cooking with wine, etc.

[snafu]

Anyone here cook with wine, brandy, etc.?

I need help.

What is a good substitute for alcohol in cooking?

Is there a "cooks guide" or something that tells/recommends wines to use when the recipe calls for dry, sweet, "full bodied" , etc. wines?

When cooking can a blush work as well as a white/red?

Are there brands of wine, brandy, etc. that work better than others?

Could I use a wine cooler instead of wine? I'll drink wine coolers, but most wines make me wince or shudder ( the communion wine at our church really makes me shudder, but the grape juice is worse )

[Mrs X]

We cook quite a lot with wine, it is always worth experimenting, but wine has particular properties which make meat tenderer (sp?) etc. - I can't think of any substitutes that would work.

Even if you don't like the taste of the wine, it tastes really different after you've cooked with it, if that is what is putting you off. Also, all the alcohol generally evapourates during cooking. (Alcohol boils at a lower temperature than water, if you want the technical details.)

Wine tends to be used with meats, brandy with deserts.

[LucyVanPelt]

I use broth in place of wine if I don't have any wine left over from a meal.

In baking, I tend to use an "extract" for flavor.

We're not big drinkers and I hate to open a bottle for a cup and leave the rest sit.

[snafu]

Originally Posted by LucyVanPelt

We're not big drinkers and I hate to open a bottle for a cup and leave the rest sit.

Mrs. X & Lucy - thank you both for your advice

DH doesn't drink at all - unless you want to count communion wine

I'm with Lucy, in the fact that I don't want to waste an entire bottle (or the $$$) when I just need 3/4 a cup. I like the taste when cooking - and sometimes it just doesn't taste right unless you add the vino (for example balsamic beef stew needs the wine to taste right - otherwise I can tell its lacking something)

[KayKay]

Our local grocery store sells wine in 4-pack, single-serving bottles (like wine coolers, but actually WINE). It's not expensive wine, but I often keep those on hand for times when I don't want to open a bottle.

[Mrs X]

We are so lucky in nz, there is a lot of high quality cheap local wine, which is fine to drink, so you can cook with it and leave the rest to drink with the meal.

So sorry, i'm not familiar with some of the food terms you have used, so not much help there.

We have found that almost any hearty Italian dish is improved with lots of garlic and red wine. (DH usually does the cooking, and says "why would you use water in the recipe, when you could use wine???")

Most French dishes use red or white wine, i wouldn't think they are interchangeable. It is hard to imagine beouf stroganoff with red wine, or beouf burgundy with white.

Mmmm, wonder what's for dinner? *salivating here*

[HisHeathenHoney]

As for not wasting wine, you can freeze it, when it is wine to be used for cooking. Just freeze leftover wine (leftover wine??) in ice cube trays and then pop them into a ziploc freezer bag. You could measure it into the ice cube trays--like, a TBSP per cube or something or 2 TBSP or whatever is close--so you know exactly how much there is per cube.

You would not want to treat Chateau Lafite this way, but if it is just a modest table wine that you are going to cook with then go for it. No waste. I often buy Aussie, NZ and Chilean wines as there are great bargains--high quality for the price--and I don't feel too guilty cooking with a 6-8 dollar bottle. (However I rarely end up freezing it.)

I would not microwave to thaw frozen wine if it can be avoided. Just think ahead (I am pretty sure it can be safely thawed at room temp) or put a few cubes in a small ziploc bag or something and immerse the bag in lukewarm water or something like that.

I am not sure but I think a wine cooler would probably add way too much sugar to a dish and taste very off.

[Beth]

Originally Posted by KayKay

Our local grocery store sells wine in 4-pack, single-serving bottles (like wine coolers, but actually WINE). It's not expensive wine, but I often keep those on hand for times when I don't want to open a bottle.

Great idea. Those small bottles work great for cooking. I've used Sutter Home Merlot for the red wine. But I have to say in our house a bottle of wine once opened, always ends up empty.

[Blue Skies]

“I love cooking with wine….sometimes I even put it in the food” Sorry, I couldn't resist...

[Mrs X]

Originally Posted by Blue Skies

“I love cooking with wine….sometimes I even put it in the food” Sorry, I couldn't resist...

Plenty for the cook here, too.