what is a good red wine for cooking, not drinking?

Answer 1

A good rule of thumb is: Don't cook with a wine you wouldn't drink. It doesn't have to be expensive, but it should be good enough to drink.

The type of wine you use depends on what you're cooking. Tomato sauces like for pasta and meatballs are good with some chianti. French style chicken in wine (coq au vin) is good made with burgundy. Most recipes will specify one or two types of acceptable wine for the dish.

Answer 2

I second many of the other responses. Avoid cooking wines. I think there are plenty of great wines under $10 that are perfect for cooking.

Answer 3

Never cook with a wine you wouldn't drink.

"cooking" wines are usually laced with lots of extra salt, and are low quality to boot.

Find a nice wine you like, not too expensive, and use it to cook. If you don't like the results, try another.

Answer 4

As a rule blends work better than a single grape variety. Try a Guigal Cote du
Rhone it's readily available and about 10 bucks.
As others have mentioned never use a "cooking wine " they have a considerable amount of salt in them.

Answer 5

The first and most important rule: Use only wines in your cooking that you would drink. Never, never use any wine that you WOULD NOT DRINK! If your do not like the taste of a wine, you will not like the dish you choose to use it in.

Do not use the so-called "cooking wines!" These wine are typically salty and include other additives that my affect the taste of your chosen dish and menu. The process of cooking/reducing will bring out the worst in an inferior wine. Please promise yourself never, never to stoop to such a product! Linda's rule of thumb is: I do not cook with something I will not drink.

An expensive wine is not necessary, although a cheap wine will not bring out the best characteristics of your dish. 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.


Using Wine in Cooking:

Wine has three main uses in the kitchen - as a marinade ingredient, as a cooking liquid, and as a flavoring in a finished dish. The function of wine in cooking is to intensify, enhance and accent the flavor and aroma of food - not to mask the flavor of what you are cooking but rather to fortify it. As with any seasoning used in cooking, care should be taken in the amount of wine used - too little is inconsequential and too much will be overpowering. Neither extreme is desirable. A small quantity of wine will enhance the flavor of the dish.

The alcohol in the wine evaporates while the food is cooking, and only the flavor remains. Boiling down wine concentrates the flavor, including acidity and sweetness. Be careful not to use too much wine as the flavor could overpower your dish.

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. It should simmer with the food or in the sauce while it is being cooked; as the wine cooks, it reduces and becomes an extract which flavors. Wine added too late in the preparation will give a harsh quality to the dish. A wine needs time to impart its flavor in your dish. Wait 10 minutes or more to taste before adding more wine.

Remember that wine does not belong in every dish. More than one wine-based sauce in a single meal can be monotonous. Use wine is cooking only when it has something to contribute to the finished dish.

Sulfites in Wine - All wines contain at least some small amount of sulfites. They are a natural result of the same fermentation process that turns grape juice into alcohol. Even wines that have not had any sulfites added during the winemaking process contain some amount of sulfites. Sulfur dioxide (SO2) is used by winemakers to keep freshly pressed must from spoiling. It keeps down the activities of native yeast and bacteria and preserves the freshness of the wine.

When cooking with wine containing sulfites, you do not concentrate them as you would flavor, but rather they evaporate like alcohol. The sulfite goes through a conversion in the liquid of the wine to produce sulfur dioxide. This is actually the compound that prevents the oxidation. It also is a gas, and when subjected to heat, it dissipates into the air. All that remains is some salts, but they are so minute in quantity that they have no affect on flavor

Answer 6

There are actually wines called "cooking wines" for this purpose. Alternatively, you can buy "Wine Flavors" for use in cooking with absolutely NO alcohol in them whatsoever. They have a very good shelf life too. Search the internet for some.

Answer 7

You should only cook with wine that is good to drink. I like cabernet sauvignon or merlot to cook with. Depends what you are making.

Answer 8

For me the same wine that I drink .The secret in cuisine is that.Not cooking wine, no drinking wine.One for all.That have been working in my family for centuries.

Answer 9

NEVER ABSOLUTELY NEVER COOK WITH A WINE YOU WOULDN'T DRINK.

Answer 10

I usually use Yellowtail merlot when cooking. Mainly because it is cheap to buy and tastes decent lol.