In Pantry Obsession, Bon Appétit editor at large Christine Muhlke shares the things from her (ever-increasing) pantry that she can’t cook without. Literally.
Forget sunscreen. There was no way I could have survived the summer without sherry vinegar. Between June and September, I blew through a 750ml bottle of the Spanish essential, using it in the cold soups that make up my hot-weather meals—from Spanish classics like gazpacho, ajo blanco, and salmorejo to new favorites like the green gazpacho and the asparagus vichyssoise in Ottolenghi’s Plenty—as well as each and every vinaigrette.
More rounded than red wine vinegar, more complex than apple cider vin (my other staple), and less cloying than balsamic, Sherry vinegar has a tawny, non-astringent flavor that adds hidden depth and a clean brightness. You can add just a few drops to a finished dish, as you would lemon juice or fish sauce, or use it half-and-half with another vinegar (or lemon juice) in a vinaigrette. I also love it as the acid in sauces like romesco and salsa verde. If you're cooking a steak, add it to chimichurris or this wedding chicken marinade in place of apple cider vinegar.
Now that fall is here, it’s time to restock. Unfortunately, that’s the tricky part. For years, there was the gourmet go-to that you could reliably find at “better” grocery stores. I looked everywhere for it when I ran out in May—online and in stores—but all I could find was some crummy dye-added fake stuff by a well-known brand. As a New Yorker, I’m lucky to be able to pop into Despaña in Nolita, which sells a few styles, from the daily workhouse that is Montegrato brand Jerez sherry vinegar (not available online) to the slightly sweet 8-year Olorosso to the thicker, more syrupy 16-year-aged Pedro Jimenez vin, and will let you taste them all. (Note: It is impossible to shop there without buying mini chorizos. Just saying.) If you're searching for it elsewhere, look for sherry vinegars made with Jerez (you can find this one and this one at many stores and on Amazon) or Pedro Ximenez (Jimenez) sherries.
Lately I’ve been cooking from Taste and Technique, the intense/great new cookbook by Naomi Pomeroy. The Portland, OR, chef recommends aged sherry vinegar, since it begins to concentrate with time, taking on the flavor of a fortified wine like madeira. She uses one from BLiS that’s been aged eight years in bourbon barrels. I’m not quite there yet, but something tells me I will be soon.