Cooking With Wine

 

Pintrest has been my new addiction. To start with, I don’t have to use words intelligibly. Just see what I like, and just pin it! More like Re-tweeting. No effort on my part. Not to mention the riot of colours that instantly perk one up! And being a food and wine lover, it’s not difficult to guess which boards I created first. As I was surfing, I came with a lot of recipes that use wine to cook.

 

Now if you are anything like me, you’d always have some left-over wine in your fridge. And you can’t just let them sit for more than a week or so. Of course the next best thing to sipping them is to add them to your food! However, cooking with Wine has a lot of myths around it. Let’s have them cracked!

 

~Which Wines To Use for Cooking~ When deciding what kind of wine to cook with, most agree that your best bet is to cook with a wine that you would drink. Remember, it is only the alcohol that diminishes during the cooking process, not the quality or flavour. If you don’t want to compromise on the end product, don’t compromise with the wine.

~Older isn’t necessarily Tastier~

I do keep leftover wine, white and red, in the fridge. I can use that wine for cooking for at least a week. But never let it sit too long. By that time, the wine has oxidized and will show off odours and flavours, which will detract from the flavours of the dish. Remember, the wine in your food should enhance its flavours and not detract you from them.

~To or Not To Use Table Wines~ Wines designated as “cooking wines” tend to be cheap, salty and often incorporate additional spices or herbs. I prefer to add my own spices and herbs to my cooking and not let the bottled wine do that for me. It will rob my dish of my signature touch, I feel. Also I enjoy sipping my wine while I add it to my cooking – and table wines would wean me off that opportunity.

~Quantity of Wine to be Used~

Just like any other seasoning, the cook should know how to balance the quantity. Too little is inconsequential and too much will be overpowering. Boiling down wine concentrates the flavour, including acidity and sweetness. This might mar the intrinsic flavours of the food. Neither extreme is desirable.

 

~Wine can help cook and simmer foods~ Add wine to dishes you’re cooking in a skillet on the stove, in a slow cooker, or in the oven. Simmered along with the food, it adds flavour and moisture to whatever dish you’re making. While sautéing vegetables, or slow cooking meat, add wine to tenderize, intensify, enhance, and accent the flavour and aroma of food. Poaching and braising fish with wine would add that gourmet touch to your home-made dish. Remember to add the wine at a time so that it can simmer and cook with the food or sauce. Else, it could make the dish taste too harsh.

 

~Wine Helps To Cook with Lesser Oil or Butter~

When you take some of the fat out of dishes, you usually need to add another ingredient to replace the lost moisture. What could be better than Wine! Add Wine to marinades to decrease the oil or fat content. Even for cake mix recipe, reduce the butter and add white or dessert wine to the batter.

 

~Wine is a great ingredient in marinades~ Wine is basically an acid ingredient (which helps tenderize the outside of the meat) and it has a lot of flavour. The wine-based marinade helps keep meat, poultry, or seafood moist while it cooks, too. I have even tried adding Red Wine to Indian meat curry dishes – gives it a distinct flavour, and makes it quite nice to be eaten while sipping the leftover wine.

~Wine can be used in baking, too! ~

For certain types of cakes, using wine or sherry in place of some of the fat not only lightens up the cake but adds complimentary flavours. Wine also adds moisture to the batter thereby assuring a softer cake that would melt in your mouth!

 

I think all the Wine in Food talk is making you contemplate your next recipe with wine. Yes, do go for it. But remember, Wine is not for all dishes. And never include more than one dish with wine in a single meal. The key is being subtle. Happy cooking with and sipping wine!

 

 

Image Courtesy: Google