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Cooking with wine; what wine?


jeezopete

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A lot of recipes I've been looking at lately list wine as an ingredient. I've heard several TV chefs recommend always using a wine you'd prefer to drink rather than a "cooking wine". The problem with that is, I don't drink wine. I just never acquired a taste for it. Some of the recipes suggest substituting broth if the cook doesn't have or want to use wine, but I'd like to try some of these recipes as written before I go making changes. I'm open to suggestions, so what types/brands do you use for cooking?

Thanks!

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I always use the crappy wine that my friends brought to dinner last week and that is now collecting dust in the cellar. Stored in a heap in the corner, so no one assumes I bought it, and so I never accidentally grab it to serve to company. It’s never complete crap, but it’s never anything I’d choose to buy/serve/drink on my own.

Use that.

Edited by nycman
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32 minutes ago, MikeBiDude said:

Julia Child always had a bottle of white vermouth handy. Of course some recipes require red wine but white vermouth will handle a lot of everyday needs. I keep mine in the fridge so it stays fresh a long while.

She also drank “upside down Martini’s”.

What can I say….the girl liked her vermouth!

<shiver>

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IMHO, any recipe that lists wine as an ingredient without some indication of what type of wine is not doing its job. When I've made Julia's Beef Bourguignon, I've used a decent but not great red, per her recommendation.  It really depends on what you're cooking. I used my mother's recipe for basting a turkey with a mid-grade white wine and butter.  mid-grade since I have some of the wine while it's cooking.  🍷 

All that said, my taste in wine is NOT expensive; I swear by ALDI's $2.99 Winking Owl.  

Edited by poolboy48220
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I use whatever is around.  I like to cook with wine, brandy and liquor but I don't see any point spending a lot on the booze I use in cooking.  There's usually part of a bottle of red sitting around and some white in the refrigerator.  Mostly I follow the conventional guideline of red wine with meat and white wine with poultry and fish, but chicken with a sauce made from red wine can be good and I like to make a red wine sauce for salmon sometimes.   Almost anything  is better with brandy added to it.  I just use some cheap California brandy.  I wouldn't waste a good  cognac or armagnac, when it's just going to be cooked off.

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There is absolutely nothing wrong with cooking wine.

The only reason to use drinking wine is that it's been sitting around for a while (that won't happen in MY house) 😉or as stated above some clueless friend gifts you a bottle of swill. 

I keep cooking wine in stock in my pantry at all times . White, Red, Marsala and Sherry. Certain vegetable dishes are better with a splash of vermouth instead of white wine.

If you don't drink then definitely buy cooking wine. It wont turn to vinegar sitting around for months. 

 

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On 1/9/2023 at 9:20 AM, jeezopete said:

A lot of recipes I've been looking at lately list wine as an ingredient. I've heard several TV chefs recommend always using a wine you'd prefer to drink rather than a "cooking wine". The problem with that is, I don't drink wine. I just never acquired a taste for it. Some of the recipes suggest substituting broth if the cook doesn't have or want to use wine, but I'd like to try some of these recipes as written before I go making changes. I'm open to suggestions, so what types/brands do you use for cooking?

Thanks!

I use the Two Buck Chuck - the house wine at Trader Joe's, or any wine that I have been gifted that isn't great. Wine is primarily used to deglaze the pan and to add acid... so no worries on the quality.

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11 hours ago, JEC said:

I have to admit, I keep some of the "single serving" wine bottles in my pantry for cooking.  They work in a pinch, and its better than opening a whole bottle of good wine for 1/2 or 1 cup of wine.  They come in a 4-pack, and each bottle is 1 cup.

I can believe I never thought of this.

Thanks!

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On 1/13/2023 at 12:19 PM, Dallas Jayson said:

I use the Two Buck Chuck - the house wine at Trader Joe's, or any wine that I have been gifted that isn't great. Wine is primarily used to deglaze the pan and to add acid... so no worries on the quality.

In fact, just saw this article this morning. https://www.tastingtable.com/1165309/the-best-wines-at-trader-joes-under-10/

Hope this helps someone.

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On 1/9/2023 at 10:20 AM, jeezopete said:

A lot of recipes I've been looking at lately list wine as an ingredient. I've heard several TV chefs recommend always using a wine you'd prefer to drink rather than a "cooking wine". The problem with that is, I don't drink wine. I just never acquired a taste for it. Some of the recipes suggest substituting broth if the cook doesn't have or want to use wine, but I'd like to try some of these recipes as written before I go making changes. I'm open to suggestions, so what types/brands do you use for cooking?

Thanks!

This is horribly wrong advice. Cooking wine is very different than drinking wine. It is made to withstand the heat and as such maintains the flavoring. Drinking wine is no match for the heat and basically it serves no purpose. It’s also more expensive. 

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I’m in the @MikeBiDude and Julia Child camp of using dry white vermouth for most recipes that call for white wine. For reds, I usually use a Pinot noir, beaujolais, or cab Sauvignon - dodgy bottles from friends or whatever looks decent at Trader Joe’s. Personally, I find that “cooking wine” has a metallic flavor & can get REALLY salty if it reduces too much. I’m also not a huge red wine drinker, so if there’s extra left after cooking, I freeze it in ice cube trays for a future recipe.

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On 1/14/2023 at 5:34 PM, JEC said:

I have to admit, I keep some of the "single serving" wine bottles in my pantry for cooking.  They work in a pinch, and its better than opening a whole bottle of good wine for 1/2 or 1 cup of wine.  They come in a 4-pack, and each bottle is 1 cup.

I do the same @JEC and I'm glad to have read your post before making a fool of myself by duplicating what you said.

Apothic Red comes in a two-pack of single serve bottles and is good for recipes that call for red wine.

I used sweet vermouth in some dishes and a nice bourbon for others. Even when the recipe calls for a specific wine I still choose according to my tastes. A good rule of thumb is to think of the dish's flavor profile and choose accordingly.

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  • 1 month later...

Yellowtail or Josh, depending how fancy you want to be. Unless of course you’re doing something specific, then a specific wine. I do prefer heritage wines. Don’t be afraid to forego cooking wines. They’ll work, sure, but why cut corners with your cooking? Aren’t you worth quality ingredients? You don’t have to break out a $500 bottle, but something that’s decent enough to drink alone should do the trick. Yellowtail and Josh really fall into this category. Not for the discerning palette’s discriminating taste alone, but perfect when melded with other ingredients. I don’t use cooking wines for the same reason I don’t buy generic ketchup. Some things just need the tested mark of quality. 

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My rule of thumb is to use a wine that you would also enjoy drinking by the glass, but is not expensive.  If it isn't a taste you would normally like on it's own, then don't use it for any wine-based sauces.  But for deglazing a pan I find it is usually okay to use something even cheaper.  I use cooking wine as well if the recipe specifies it's use, and I do not substitute anything else for Chinese cooking wine when making Chinese dishes.

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If it’s a major ingredient (Bourguignon) taste it first, as if it’s metallic or otherwise off, it can ruin the dish as the reduction will amplify flavors good and bad.
 

If it’s a smaller presence like in a meat sauce for pasta, it’s more forgiving. Fortified wines (Sherry, vermouth, Marsala, and cooking wine) bring extra sugar to the party, so factor that in. Love the small bottle idea!

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  • 2 months later...

Consider the main ingredient in the recipe if you aren't sure what wine to cook with.  Lighter white wines, like Pinot Grigio, with delicate fish and light  dishes; chardonnay with salmon and other rich fish and lighter fowl.  Lighter reds for pork and fuller bodied reds for beef or game.  This applies also to the wines you would drink with the food.  Drink the wine that you used in the dish.

That isn't to say there aren't exceptions to the list above, but if you research what wines go well with the main ingredient of the dish it's generally a good choice of wine to use when cooking the dish.

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On 2/27/2023 at 6:47 AM, arnemgreeves said:

Depends on the dish. Some wines can overpower the food. 

 

On 2/28/2023 at 1:46 AM, jeezifonly said:

If it’s a major ingredient (Bourguignon) taste it first, as if it’s metallic or otherwise off, it can ruin the dish as the reduction will amplify flavors good and bad.

That's called cooking with whine.

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