resemble the real Balsamic Vinegar which a cheaper and faster production.

A few years ago we remodeled and white shaker cabinets were the thing. I insisted on alder raised panels and I love them!! Sure I did a big Swiss Coffee island that I touch up as needed, but the main cabinets are alder. I knew wood was on the way back!

Amazing work, as always!! I would also love to see a deep dive video on Saffron. 👍

Hey, Ethan, as christmas approaches, would you be interested in testing different brands of Panettone ( italy's famous christmas dessert) and compare them to artisanal panettone? I am so enamorated of italian culture and would love that. Keep being awesome!

I appreciate the timing of this one, because I have been thinking about playing around with balsamic vinegar. I want to ferment some blueberries and super hot peppers, and incorporate them somehow to make my own hot sauce. I tried blueberry ghost pepper hot sauce on ice cream, and it was a complete mouth freakout. If you haven’t tried it, I highly recommend it.

Wow this was great. Thank you so much.

Dude - *so* helpful! and is so satisfying to my curiosity!

I had the amazing oppurtunity to go to one of the production facilities in Modena. We were walked through the process of production and I remember we saw the wooden barrels where the balsamic vinegar is aged. We brought home one that was aged for 40 years, and the taste is actually insane.

Just bought balsamic vinegar a couple days ago and now I'm anxious to get home and see which kind I bought, but excited to also go buy some more

Learned so much thank you!

Great video, great info thank you!!

I've had the 25 year old balsamic, it's crazy how much stuff it goes with. It was used at a restaurant I worked at and still have the little recipe book that was in the box.

A use I enjoy is 1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar with three scrambled eggs. Tastes wonderful.

Hello, I hope your videos cover more deep dives into common stuff like the expensive chicken and eggs ones. I feel like they do the best because it’s something we are likely to implement as opposed to balsamic vinegar which most casual at home cooks don’t even use

This was wonderful, thank you

I had NOOOO idea...Thank you!

Morning Ethan! Been binge watcing the low cal series (my friend is helping me get in shape) I may have overlooked it if youve already done a video but if you havent, could you do one on calculating nutritional info for beginners? Like with your pizza, what would change if I subbed the sausage for chicken and keft off the pickled peppers, that sort of thing (calculating from the ground up but also calculating modifications and stuff) You have a way of explaining things that makes sense and doesnt sound pretentious lol

The series you did before pushed me to try some higher end balsamic and my god it's so good. My favorite is Ponti's orange label Balsamic Vinegar of Modena. Thick, but not too thick, and a great flavor. De Nigris also has a really thick one, and I live it's flavor but I find it is too thick compared to the Ponti.

Thanks for thorough enlightenment. My jar: acidity 6%; density 1.22; batch number; aged 10 yrs; 8.45 oz; cooked grape must & wine vinegar (no coloring); IGP seal, Product of Italy, Modena; slightly thick, tasty, aromatic, $35; bottle shape nixed by you...but delicious.

Such good information. It’s like a modern day Good Eats with Alton Brown meets modern day home cook!

Before all your testing, I decided to 'upgrade' as I knew there was 'better' than the bottle from the grocery store. I found a bottle that is about 250ml called "Giuseppe Giusti - Gran Deposito Aceto Balsamico Di Giuseppe Giusti Moderna" it to me is pretty good mix. What's interesting is its ingredients say Grape Musk and nothing else. It isn't pure syrup but it is a lot thicker than anything else in the store and when I put that Graza EVOO and it together, and dip some bread in it I enjoy it, so that's what matters to me.

Great video, great explanations. Now I'll just have to put a very expensive bottle of vinegar on my wishlist!

Had regular supermarket balsamic once, totally ruined the food I put it on. So I assumed balsamic just wasnt for me, but then I heard ched JP talk about aged balsamic once and I believe the Jolly channel did a tasting in Italy once that changed my perspectives somewhat. This video is top notch explaining it so well for a balsamic noob like me 😅 👌 thank you for this very interesting deep dive!

I had the honor to be gifted a bottle of authentic balsamico by an Italian from Modena who had kept the tradition alive in his family since started by his father. They created new batches with every child born. They had more than they could consume alone.

Thanks for the great comparisons and tests. I may try making a reduction but I will add a few drops of maple syrup to give it that slight hint of maple. flavor and aroma. I may even add a few drops of umami sauce and soy sauce to try something different. Great video!

I went on a visit to a DOP balsamic vinegar maker in Moderna. My teacher who was born and raised in Florence said that balsamic vinegar was something they had it in the house growing up. Sometimes used as a topping for food but would also use it for medicinal purposes like helping for illness, colds, coughs, etc. Question to the validity of that working, but also told me how much food is important to italian life from eating to taking care of one's health.

damn i love those videos when you explain and test everything with such staples oh every homecook this one is a banger again🔥✊🔥

bought Modena DOP 12 year aged at the commisary in Aviano Air Base, Italy when I was in the air force... sublime. It's worth it. Never seen it for sale in the US.

Love your videos like this!!!

Watching your videos as a student is not easy every time as my eoconomy isnt quality-vinegar good, but I have still learned a lot from you. Both from thinking more deeply about food theory and bettering my cooking techniques.

@behindyou666

3 ай бұрын

Its still very interesting to learn about quality food and condoments, maybe one day I can try real vinegar or real truffles.

I bought and used balsamic because of these videos before. I used it while cooking steaks, and it turned out good.

Amazing work

Went to Italy last summer and our tour guide highly recommended that we come back to Modena to try the authentic stuff! Sadly it wasn’t on our itinerary, but we did get to do a FANTASTIC wine tasting and dinner at the Pazzi castle, Castello del Trebbio! We even had wine and AMAZING EV olive oil shipped back to the states! Lemme tell you that EVOO was amazing both as a drizzle AND WHEN FRYING! My steaks never tasted so good either! We plan to head back again this summer or winter and by god we are going to Modena to try this stuff for ourselves and bring back a bottle or five!

Those videos made me order traditional balsamic (thankfully it was more like $50 because I'm in Europe) as a gift to my parents, can't wait to try it together with them

18 year old balsamic from the Olive Tree is very good at a reasonable price. I really do not like vinegar but reduced balsamic is a game changer. My wife does not use sugar when reducing, she just heats the balsamic. A chef friend of our reduces balsamic down to a very thick paste that he uses by the teaspoon to add flavor.

really interesting and informative!

For the diy traditional balsamic vinegar recipe, the reduction must solely consist of the port wine and sugar, and the balsamic vinegar added in the reduction once cooled down. In your experiment, the sample tasted sweeter not because of the sugar concentration but because it was less acid, as the acetic acid of the vinegar was evaporated during the reduction process.

I would love to see a deep dive on different pestos! Using different nuts (pine, walnut, etc) and different greens (Spinach, basil, etc)

Your food science content is absolutely baller, dude.

I've never tried true balsamic vinegar from Italy, but I did visit a vinegary in North Central Nebraska that makes their own traditional balsamic vinegar as well as a few other berry, apple, and grape vinegars that are made from locally grown produce. The balsamic they make is amazing, I got to tour the small facility, it's basically just a guy and his daughter making and selling vinegar as a sort of hobby/small business. Maybe at some point I'll buy a bottle of traditional balsamic from Italy and compare side by side.

This was really informative all compiled together so thanks! Can you talk a little bit about shelf life with these products? Do they degrade in flavor over time?

@chanelmindyabusiness4947

3 ай бұрын

That's what I'm curious about too. My husband always wants me I wants to throw stuff out

22:21, weird looking hoagie lmao. It's all good Ethan, keep up the good vids.

Great video! Got to quit buying the crap and spend more for a better quality. Your video has pointed me down the right path! Thanks again!!!

I’m going to Italy soon. I just added balsamic to my list. 🙏

My friend is chef/owner of a fine dining restaurant and a Culinary Institute of America grad. He taught me a balsamic hack. Take the cheapest real Balsamic you can find at the grocery store. Put it into a shallow, wide bowl in a dehydrator until it becomes syrupy. Done.

@CandyGirl44

3 ай бұрын

I don't have a dehydrator, I simmer slowly.

you inspired me to finally buy a bottle of extra vecchio THX Ethan

I always really enjoy your testing methods. For the sake of experimentation, your video got me wondering if the rapid aging whiskey method using an ultrasonic cleaner could be used to get a 4 leaf balsamic to be closer to a traditional balsamic.

I would put vinegar based on greens for sure just because the acid is really great for salad. I need to try some traditional some time. Even a good Condiment grade is good on ice cream.

I love your reviews, could you do one on knife metals (vg10, white steel, blue steel etc.) Maybe even compare some brands or models like nikiri

I would love to se a video where you try diffrent ways of cutting garlic, to see if and in what typ of dishes it actually makes a diffrense

If you want to continue on your balsamic vinegar journey you should make a video comparing all 3 versions of Emilia. My favorite is red, which is pretty affordable. Gold one is made for ice cream, but i can eat my ice cream without any vinegar anyway :).