TOTALLY GEEKED!

NAOW · Vette's SS

RE: Saggiest Saturday

chef · Guru

NAOW wrote:
chef wrote:
NAOW wrote:
I would think that for cooking any bottle would do Chef.

But someone correct me if I am wrong.
I'm pretty sure it was Momala that said not to use the cooking wines because of salt content but I could be wrong. I bought the cooking sherry from the cooking wines section once for a Chopped challenge and tasted a little. It was gross. Tasted like a liquid salt lick.
I know nothing about wines. I see a lot of recipes I want to try but I don't know what's considered red, white, dry, etc. Same thing with beers. I don't know what's considered dark beer vs light beer. At least when I recipe calls for a liquor of some sort, I know what to get if I choose not to omit the alcohol.
I meant any bottle of red wine would work for cooking, sorry. I've never heard of straight 'cooking' wine.

I was bouncing off what Tangerine said about cooking wines. Sorry for the confusion :)

chef · Guru

jlbear71 wrote:
You want to use a dry red wine like a merlot to a burgundy. I usually buy a four pack of single serving bottles of wine for cooking so I don't waste a larger bottle.

I don't know what would be a dry red wine. I don't know what dry means. It's never made sense to me since liquid is not dry. Are merlot and burgundy names of wines?

chef · Guru

I know what to do_sometimes wrote:
If I need white wine for cooking I use a Pinot Grigio, red wine I typically use a Cabernet.

I think those are brand names, correct?

chef · Guru

Divine Geek wrote:
NAOW~"cooking wine" is sold near the oils. It's a "wine" without the alcohol. Personally, I don't like to use it. I don't think the taste holds up as well when cooked.

When choosing a wine to cook with, you don't need to be too picky. The biggest thing is to know whether you want a sweet or dry wine. Getting those mixed up can really mess with the taste. In my experience, unless you are making desert, you want to say away from sweet wines

Chardonnay is my go-to white wine. I don't cook much with red, just Marsala sauces, but that has a distinct taste and would not be a good all purpose choice.

How would I tell the difference between a sweet or dry wine?

Is Chardonnay a brand name? See, I know the words (Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, etc.) but I don't know if they're brands or types of wines.

I didn't know Marsala was a red wine. I've had chicken Marsala and, if memory serves, the sauce was white'ish so I thought Marsala was a white wine.

Divine Geek · Guru

Chardonnay is a type of wine, all the ones mentioned are types of wine, not brands. Usually the label will say sweet if it's a sweet wine. In my opinion, dry wines are the more bitter wines. They have more of a defined taste that holds up well when cooked to give your dish a tang. Sweet wines have a higher sugar content and are smoother to drink (again, my opinion). Sweet wines are good when making a sweet, syrupy sauce. Really good with deseserts like bread puddings.

I personally don't like to drink dry wines, I don't like the taste. But I like cooking with them. They give a good flavor layer to your dish. But should rarely be the focal point. My favorite and to drink lately is moscato, but I would hesitate to cook with it. The flavor wouldnt translate when cooked in my opinion

I have no idea the real differences between the wines. Just have my personal experiences. I call my Uncle if I need a real answer lol

Divine Geek · Guru

Sorry, forgot, yes, Marsala is a red wine. Whenever I've made a sause with it, it comes out brownish.

jlbear71 · Guru

chef wrote:
jlbear71 wrote:
You want to use a dry red wine like a merlot to a burgundy. I usually buy a four pack of single serving bottles of wine for cooking so I don't waste a larger bottle.
I don't know what would be a dry red wine. I don't know what dry means. It's never made sense to me since liquid is not dry. Are merlot and burgundy names of wines?

Merlot and burgundy are types of red wines that I use for cooking, mostly savory and/or Italian dishes. For white wines, I use either a chardonnay or a sauvignon.

See if there is someone where you would buy to ask if you are unsure. I know the little four packs of wine only come in certain flavors here.

For non-alchoholic substitutes, you can use chicken stock for white wine. I have substituted a rich beef stock (homemade and reduced) for red wine. It does change the flavor but if you never knew what it was supposed to taste like...

chef · Guru

DG and Jlbear: Thanks so much for the info :)

jlbear71 · Guru

If you want to use wine, and cannot find the little bottles, one brand that is pretty decent and not too expensive is Yellow Tail. It is from Australia and runs about $7-10 a bottle.

If you do get the little bottles, store them upright in a cool dry place. Too warm temps can turn wine to vinegar.

flan327 · Itty bitty's Grammy

jlbear71 wrote:
If you want to use wine, and cannot find the little bottles, one brand that is pretty decent and not too expensive is Yellow Tail. It is from Australia and runs about $7-10 a bottle.

If you do get the little bottles, store them upright in a cool dry place. Too warm temps can turn wine to vinegar.

Here I can get it for about $5.00.

Barefoot is also very good.

flan

Nobody Just Nobody · Rib-it! Rrrib-it!

Yellow Tail is pretty cheap here too. I don't make anything with alcohol. Being that DH is a recovering alcoholic he won't eat anything made with alcohol. Yes, I know the alcohol part burns off. So does he. But the taste remains and he says the taste is what reminds him of his drinking days. He doesn't eat rum cake or fondue sadly. Someone told me a long time ago that you can substitute coke in recipes that call for alcohol. I have done this from time to time and had no issues. Of course, it won't taste the same but the recipe turns out fine.