The 2 Types Of Vinegar Alex Guarnaschelli Uses To Flavor Tomatoes

If you're not a big fan of tomatoes, you might just not have had them prepared the right way. A little salt will help draw out moisture and punch up the flavor, and an acid like vinegar is a crucial ingredient for any good tomato marinade. Cookbook author and TV personality, chef Alex Guarnaschelli, likes to use two different types of vinegar for her tomatoes: Red wine vinegar and balsamic.

The Food Network star shared her tips for the best heirloom tomato salad recipe in a video on TikTok, where she explained that the components of the two vinegars complement each other perfectly when mixed over tomatoes. "I like that combo of a little sour red wine vinegar and more naturally sweet balsamic," she said. You don't need to go for anything fancy, either – Guarnaschelli said her favorite red wine vinegar was the cheap one she grew up with.

Red wine vinegar can be very sharp, so make sure to use just a very light sprinkling so it doesn't overpower the tomatoes. After seasoning her tomatoes with flaky Maldon salt and pepper, Guarnaschelli puts her thumb over the bottle for more control. While you're free to be as liberal as you want with the balsamic, Guarnaschelli opted for a light drizzle before adding sugar, olive oil, and sesame seeds to hers. 

Red wine vinegar is made from fermented red wine — and just like with regular wine, some tastes better than others. There are certain things to look for when buying high-quality red wine vinegar, the most important being the grape variety used. Check the ingredients list on the back of your vinegar of choice — if you don't see a specific grape variety listed, that's a good sign that the vinegar is made from a blend of them, which doesn't create the best flavor. 

The red wine vinegar you choose should be based on your personal taste preferences. But if you're like Alex Guarnaschelli and you want nostalgia, you can go for the one you grew up with. If you have no clue what you like, Italian vinegars — made from Barbera and Sangiovese — are usually a safe bet. The guide to balsamic vinegar is a bit more complicated, however. 

There are very strict regulations surrounding the certification of balsamic vinegar in Italy. The good stuff will have a special PDO or PGI label, depending on how long it's been aged – and a bottle can't have the Balsamic Vinegar of Modena marking if it's made anywhere else. Without these labels, the vinegar might have added ingredients. The best ones are made with nothing but grapes. So, it's important to study the bottle to figure out if it's worthy of your tomatoes or not.