Results 1 to 7 of 7
  1. #1
    niccig is online now Clean Sweep forum moderator
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Location
    CA.
    Posts
    23,492

    Default What do you use for cooking wine?

    Some of my recipes ask for 1/4-1/2 cup of red or white wine. DH has expensive wine that he got good deals on, but he will freak of I use it in cooking.

    Today at the grocery store, I picked up 4 pack of very small bottles, about 1 cup each. It was same price as normal bottle of wine, but if I buy a bottle of cheap wine, it never gets all used.

    Does anyone sell wine just for cooking?

  2. #2
    Liziz is offline Emerald level (3000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Posts
    3,686

    Default

    I think there is wine that's sold as "cooking wine", but I've never really used it. When I need to cook with a small amount of wine, I usually just buy a cheap bottle at the grocery store (in the $6 to $9 dollar range). After I use what I need, I stick the remaining bottle in the fridge and just keep it in there, and use it as needed. I'm sure it's not the best way to store wine, especially because it takes months to go through a whole bottle. But, the wine seems to stay in good enough shape for cooking, so it works for me!
    Lizi

  3. #3
    Uno-Mom's Avatar
    Uno-Mom is offline Sapphire level (2000+ posts)
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Posts
    2,754

    Default

    Cooking wine is nasty!! They add salt as a preservative. It can seriously ruin your food. Often good drinking wine goes bad in food, too, because certain flavors get brought out that don't taste good concentrated. We took America's Test Kitchen's advice and always use vermouth. It's cheap, never goes bad and has a neutral taste. That only covers white, though.

    Often bumbling mother to baby girl "Sprog"
    Born November, 2009

  4. #4
    mjs64's Avatar
    mjs64 is offline Platinum level (1000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Bay Area
    Posts
    1,302

    Default

    I use TJs 2 buck chuck and store in the fridge or drink the leftovers. Sauvignon blanc is a good cooking white. For red, merlot or Cabernet, sometimes syrah. I always have an open bottle of wine though and just use what I've got that's open. Then again, I never have anything expensive on hand.
    Last edited by mjs64; 02-04-2012 at 07:41 PM.
    My baby boy is 3!

  5. #5
    pastrygirl is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    New England.
    Posts
    5,795

    Default

    A friend of mine says she buys box wine for cooking (and drinking), because it lasts a long time.

    We drink a lot of red wine, so we just open a bottle when we need it for cooking, and drink the rest within a day or two. My husband doesn't like white wine, but I always have a bottle in the fridge for cooking and/or drinking. It lasts a week or two in the fridge after opening.

    ETA: I have a few red wine favorites that are < $15 (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, or blends), and my favorite Chardonnay is < $10 (Kendall Jackson).
    Last edited by pastrygirl; 02-05-2012 at 03:46 PM.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Posts
    660

    Default

    I use dry vermouth for cooking, in place of white wine. It's shelf-stable, inexpensive, and always tastes the same (as opposed to using different types of white wine). If you don't like vermouth then this method won't work for you :-) We do usually have white wine in the house but it's just easier for me to grab the vermouth.

    For red wine it's more variable, depending on if the recipe wants a dry red or a fruity one. Chianti works well for many recipes. I also keep bottles of port and sherry in the fridge for other things - sherry and mushrooms is a yummy combo.

  7. #7
    DebbieJ is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Location
    Illinois.
    Posts
    9,822

    Default

    I use an inexpensive red wine that I don't mind drinking. 2 buck chuck certainly fits the bill. You can also pour the rest of the bottle into ice cube trays & freeze it for later use in cooking.
    ~ deb
    DS1 Dec 2003
    DS2 Sept 2009

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •