Can You Use Cleaning Vinegar for Cooking?

Distilled white vinegar just might be one of the most versatile ingredients in your pantry. You can use it to make homemade pickles, poach eggs, and even to help give baked goods like red velvet cake their texture and flavor. But can you swap in basic white vinegar — aka cleaning vinegar — in a pinch? Although they share some similar qualities, distilled white vinegar and cleaning vinegar have a significantly different acid composition that makes them suitable for different purposes. Here’s what to know before reaching for the vinegar bottle. 

What is distilled white vinegar? 

While vinegar can be made from any alcohol, distilled white vinegar, sometimes labeled simply as “white vinegar,” gets its neutral flavor profile from grain alcohol. During a fermentation process, the sugar and starches in the alcohol are converted into acetic acid, which is responsible for vinegar’s sour taste. Distilled white vinegar is typically about 5% acetic acid and 95% water. 

Compared to other vinegars like sherry vinegar, red wine vinegar, and cider vinegar, distilled white vinegar has a very sharp and assertive tanginess. Its punchy tartness comes through in recipes like pickled red onions, barbecue sauce, and slaws such as curtido. It also tends to be inexpensive, making it a good option for large batches of canned pickles. 

Distilled white vinegar vs. white vinegar

Both distilled white vinegar and basic white vinegar are clear and are made from grain alcohol, but white vinegar, commonly labeled as “cleaning vinegar,” is much stronger than distilled white vinegar. White vinegar contains up to 25% acetic acid while distilled white vinegar contains around 5% acetic acid. You’ll typically find distilled white vinegar in the cooking aisle alongside balsamic vinegar and red wine vinegar. White vinegar will often be sold with other cleaning products. 

Can you use them interchangeably?

The higher percentage of acetic acid in white vinegar makes it suitable for cleaning, but unsafe for cooking or consumption. Distilled white vinegar can be used both in cooking and cleaning, but it is typically less effective than white vinegar for cleaning purposes because it’s more diluted.