White wine for cooking?

Question

I'm not a wine drinker and don't cook with it either but I like many recipes in restaurants cooked with white wine. My problem is I need to know what kind to purchase to cook with...a specific brand name that isn't going to be too strong and overpowering. I live in NC if that makes any difference. Thanks!

I don't have wine in my pantry I don't drink it at all. There are so many different kinds of white or other "flavors" out there I'm really looking for a specific brand name. The one I tried was from Childress vinyards and it was NOT good.

Answer 1

Two words for you ... DRY SHERRY. This is a wine that is usually considered an aperitif (consumed before a meal because it encourages the appetite.) The cool thing about dry sherry is that it is a white wine that has been around the herbal block, if you will. Dry sherry and even medium-dry sherry both have the acidity you are looking for when you cook with white wine PLUS they have the added benefit of deeper, more aromatic and flavorful results due to that. Ernest & Julio Gallo produce a brand by the name of "Sheffield," Very Dry Sherry. It's inexpensive and in my opinion, INDISPENSABLE when it comes to cooking! Do yourself a favor by making sure you always have a bottle of this on hand. After you open it, you can keep it in your fridge for a really, really long time.
Anyone who tells you that you shouldn't cook with a wine you would not drink is a pompous contradiction of themselves. Even though you are not a wine drinker, from someone who is, believe me when I say that until someone is able to name the winery, grape varietal and vintage of the wine used in any sauce, don't waste your money!
Finally, the only way you can ruin a dish due to a strong and overpowering "wine taste" is by not allowing the alcohol content to cook out and evaporate. As you are a beginner with the whole wine-added-to-cooking thing, try to add the wine (dry sherry!) a little sooner than your recipe calls for. The extra time under heat will kill off the alcohol.

Answer 2

A dry white, Chardonnay or a Sauvignon Blanc, is recommended mostly for sauces and marinades. I don't recommend "cooking wines" as they are usually too weak and lack the round notes of drinking wines, if you don't drink buy the 1/2 size bottles when they are available and invest in a good silicone stopper to keep it fresh for use. BTW here is a great recipe for an easy sauce:
WHITE WINE SAUCE

Makes 5 to 6 cups

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup unbleached white flour
1 cup dry white wine
4 cups chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste (see note)

Pour the olive oil into a 4- to 5-quart saucepan over medium heat, then add the flour and stir with a wire whisk until all the flour is dissolved and the mixture looks like a paste. Reduce the heat and slowly add the wine; the mixture will start to thicken quickly. Continue to stir and remove from the heat, if necessary, until all the wine has been mixed in. Slowly pour in the chicken broth while you continue to stir. Simmer, uncovered, for approximately 1 hour, or until the taste of alcohol is no longer present in the sauce. Freeze in containers of various sizes, including some in an ice-cube tray to allow easy small additions to sauces. It can stay in the freezer for 6 months or more.

NOTE: Be sparing with the salt and pepper. It’s better to underseason this sauce, because you will season it again in the sauté pan.

NOTE: If this (or any) sauce ever has lumps caused by undissolved flour, just pass the sauce through a sieve or a mesh strainer. It will come out lump-free.

Answer 3

There is not really a general answer. Many dishes taste better with a specific kind of white. Chicken and Fish does well with a Marsalla or a Chardonnay. As far as a brand, well that is a matter of taste. Most are inexpensive so just try a few and see which one taste best to you. I personnally like the wine coming from Australia. They taste wonderful and are not very expensive and can be found just about everywhere. When cooking red meats try a young merlot or a Cabernet Sauvignon. Again just try a few to find one that you like the taste of. One thing to remember wine in cooking is used for flavor like a spice.

Answer 4

Aloha,

If someone tells you to use cheap wine because it does not matter it does. Whatever the flavor of the wine whether it be sweet or dry it will intensify when used in cooking the alcohol will cook out. Go to foodtv.com they offer some suggestions. When you are shopping for wine just ask a salesperson about the characteristics of the wine it does not have to be expensive but the taste has to be something you enjoy you may want an oaky flavor or maybe buttery or even slightly fruity depending on the recipe.

Answer 5

Cooking wines can be salty. You don't have to buy an expensive wine, but a cheap wine may not bring out the right flavor. Be careful about strong flavors (sweet, sour, etc), those will be emphasized with the cooking process. Best bet, cook with wine you would drink. The flavors you like (taste) in the wine will come out in the meal you cook. If you don't like the wine, you won't like the dish it is cooked in.

Answer 6

Don't use 'cooking wine'. It's loaded with salt for some ridiculous reason. Use a cheap (about $6 or $7) bottle of Chardonnay for white wine and a Cabernet for red. If all you're using it for is cooking then you can keep the left over for a couple of weeks. Keep the white in the fridge.

Answer 7

Since there are a lot of flavors you are combining when cooking, and because sometimes you are using the wine as a marinade to help tenderize a meat, I use a cheaper brand that still tastes fairly good to me. You can use whatever you want, just seems a shame to waste a really good wine in cooking something.

Answer 8

There are white wines made for cooking. Don't use these.....I personally won't cook with a wine that I woudn't serve to my guests to drink. Brand names are tough.....depends on whether you want something fruity or a drier wine. I prefer a dry wine for cooking. The next time you find a dish in a restaurant cooked with white wine, ask what type of wine it is. Also, check out this link: http://www.hormel.com/templates/knowledge/knowledge.asp?catitemid=57&id=579

Answer 9

The reasoning behind cooking with wine is to intensify and enhance the flavor of food. Wine is known to release flavors in food that otherwise could not be experienced. The following are guidelines and tips particularly directed at the novice cook or a cook new to the world of cooking with wine.

Wines labeled “Cooking Wine” are typically salty and include other additives that may adversely affect the taste of your chosen menu. If you choose to use a cooking wine, adjust your recipe to reflect the salt content already in the wine.
An expensive wine is not necessary, although a cheap wine will not bring out the best characteristics of your dish. The process of cooking/reducing will bring out the worst in an inferior wine. A good quality wine, that you enjoy, will provide the same flavor to a dish as a premium wine. Save the premium wine to serve with the meal.
If you are intent on cooking with a premium wine, do not simmer the wine for a long length of time. To preserve a reasonable part of its flavor, cook the wine slowly and do not let it come to a boil. If you are creating a sauce through reduction (see below), cook it separately in an enamel skillet. Premium wines require careful handling, more so than good quality wine, to maximize the quality of your finished dish. For the novice it is best to use good quality, well balanced, young and powerful wines. These good quality wines will stand up to higher temperatures and longer cooking time. Save the premium wine to serve with the meal.
Don’t go too cheap. Cook only with wine you would drink. The core flavor of your dish will impart the flavors of the wine you choose. If you do not like the flavor of the wine, you will not like the dish.
If a wine is extremely fruity, sour, or unsavory, these characteristics will be emphasized during cooking.
Wine needs time to impart its flavor, wait 10 minutes or more to taste before adding more wine. Too much wine will overpower a dish.
If you are a novice at cooking with wine, start out simple. The more you cook with wine, the better you will become at predicting how a specific wine will enhance your menu.
For best results, wine should not be added to a dish just before serving. The wine should simmer with the food, or sauce, to enhance the flavor of the dish. If added late in the preparation, it could impart a harsh quality.
A wine that is simmered for a short time on low heat will impart a different flavor of that same wine simmered at high heat for an extended period of time.
Recipes that call for champagne are generally more for effect rather then flavor. It is best to use a flat bottle of champagne. “Flat” or “still” champagne is much like a ermine what kind of winen youdry white but is more acidic and tends to be dryer.
Do not cook with aluminum or cast iron when cooking with wine, stick with non-reactive cookware such as enamel.

depends on what you are cooking - that will determine what kind of wine you need

Answer 10

Virtually any white wine will work. If you are near a Trader joes, but their two-buck Chuck (Charles Shaw at $1.99 per bottle). The general rule of thumb is to use a wine that you would actually drink, which, given you don't drink, may be tough to sort out.

Don't use "cooking wine" as it usually has salt in it.