| Wines are not just for drinking. They can also be | | | | most people. Just bear in mind that the longer a |
| used for cooking to add or fortify the flavors in | | | | dish is being cooked, the more alcohol evaporates. |
| every dish. A good bottle of wine can also make | | | | When dealing with fine dishes, it would be a |
| a fine dish even better by trying to enhance the | | | | mistake using so-called cooking Sherries. Most of |
| flavors that they invoke. | | | | such cooking wines are made from a thin and |
| Wines in cooking can be used in three ways. They | | | | cheap base wine with salt and food coloring added |
| can be used as a marinade ingredient to add | | | | to give you a supposedly nice looking bottle of |
| some unique flavors to any fine dish. They can | | | | cooking wine. If you wish to make a fine dish |
| also be used as a cooking liquid usually in place of | | | | become more magical, it is suggested that you |
| water or as the final flavoring to a cooked dish. | | | | use quality wines that you usually drink. In fact, it |
| What good wines can do to these fine dishes is | | | | is common wisdom for cooks not to use wines |
| to accent, enhance or intensify the inherent | | | | that they wouldn't normally drink. |
| flavors of the dish. It should not in any way | | | | What you need to do is try to know more about |
| overpower these flavors or mask them in any | | | | fine wines such as a variety of Port, Sherry, |
| way. Using these wines should be done with care | | | | Marsala or Madeira wines which are the usual |
| especially if a variety of spices are being used in | | | | varieties used in cooking. These wine types are |
| cooking. Care is needed in using just the right | | | | among the best cooking wines because they pack |
| amount of wine in cooking a dish since it would be | | | | the most intense flavors. Not only that, such |
| quite easy to put too little or too much. Either | | | | wines also have more alcohol content in them and |
| way, the whole purpose of intensifying or | | | | so may stay longer on the pantry shelf for |
| enhancing the resulting flavors would be all for | | | | cooking your other fine recipes. |
| naught. | | | | In cooking dishes with wines as part of the recipe, |
| If you are worried that the alcohol in the wine | | | | it is always important to remember that they are |
| may have an effect on the dish that you are | | | | used not to replace the flavor of the dish. They |
| cooking, you have nothing to worry about. The | | | | should instead work together with the combination |
| alcohol usually evaporates the longer the dish is | | | | of flavors in order to make every dish have that |
| being cooked. This leaves only the flavors and the | | | | extra tang and zing that will tickle the palate and |
| aroma of the wine to combine with the | | | | make a fine dish even more appealing. So handle |
| characteristic flavor of the dish. And since most | | | | your wines with care while cooking and use then |
| wines contain generally only 12 to 14 percent | | | | like you would with a seasoning to your dish. |
| alcohol, it won't pose as that big of a problem for | | | | |