How to Cook With Wine
Actually, cooking with wine is far from fancy. There are more complicated cooking techniques out there. Cooking with wine is open to experimentation and individual expression. This article will open your eyes into one of the simplest but most effective cooking techniques. Cooking with wine intensifies the natural flavor of foods and will lend an essence to your food that is hard to explain.
How Much is Too Much
There are no rules set in stone when cooking with wine. All of it is according to taste. But remember, it’s always possible to put in more later. Also keep in mind that the flavor of wine is not in the alcohol content. When cooking with it, most of the alcohol evaporates anyway so the real taste of wine lies in its other contents.
You can boil down or reduce wine to intensify its flavor. You can make sweet wine sweeter by doing this because you are concentrating it. Be careful of this fact because you have to leave room for the cooking process. If the taste is just right at the beginning, it may be too much when you are done cooking.
What Kinds of Wine Are Best for Cooking
Not just any wine will do. A wine that tastes good when drunk will taste good when cooked with. On the same note, an awful tasting wine will taste even worse when put in food. You don’t need to splurge and get a $100 bottle – you’ll just end up not using it as much as you should. There are many good priced one out there. A $10 bottle could work fine. You just have to search a little harder.
Begin with a basic red or white wine that you have previously tasted and enjoyed. Using a strange wine you haven’t tried before is too risky for an important dinner. Sauvignon Blanc is perfect for marinades, sauting, chicken, and seafood. For red meats or sauces with red meat as a base, any variety of Chianti or Cabernet Sauvignon works best.
Stay away from wine with a heavy oak flavor. This leaves a bitter taste in food. Overly fruity and acidic wine will alter the natural taste of food too much and are also not recommended.
Tips for Cooking with Wine
The more you cook with wine, the better you will get at determining how it will affect and flavor your dishes. Here are six good tips to help you get started:
If a recipe calls for water, put in wine instead.
You can add a tablespoon or two to your gravy. Simmer until the alcohol fully evaporates.
Your favorite flavored oil plus wine makes a good marinade for meat and poultry.
Heat the wine before adding to meat dishes. Warm wine can tenderize meat while cold wine has the opposite effect. Don’t overdo it. Too much heat will cook your wine, robbing it of its taste.
Heavier red meats need a dry red wine to flavor it or else it will seem that you put nothing in at all. Lighter meats, such as pork, poultry, and fish will be overpowered. It’s best to use white wine in this case.
You can serve the same wine you cooked with along with a meal. If that is not possible, at least serve a matching variety. It is not very nice to serve a light white wine with a roast dinner flavoured with an intense red.
A Final Thought
Cooking with wine can be a fun experience. Don’t be afraid to try it out today. You can only get better with practice. And with tips like these, it’s hard to go wrong. Cooking in a crock pot is the perfect way to slow cook anything and adding some wine to your favourite beef stew crock pot recipe will create a delicious meal for the whole family.
Michelle is a season publisher on the topic of home meals. The lady really relishes sharing her hints and tips about making slow cooker recipes or possibly crock pot chili.
