Chips and Vinegar Question

Cafe Society
1

Hullo, all. I am just back from 10 days in the UK and I have a confession to make.

I have become addicted to vinegar and chips aka French fries and ?

the “?” is because the clear, brownish stuff available on tables in less refined restaurants and take-aways doesn’t resemble the vinegar I use here in the states. (Actually, I use white vinegar as a cleaning agent, only).

So, my question is this: where do I buy some of the British type of vinegar for chips? I did see some apple vinegar at the store here (blech)–it is malt vinegar? A more courageous woman would just purchase a variety and go from there, but I have the SDMB at my disposal…

Thanks for the help. I’ll share my chips with you, I promise.

2

I too am an addict, my addiction is with the fish, but same vinegar.

So I just went to the cupboard an pulled out my vinegar, and it is a malt vinegar. I bought it at Ablertson’s in TX, so it certainly isn’t exotic. It’s called: Old English Fish & Chip Vinegar, 100% Natural Malt Vinegar. The brand is Crosse & Blackwell.

3

Malt vinegar, definitely. Heinz makes some, too. Pretty easy to find at your local supermarket.

4

It is malt vinegar and, in my experience, it’s easy to find at pretty much any grocery store.

5

I prefer the Crosse & Blackwell myself. The Heinz is just a bit…bland, to my tastes.

6

I love this place–in less than an hour, I have my answer and something to add to my shopping list.
Thanks!

7

Newcastle Brown Ale is the other clear, brown liquid you see sitting on tables in chippies :wink:

8

Not to be confused with the opaque liquid, which is called “brown sauce” and is gastronomically congruent with devil poo.

9

Whereas HP Sauce is the condiment of the gods.

10

Every Long John Silvers and Captain D’s I’ve ever been to has it, or at least the crappy fast food version thereof.

11

Brown sauce is great. HP or Chef though I rather the HP.

Any malt vinegar will do but you should also give white vinegar a try as it isn’t bad either.

12

I believe that white malt is the brown stuff, distilled.

Personally I much prefer French and Italian white wine vinegars, and cider vinegar is very nice too - except when it comes to crappy English fish and chips. Then it must be brown malt - and the batter must be soggy, and the chips undercooked and inedible, all the better to feed them to seagulls and pigeons.

(Thank you, by the way, good citizens of the US, for recognising the beauty of HP Sauce. It truly is the sauce that Allah would have on his sausages. Er…)

13

I use white vinegar on my hot chips.

14

Try tartare sauce or garlic mayo.

15

Blech–I hate mayo and tartare sauce. Love garlic, though.

I will stick with the malt vinegar for now.

16

When your local grocery won’t cut it:

Sarsons

HP Sauce