Take the tour ×  I have seen recipes for easter egg dyes that
call for 1/4 cup vinegar per cup of water and others that call
for 2 teaspoons per cup of water. That's a pretty wide range--
what practical effect does the amount of vinegar have?  More
generally, what is the role of vinegar in dye recipes? What
would happen differently if it were left out?  share|improve
this question By the way, if it has something to do with
acidity, could the vinegar be replaced with some other acid
(such as ascorbic acid)? –  amcnabb Mar 31 at 16:00 Vinegar is a
cheap acid, and most people have some in the house. That's it
main advantage. Ascorbic is relativly expensive –  TFD Mar 31 at
21:38 add comment  1 Answer  up vote 8 down vote accepted  Long
story short: It's the acid, and any acid will do.  Food
colourings are a type of dye known as an acid dye. Their
effectiveness relies on hydrogen bonding which only works in an
acidic environment.  It's not that the vinegar does anything
special - not exactly. Rather, adding a few