Using wine in cooking

CraigC

CraigC

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I've always followed the rule "you should cook with wine that you would drink." The only exception I have found is Mirin.
 
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CraigC said:
I've always followed the rule "you should cook with wine that you would drink." The only exception I have found is Mirin.
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Same here. We used to have an excellent wine shop, owned by a woman with a national reputation regarding wine, and I used to love to go in every couple of months and get recommendations from her.

She sold it and moved on to bigger and better things, and the first time I stopped in after that, not knowing that it had changed hands, the couple who'd bought it obviously didn't know diddly-crap about wine, and when I asked his for his advice on something, it took him a couple of minutes to even realize I would be cooking with the wine, not just drinking it, and he laughed and said, "Oh, you're cooking with it, just get the cheapest wine you can find, over there. No point in using anything any good."

They went out of business in less than two months. 😏
 
I agree about the wine except that I don't drink wine, don't like wine, and only use it in cooking. So, I have no idea what wine I would drink or is drinkable. If anyone wants to make a recommendation about what economical wine I should buy for cooking I would appreciate that.

Foodies are always horrified at my attitude about wine. :laugh:
 
Milkduds said:
I agree about the wine except that I don't drink wine, don't like wine, and only use it in cooking. So, I have no idea what wine I would drink or is drinkable. If anyone wants to make a recommendation about what economical wine I should buy for cooking I would appreciate that.

Foodies are always horrified at my attitude about wine. :laugh:
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We don't drink a whole lot of wine either. We buy the four packs of Sutter Homes, etc. Usually swapping out two bottles of red for two whites. That means we always have red and white on hand. The problem with cooking wine is the salt content.
 
Milkduds said:
I agree about the wine except that I don't drink wine, don't like wine, and only use it in cooking. So, I have no idea what wine I would drink or is drinkable. If anyone wants to make a recommendation about what economical wine I should buy for cooking I would appreciate that.

Foodies are always horrified at my attitude about wine. :laugh:
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What CraigC said.

We drink a fair amount of wine, but not every night of the week, so there are plenty of nights where I need to cook with some wine, but we're not drinking wine.

That's where those little four-packs of wine come in. Here, they cost $6.99 usually, and there are a couple of makers, like Gallo and Sutter Home. You can usually find them in Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon (reds), and Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay (whites). I usually just keep a rotation of them in my cupboard.

Sometimes, and just need a splash for a sauce, so the screw top goes back on, and I just pop it in the fridge. Sometimes, I need a half-cup for something, and that takes about the whole bottle. If you need something for braising, just go get the standard bottle of what you see in the four-packs.

BTW, Merlot is great for cooking down into a sweet syrup and pouring over slices of pound cake topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream... :whistling:
 
Ciao,
Interesting discussion for vino; vino very important for way I cook. I always use Italian vino no because I snobbish but I know what is. I also use different vino for different thing, always white in Ragu, sweet vino like Marsala if make Zabaione. If I braise always strong red like Borolo. Ray an I drink vino every day we would find any meal (No Breakfast) with no vino very strange.
I usual have 40-50 bottle of vino in house we also have beer, Grappa, Limoncello and Amaretto.

Sarana x
 
I have white wine daily - Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay. I do have an assortment of reds but hate to open a bottle for a cup to cook with. The Baby bottles are a great solution.
 
medtran49 said:
Pinot noir goes very good with a chocolate dessert, especially if it's one of the darker (not milk) chocolates. Discovered that when I got a flight of wine with dinner out.
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We'll frequently have a bit of dark chocolate something or other with a glass of port to finish out the night. So nice.
 
Add my vote for the small bottles in the four-pack. I can open one bottle, two or all of them. They taste fine to me. But, like others have mentioned, I've never been a wine drinker, other than certain occasions.

CD
 
I keep meaning to do a proper trial to see if the type of wine really does make a difference to a dish. Quite obviously whether a wine is sweet or dry will affect the dish - but I wonder just how much the taste of a particular wine makes a difference. I say this because I've occasionally bought a bottle of cheap wine which has really not been very good. I don't mean it was off or anything - just not very good. Rather than pour it down the sink, I've used it in cooking and I can't really say the dish has suffered. I'm talking here about a longish reduction of say, a red wine in a tomato sauce.

The only way to find what difference it really makes would be to cook exactly the same sauce with two different wines. Thing is, I'm not likely to go out and purposely buy a rubbish bottle of wine in order to try this!
 
The idea of an open bottle of wine sitting around long enough in my house to turn bad is an odd concept. But if you open it and use some to cook, just cork it tightly and stick it in the frig. I find most white wines very forgiving when cooking, even a mediocre white can make a seafood dish shine when reduced and garlic, butter, and fresh herbs are introduced. I like to reduce it for a nice sauce in a seafood pasta dish. Red wine, however, has to be very drinkable or it will ruin food. At least in my experience. I use a splash to marinate steaks and use it frequently in Bolognese or other hearty red sauces (more than a splash!). I like a good Chianti Classico, Montepulciano, or similar for Italian food.
 
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