subject: Cooking With Red And White Wines-- Develop Flavors Quickly With The Appropriate Wines [print this page] Adding white or red wine to some of your favored dishes can bring out some fabulous flavor and highlight textures through the dish. Many recipes suggest a red or white wine, however, there are a handful of other points to think about before dumping a glass of your favorite red wine into a beef dish. Here, you will find a few suggestions to aid you when you're cooking with wine.
Which Wine to Use
Deciding which wine to use is quite easy. Most folks will advise you to use a white or red wine that you like to drink. White and red wines that have an unfavorable flavor or that are poor quality won't be overcome by the cooking process aside from diminishing the alcohol content. Many of the wines that are labeled as "cooking wines" are quite salty, inexpensive, and are without any additional spices or herbs. These wines won't do a great deal to accentuate the flavors of your recipe. However, this isn't saying that you need to use a $ 100 red or white wine to cook with. Just use a wine that you would normally enjoy a glass of to ensure your recipe turns out delicious or skip the wine all together in it.
Using Red or White Wine to Add Flavor
When you cook with wine, you ought to think of it as you would another spice. The flavor of the wine will mellow the longer the dish is cooked. If you are using a strong, young merlot, then the recommended cooking time is 45 minutes. When choosing between adding a white or red wine to the recipe, try to remember that a red wine will provide color and dryness to a recipe and white will add a level of acidity. Usually, reds are used to flavor sauces for red meats, such as a spaghetti sauce with meatballs or a stew with lots of root vegetables. White wines are used most frequently with fish and seafood or white meat and in cream sauces.
Just How Much Alcohol Is Left after Cooking ?
Not all of the wine's alcohol will disappear when it's cooked. There will be some left over alcohol in the food and the amount will hinge on how and how long you cooked it. A sauce that simmers for 25 minutes will have a great deal less alcohol than a dish that is baked for 10 minutes.
Tips for Cooking with Wine
In general, the best rule to remember is to keep your recipes somewhat basic when cooking with wine. Experiment by adding a bit of red to a family spaghetti sauce recipe or a splash of white to an Alfredo sauce. You will be surprised at how much flavor the wines can add and it will bring a deepness to your cooking you may not have known before. Besides, when you add your red or white wine, pick up a wine glass, a wine aerator, and pour yourself a little to savor while you are cooking. After all, part of the fun of cooking with wine is to test the ingredients first!
