Found the neatest stuff. Balsamic Glaze!

[flamin lib]

It's thickened balsamic vinegar. Name brand is Di Nigris and I found it at Tuesday Morning. It's almost as thick as Hershey's chocolate syrup. Ingredients say 90% balsamic vinegar reduction followed by glucose syrup, gaur gum and xanthan gum, all thickening agents.

Great over vanilla icecream and it adheres to salad much better than just the vinegar. A little under each arm won't hurt either . . .

[The empressof all]

1. It's easy to make and makes cheap Balsamic better

I frequently dump a bottle of cheap Balsamic into a small pan and boil down into a syrup. It makes it sweeter and is great with strawberries, avocados, and melon.

[flamin lib]

2. I've done that too, but this is already done and at Tuesday Morning

it was no more expensive than regular balsamic. I'd have to reduce two bottles of inexpensive vinegar to get close to this consistency.

And the house doesn't smell like glacial acetic acid . . .

[hippywife]

3. I would think it would

be worth it to do it yourself to avoid all the additives in the other. Would be for me, at least. :hi:

[flamin lib]

4. Actually, Xanthan Gum, Guar Gum and Glucose are about as

natural as you can get. Yeah, they're "additives" but cream in your coffee is an "additive" too. The two gums are used in a lot of gluten free foods to replace the wheat ingredients. They're plant extracts, just like the gluten you might add to home made bread. The ingredient list says nothing about BHA, THB, CIA, FBI or any of the other alphabet soups. There are some sulfites but they're also naturally occurring in red wines.

There aren't any preservatives 'cause vinegar doesn't need them to inhibit bacteria. It IS an inhibitor.

"All natural" and "organic" aren't necessarily good. Tobacco is all natural. Toad stools are organic. I don't recommend the use of either.

[hippywife]

5. I wasn't trying to be difficult about it.

I was just thinking that any additive whether it be deemed "natural" or not, even according to your own examples for that critieria, is better avoided. And, unless I'm wrong, I think xanthan gum is a little less than natural. It's the product of a naturally occuring bacteria that is chemically processed and added to corn syrup, another lovely food additive that isn't very good for anyone, even if it is derived from corn. Like you implied, just because it's natural, doesn't mean it's good for you.

I was reading Fast Food Nation this weekend and there also seems to be nothing "natural" about even so called "natural flavors" that appear on a food label. The only differentiation for that labeling is how the flavor is derived:

"The distinction between natural and artificial flavors can be somewhat arbitrary and absurd, based more on how the flavor has been made than on what it actually contains...Artificial and natural flavors sometimes contain exactly the same chemicals, produced through different methods. Amyl acetate, for example, provides the dominant note of banana flavor. When you distill it from bananas with a solvent, amyl acetate is a natural flavor. When you produce it by mixing vinegar with amyl alcohol, adding sulfuric acid as a catalyst, amyl acetate is an artificial flavor. Either way it smells and tastes the same. The phrase "natural flavor" is now listed among the ingredients of everything from Stonyfield Farm Organic Strawberry Yogurt to Taco Bell Hot Taco Sauce."

I know I can't get everything to the point where it's pure, whole food but I will anywhere I can. If given the option of a little work or the additive, I'll spend the extra time. If I err, it's on the side of caution and I'm going to feel much better about it.

But then that's me and my distrust of the food industry that holds such sway in this country that it literally gets away with murder.

:hi:

[Warpy]

6. I'm going to have to look for it

because I'm out of the homemade (good on ice cream, too!) and it's been too chilly to do a reduction with all the windows open and the fan from the cooler going.

[Gonzo Gardener]

7. You've got to try...

Isola brand. It's made from a mixture of concentrated grape must and aged balsamic vinegar. I use the "Giovanni Cream of Balsamic", but they also make other creamy balsamic blends... Walnut Pear, Truffle, Wild Berry...

www.isolaimports.com

There are some fantastic recipes on the site too.