Green tomato chutney
primrosecottage
Posts: 814
in Talkback
Hi everyone I hope you all have this lovely weather to enjoy 
I've cleared my tom plants now and am going to have a go at chutney , 'ive got a recipe off the kindle called granschutney it looks easy and I have all the other ingredients but the only big big saucepan I have is aluminium not stainless has anyone a clue if it will be ok or will the vinegar taint the flavour 
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I wouldn't, if I were you, on account of the long cooking time that chutney requires. You don't want to waste your lovely tomatoes or your pan (although it would look incredibly clean afterwards, it will be ever so slightly thinner). Use two smaller pans if they are stainless steel. As far as recipes are concerned, I have always used Delia's recipe, except I use white wine vinegar rather than malt. Delia never fails me.
I've never noticed if the vinegar taints the flavour but it does a wonderful job of cleaning the pan. I suppose if the pan is somehow cleaner than it was before then the chutney must be......
I am fortunate enough to have a Le Creuset jam pan. I have tried inferior makes, but you get what you pay for, although thanks to Harts of Stur (one of my favourite kitchenware places), I got it half price. Nothing sticks to it, and because it is 3 ply, it has no hot spots. If you are going to make a lot of jams and chutneys, it is worth making the investment.
The vinegar is there as a preservative..........if you keep to the amounts in the recipe, it will not taint the flavour. All chutneys are best left for a couple of months before use.
As to the aluminium versus stainless.......can't really say for sure as I only use stainless.
Yes Pansy, I think your logic's right. If the vinegar is going to strip the pan of anything that's on the surface (and a bit of the surface too) then, ultimately, it must end up in the chutney! Probably won't hurt you though.
Years ago I had a large preserving pan made of aluminium - I made many many gallons of chutney - I'm still here
Well, if nobody is dead, then I think that answers the problem! The most important thing about the chutney is that it tastes good, and that is all anybody needs.
At one time there was a concern that there was a link between aluminium pans and Alzheimer's - that has been totally disproved.
Was there? I don't remember that....