Lemons are a classic ingredient that play a key role in many people’s kitchen pantries. They are used in many different types of recipes and have an enticing, fresh taste.
Vinegar has a salty, acidic flavor that goes well with fruits or vegetables, but it also has some health benefits.
It is sometimes used as a substitute for lemon juice in recipes since vinegar is more affordable than lemons. If you want to know if you can substitute vinegar for lemon juice in your recipe, here’s how to find out.
What Is The Difference Between Vinegar And Lemon Juice?
Vinegar and lemon juice are both acidic liquids, but the difference is that lemon juice is made from fresh lemons.
Vinegar is produced from the fermentation of apples or other fruits, usually in a similar way to making wine or beer. This makes it slightly sweeter than lemon juice, which is typically used for cooking since it has a higher concentration of acidity.
Lemon juice can be used as a cooking ingredient and has more health benefits than vinegar. It helps fight against food poisoning, cuts down on swelling and reduces the risk of tooth decay because it contains citric acid.
However, vinegar has plenty of health benefits too such as preventing nausea and vomiting when you have an upset stomach; helping reduce bloating; and promoting better digestion.
Some people may prefer to use vinegar instead of lemon juice when mixing their recipe because they feel that it gives them more control over certain ingredients like sugar and salt.
Can I Substitute Vinegar For Lemon Juice?
In order to determine if you can substitute vinegar for lemon juice, we’ll need to know the pH of your recipe. The pH of your recipe is an easy way to tell whether or not you can substitute vinegar for lemon juice.
A recipe’s pH is measured using the following formula:
PH = 0.01 × (base ingredients / 3) + 0.015 × (water per pound of base ingredients) + 0.02 × (vinegar per cup of base ingredients) – 0.05
For example, a recipe that uses 1 cup of salt and 2 cups of water will be at a pH of 7. When you use vinegar in its place, this same recipe will register as having a pH level of 4.
However, if you use lemon juice instead, this same basic recipe would be at a pH level of 1 since it contains no salt or water!
