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Substituting lemon juice for vinegar #435085

Asked November 21, 2017, 4:38 PM EST

Many recipes in the Ball and Kerr Canning books call for 5% apple cider vinegar in salsa. Is it safe to substitute lemon & lime juices in a salsa recipe?

Pierce County Washington

Expert Response

Hi,

In the USDA recipes for salsa, it is safe to substitute bottled lemon or lime juice for the vinegar in the recipes that call for vinegar.  It is substituted on a cup for cup basis (i.e. equal amounts).  This is a safe substitution because lemon juice is more acidic (lower pH), than vinegar.

On the Ball and Kerr recipes, I suggest contacting the customer service department for an answer to your question.  The guidance for Extension food preservation is the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning and affiliated research conducted at various land grant universities.  Kerr/Ball do their own research and they will need to answer questions on the safety of substitutions in their recipes.

An Ask Extension Expert Replied November 27, 2017, 1:56 PM EST

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