Balsamic vinegar as we know it has developed in popularity hugely in the passed decade.  Made popular by TV chefs and restaurants this vinegar made from grapes this vinegar has a sweet flavour and full bouquet.  But not all Balsamic vinegars are created equal, many consumers believe it is the addition of the word Modena that makes a balsamic vinegar great, and whilst this is the region that real Balsamic comes from that is where the similarity ends.

Aceto Balsamico Tradizionele and Balsamico di Modena are actually completely different.  The first is the real stuff, highly expensive and only available in limited quantities.  This is created by using the juice of the Trebbiano grape and aging it for a minimum of 12-years in wood casks.  This vinegar develops a natural thickness during its long aging, Red label are 12-month old and the vinegar is also available in a gold label which is 25-years old.  Balsamico di Modena is the flavour and taste available in most stores, and even this doesn’t come in a standard.  The requirement is the the vinegar is aged for a minimum of 12-months, but it is not a requirement that it age in wood.  The vinegar is usually thickened and has caramel added to it, to try and make it similar to the original stuff.  Many purists would argue that only the original is good enough, but for most purposes the original is a terrible, expensive, overkill – dressing a simple salad with Balsamico Tradizionele is like diluting your Lagavulin single malt with Pepsi.

Flavoured vinegars and vinegar reductions are also very popular and there are some amazing products on the market, Thyme to Dine produce a great selection of flavoured Balsamic reductions the work really well with meats, cheeses, etc.

Gruyère is a hard yellow cheese famed for its sweet but mildly salty nutty flavours.  The younger the cheese the creamier and nuttier the flavour, as the cheese gets older it is a far more complex and pungent cheese.  Fully aged, around 12 months, the cheese tends to become drier and fine cracks appear in the skin which leads the cheese to becoming grainier.  The cheese is originally from the town of Gruyère in Switzerland, but the French also produce similar cheeses like Comté.

Small amounts of this cheese impart a lot of flavour, add a little to a toasted cheese sandwich for an amazing flavour boost.

This super white powder is made from the white endosperm at the heart of a kernel of corn. Predominantly used as a thickening agent in cooking and as a health-conscious alternative to talc – interestingly it is also the main ingredient in biodegradeable plastic.  Certain powdered sugars also contain a small amount to help keep them from clumping.
Because the corn starch is tasteless it can be used to thicken anything, sweet or savoury.  It also works well to thicken sauces where a high fat content product like cream has been excluded because it adds a silkiness.  It can clump when powder is added to a large quantity of hot liquid, so experts recommend diluting it first in a small amount of cold water before adding it to the hot liquid.  You can also use it for a light crisp crust by dusting calamari, fish or chicken pieces before deep frying.