Think of chips, and within moments, you're likely to find yourself reaching for the vinegar.

But how much attention have you ever really paid the maroon-labelled bottle of Sarson's that glugs sweet tartness over your chip shop plunder?

Well, a new book from writer and food historian Angela Clutton has done a lot of the work for you. The Vinegar Cupboard sees her smash the perception that vinegar is a one-note, generic pantry item, and explore its history, uses and culinary possibilities - you can use it in everything from pancakes (try a herb or flower infused vinegar) to clam and chorizo stew (sherry).

Most of us just aren't aware of the potential versatility of vinegar, despite it being, according to Clutton, the best way to bring the right balance and acidity to a dish. She can find a use for vinegar in almost every moment, including sausage rolls dunked in red wine vinegar: "It cuts through the fattiness!"

Hence why we're going on a vinegar shopping safari, to see what's on shelves, starting with Fortnum & Mason, followed by Waitrose and Sainsbury's.

On the grand staircase down to the burnished Fortnum's food hall, Clutton asks what vinegar I already use at home. Thankfully, she doesn't baulk at my Lidl balsamic for dunking bread in; Sarson's distilled malt for chips and unblocking the kitchen sink (it's so practical); and a Sainsbury's own brand cider vinegar that rattles around my kitchen feeling unloved.

Although, she is horrified when I tell her I just use olive oil and lemon juice to dress salads. "What?" she says, stopping in the street to look at me, appalled. "Not even a bit of cider vinegar? No mustard? No honey?"

As we peruse £200 bottles of balsamic (yes, really) and rare Minus 8 vinegar (made from Canadian ice wine), she explains that a reference to primrose vinegar in a 1930s cookbook made her realise how few different vinegars could be found in cookbooks written since the 19th century.

"We're missing a lot," says Clutton with genuine sadness, and so she is recovering vinegar lore, methods and the serendipitous stories of the first vinegar kings too - from the boats that off-loaded soured wine (vin-agar) in the 1400s in Orleans to avoid paying tax in Paris, to Antonio Paez Sanchez who brought Andalusian sherry vinegar (her 'desert island' vinegar) to the masses.

What to look for with wine vinegar...

With wine vinegars - essentially the next fermentation on from wine itself - draw on your existing knowledge, says Clutton. "Think about what you know about wine," she explains. "If it's what you'd drink with it, it would work with the vinegar of that variety," - so white wine vinegar with fish, or red wine vinegar with a meaty stew makes sense.

Even better if your chosen bottle of vinegar actually names a specific grape, rather than simply going with 'red wine vinegar' or 'white wine vinegar' - which tends to be what you find with own brands (looking at you, Sainsbury's).

But don't rule out the most readily available vinegar names either. Clutton is a fan of Aspall's vinegar - which is well represented in Waitrose and Sainsbury's: "They're workhorse vinegars."

How to buy balsamic vinegar...

Regardless of how fancy the store, don't judge a bottle of balsamic by how pretty the packaging is - or how exclusive it may seem. On our visit, Waitrose had some of its vinegar in impenetrable perspex boxes staff had to prise open for us.

Instead, flip it over and check out the ingredients list. The price, combined with how few ingredients are listed, are a good indicator of quality, notes Clutton, who explains 5-8 acidity is the vinegar 'sweet spot'.

Standard balsamic vinegars are likely to list cooked grape must (fresh grape juice), concentrated grape must and wine vinegar on the label, and all the better if they're in this order (ingredients are listed by predominance). Pure must is expensive, hence why producers mix it with wine vinegar. "The cheaper the bottle, the less must," says Clutton.

And they may be certified: DOP means they only contain grape must and are made in Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy, to strict guidelines; while IGP means they feature grape must blended with wine vinegar, although quality isn't guaranteed.

Then again, "not designated doesn't necessarily mean they're bad," says Clutton, it all comes down to how you plan to use your different vinegars - do you want them to be the star of the dish, or there to add flavour?

What to remember...

The best vinegar tends to be made with the least interference, where producers "let nature do it's thing", however, they "can't really do that now," explains Clutton, as you'd have very little consistency across batches.

That said, as a general rule, time gives flavour and colour - so the longer the ferment, the deeper and richer both will be. "If you skip that," says Clutton, "you have to add stuff" - and that's why you'll often see colourings like 'caramel', and additives (sulphites, corn starch) on labels.

It's not always a bad thing though. "Sarson's kept our vinegar heritage alive," explains Clutton, so don't knock it, even if it's malt extract that makes it brown, rather than a traditional ageing process. "It's a cheat, but an old one," she says lightly, and recommends using it in homemade mayonnaise.

Once open, the air carries on the fermentation process too, so while in theory you can hold on to a decade-old bottle of your favourite fruit vinegar, it won't taste the same as when you first cracked it open.

So now, instead perusing your bookshelves or wine rack, I'll be heading instead for the miscellaneous bottles beside your cooker, checking your vinegar labels for their grape must to wine vinegar ratio. Then let the education begin...

The Vinegar Cupboard: Recipes And History Of An Everyday Ingredient by Angela Clutton is published by Bloomsbury Absolute, priced £26. Photography Polly Webster. Available now.