The Basics of Cooking with Wine

We drink wine, placing it in a glass and swallowingwould drink....willingly. This doesn't mean that you
without the effort of chewing (even though someshould pour your bottle of 1847 Château
people describe wine as chewy). It goes downd'Yquem into a noodle sauce, but adding in weak
smooth, born to be only wild enough to glidewine will hurt, even ruin, your dish. If you
down an esophagus. Quenching our thirst and ourpurchase a wine of poor quality, your food will
nerves, a glass of good wine is simply a goodadopt that poor quality, which is probably not the
drink.goal you're aiming for. A good rule of thumb is to
However, wine isn't limited to just a glass, anever add cheap wine, but don't go overboard
bottle, or even a bucket. Branching out intoand add an expensive wine that should be saved
different realms, as if trying to find itself in thefor a special occasion.
culinary world, wine has become an importantCooking Wine
ingredient in many food dishes.Cooking wine, by definition, is a very inexpensive
Cooking with wine isn't a new concept; a bottlewine that has been treated with salt as a
has always been in the kitchen, wearing a chef'spreservative. Its sole purpose of existence is to
hat and sautéing the onions. But, with morebe added to food. While some people advocate
and more light shining onto the health benefits ofthe use of cooking wine, true wine connoisseurs
wine, people are becoming increasingly interesteddon't, throwing the recipe book at it instead. This,
in wine sauces, adding it to dishes for wallop andin a nutshell, is because cooking wine tastes
wellness.exactly like it's supposed to taste: like wine you'd
Choosing Between Red Wine and White Winenever want to drink.
Red wine will go with several dishes, as if someDrunken Dishes
sort of food floozy getting on top of everything itSome people may imagine that an entree full of
knows. While people can alter recipes to makealcohol will cause mayhem among the dinette set,
red wine BBQ sauce, or red wine steak sauce,causing the dish, in a moment of lapsed judgment,
the basic job of red wine is to marinate, bringingto actually run away with the spoon. But, in truth,
out the food's innate flavors. Reds are skilled atusing alcohol for cooking won't have as much of
bringing out the colors and essence of the food,an affect as using it for drinking. This isn't to say
and they add a dryness, making dishes taste lessthat all the alcohol in food disappears (some dishes
sugary. Similar to food/wine pairings, red winethat aren't cooked very long can still have high
should be added to dishes containing red meat, orcontents), but the longer something simmers, the
dishes with a lot of vegetables, such as stews.more the alcohol evaporates, leaving the dish on
While red wine enhances flavor, white wines alterthe verge of sobriety.
it. This doesn't mean that white wine will decreaseCooking with wine is meant to be fun and
the horrible taste of your mother-in-law'ssomething people can do with a lot of variety.
fettuccini, but it adds an acidic feature, making theThough the Internet is filled with recipes and
dish more tart. It won't drastically change the dish,directions on how to make specific dishes, a lot of
but it will enhance its natural sharpness. Whitecooking with wine just comes with learning and
wines are best used for cream sauces, or withunderstanding your specific tastes. In the end,
chicken and fish.wine can add pizzazz to your meal with flavor and
How Much to Spendzest, but usually not so much alcohol that you find
Wine that you cook with should be wine that youyourself sauced.