Cooking with wine???

[BeckyFL]

I am thinking of going back to using some wine in my cooking. It probably sounds silly to some of you, but we don't drink and when the kids came along, I didn't even want wine in the house for cooking. I didn't want any mixed messages at all.

 

Prior to children, I made an excellent Coq Au Vin and added wine to a few other recipes. Now it's been so long that if I do decide to purchase some, I don't even know what to get. They say to use wine you would drink as it does make a difference, but we don't drink wine. I need it to be fairly inexpensive.

 

Any advice or thoughts?

[LisaKinVA]

I like to cook with wine...but don't like to drink it. However, I got great advice at the store I purchased the wine...about all I "know" on my own is that white wine goes with fish/chicken/pork and red wine goes with red meat/sauces. Otherwise, I always have to ask.

[BikeBookBread]

Here are some notes from the Cook's Illustrated Coq au Vin recipe:

 

A medium-bodied, fruity red wine such as Pinot Noir or Rhône Valley Grenache is best for this recipe. Avoid bold, heavily oaked red wine varietals like Cabernet and light-bodied wines like Beaujolais.

 

Sounds yummy :)

 

They had a related article on how to cook with wine, generally. Helpful hints!

 

Published March 1, 2010. From Cook's Illustrated.

 

The best all-purpose cooking wines are medium-bodied, non-oaked varieties that aren't too sweet.

 

REDS Go with blended (nonvarietal) American and Australian wines, or a French Côtes du Rhône.

 

WHITES We prefer clean, crisp, dry Sauvignon Blancs to sweet Rieslings or heavily oaked Chardonnays, which can dominate subtle flavors.

 

Shopping Tip

Since wine has a brief shelf life—only a few days after a bottle is opened—we recommend boxed wines, which store the liquid in an airtight, bladderlike plastic sack that collapses as the wine is removed. Dry vermouth, with a shelf life of several months, makes a good substitute for white wine.

 

Storage Tip

Measure 1 tablespoon of wine into each well of an ice cube tray and freeze. Use a paring knife to remove each cube, then store in a zipper-lock bag. Add the frozen cubes to sauces as desired.

 

Substitution

Broth can work just fine as a nonalcoholic replacement for wine in soups and stews. For every 1/2 cup broth used, stir in 1/2 teaspoon red or white wine vinegar or lemon juice before serving.

 

If you aren't going to be drinking the wine, I would suggest buying boxed (there is a foil pouch inside of the box, and generally a little spigot. It keeps much, much longer, and many very high quality, small vineyards are starting to box their wine. This isn't the cheap nasty boxed wine that you would have found on the shelves a few years ago.

[BeckyFL]

Wow! So glad I asked.... great information. I will print and save it! I just looked at the grocery store and didn't see any boxed wine, but that sounds like the way to go for me. Maybe a wine store?

[Perry]

Wow! So glad I asked.... great information. I will print and save it! I just looked at the grocery store and didn't see any boxed wine, but that sounds like the way to go for me. Maybe a wine store?

Some brands are also selling wine in 4 packs of small bottles. That's what I buy for cooking, so I don't waste as much.

[BeckyFL]

Update: I took the recommendations and bought the Pinot Noir for the Coq Au Vin and the 4 pack of Chardonnay for other dishes.

We had the Coq Au Vin tonight with this recipe http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/coq-au-vin-recipe2/index.html

and it was... how do you say? .... manifique! tres bien! lol

 

Thanks, everyone! :)