I was recently at my second home, Trader Joe’s, and finally broke down and bought some of their balsamic glaze.
It’s only been available for about a month or so, and I had resisted up until now because I make my own for pennies.
The verdict on the TJ’s glaze?
If you like balsamic vinegar or balsamic glaze, it’s exactly what you’d want it to be and it’s very good.
But in all honesty, if you don’t have a Trader Joe’s in your area, or even if you do and want to be more DIY about it, just make this glaze.
It’s a dead ringer for the TJ’s and costs next to nothing to make and only takes about 10 minutes to make from start to finish. And you’ll wind up with enough glaze to send you into vinegar heaven.
The only notable difference is that my glaze is slightly more intense. By cooking it longer, the vinegar mellows out, but I like a bit of edge. That sharp bam vinegary tang and kick.
If you could drink balsamic reduction or have a fondness for anything vinegary, a few of my favorite vinegar recipes include:
Baked Parsnip Fries with Creamy Balsamic Reduction Dip (vegan, GF)
Homemade Salad Dressing (vegan, GF) with apple cider vinegar
Stovetop Hot Pepper Jelly (Vegan, GF) – no canning required
Hot Pepper Jelly (Vegan, GF) – with an intro to canning
Roasted Grapes and Balsamic Reduction with Cheese and Crackers
Orange Glazed Chilean Sea Bass with Mustard Dill Cucumber and Orange Champagne Relish
Tempeh and Cucumbers on a Stick with Brown Sugar Balsamic Reduction Dip (vegan, GF if GF tempeh is used)
Pumpkin Spiced Brown Rice Tempeh and Cranberry Salad (vegan, GF if GF tempeh is used)
Orange Ginger Tempeh and Brown Rice Salad with Orange Balsamic Vinaigrette (vegan and GF if GF tempeh is used)
Do you like vinegar? Apple cider, champagne vinegar, balsamic vinegar?
I love it all.
There are health benefits of vinegar from being rich in potassium and calcium to preventing cancer and osteoporosis. Consider me protected then; I use my fair share.
If you have any favorite vinegar-containing recipes, dips, sauces, feel free to link them up.
Thanks for the Magimix by Robot-Coupe Food Processor & Juice Extractor Giveaway entries
That bottle is totally worth the $2.99 to me – and then I don’t use up my good balsamic making a glaze. :)
I only have one kind of balsamic vinegar – the TJ’s. I would love to splurge on a really nice bottle of balsamic for salad drizzling. What you said is akin to making cookies or bars with super high end peanut butter…it just gets lost anyway (use the cheaper stuff for baking!)
I haven’t made your glaze yet, but I’m still on my first bottle of TJ’s balsamic glaze, even though I drizzle it on mango almost every day. A little goes a long way.
mango & balsamic sounds great!
I’m with you on wanting a glaze that has a bit of a kick! Good that you tried it out and determined you were better off on your own with this one!
I have tried to like the various vinegars for the health benefits, but I just can’t seem to get over the sour/bitter flavor of it all. I have an extreme sweet tooth – nothing is ever too sweet. But sour and bitter flavors come through FAR too much.
I always remember this tip from my mother and grandmother. If you feel bloated with excess water, sip on a glass of water with 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, a natural diuretic. Trader Joe’s sells organic, unfiltered ac vinegar that I use all the time…
Yes it’s a natural “cleanser”, in all ways :) I use the TJ’s ACV and their balsamic and also the Bragg’s Raw unfiltered ACV too.
Sometimes the homemade versions of things are just SO much better! I’ve often thought of making a vinegar glaze (my chef friend always says it’s one of the easiest, least expensive and impressive things you can make in a kitchen). Thanks for the inspiration!
one of the easiest, least expensive and impressive things you can make in a kitchen = YES, I would agree! That, along with iced coffee…people make such! a big deal over and it’s like..so ridic easy!
I was at a balsamic vinegar tasting (along with wines) a few weeks back and took a few shots of some high quality aged balsamics. I never knew what I was missing out on until I took a swig of 12 year old vinegar, wow! I use just regular grocery store stuff drizzled on salads and for roasting veggies all the time but yes I could also drink the good stuff haha.
Oh wow, now THAT sounds like a tasting festival I’d love to be at! The intensity and complexity of the flavors, wow…sounds fab!
That red pepper jelly looks to die for – I had some with crispy pork cheeks at a restaurant recently and I’ve been dying to make it at home for myself!
After TJ’s stopped carrying their hot pepper jelly (pre-Xmas seasonal only) and I was totally hooked, I had to start making it. Necessity is the mother of invention!
We’re big vinegar fans in my household. I use it all the time and love that each one has it’s own unique flavor.
I know you’re a balsamic fan, as I am :)
I’ve never tried this, either the homemade or the TJs version. It sounds like I need to, asap. By the way, your photo style is so cheerful, I’m loving how you are bumping up the colors.
Thanks for the compliments on my photo style. That is my goal: cheerful! I am not a dark and moody and broody person; I could never shoot that way. I kind of wish I could pull off those dark style pics for some recipes but I don’t even know where to begin when I see those types of pics on TS or FG. I don’t even own dishes that look like that. Lol
there’s something so satisfying about balsamic vinegar! Right now i can only have apple cider vinegar because i’m on the Body Ecology Diet — i can’t wait to reintroduce balsamic!
I’ve known many people who’ve tried the B.E.D. and have loved it.
I love vinegar, and one of my all time favourite foods is probably soft (usually foccacia) bread dipped in good olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I could eat that as a meal and be completely and utterly happy.
I love balsamic vinegar. I often top my salads with a simple dash of bals and oil rather than use any sugary dressings. So much tastier that way! I’ve never made balsamic reduction, though. Is balsamic reduction the same thing as balsamic glaze? Oh dear that sounds like a silly and dumb question. :) I’m going to assume it is! Clearly chocolate and cookies are my specialty, not vinegar. ;)
And that first photo? Looks 3D. Man I want your camera, lens, and talent :)
Reduce it! Yes a reduction in my book is the same as a glaze; thickening the balsamic vinegar and adding a little brown sugar. You can technically reduce it without the sugar but 1 or 2 tbsp of brown sugar in a half cup of balsamic, cooked for 10 mins is just…heavenly!
I was thinking of you when I was editing that pic b/c it was reminiscent of the coffee creamer in Almond Joy that I showed a week or so ago and you said the same thing about it being 3D! Yes, that’s the 50mm 1.2 with good lighting conditions and then some LR4 to bring out the best of what was already on the image. BTW you need to start shooting in RAW if you’re not already. Get off .JPG and onto .RAW You’ll be so much happier! One little file save setting on your camera and you’re going to edit everything anyway, so may as well be capturing your images in the highest resolution you can before edits.
Definitely have to try their glaze. I always make my own too. I just adore balsamic in any way, shape and form!
It’s good but if you already make your own…you’ve got them beat :)
I bought that glaze this weekend and have big plans for it! (but yes, I should have just made my own) ;) Happy Monday!
Takes 10 mins to make it…seriously. Just because the way I can consume it, my little squirt bottle of theirs will be gone in no time. Can’t wait to see what you make!
I’m literally eating a roasted veggie goat cheese panini that I just doused in a balsamic reduction as I read this. Ironic much?
I forget you’re on east coast time. I haven’t even had coffee yet and you’re already on goat cheese and balsamic, which sounds awesome!