This is going to sound silly but I live in the wine mecca of CA , sonoma/ napa area and I really do not know much about the different types of wine. I would like to find a multi-use white wine or a red wine too. One that I can cook with and one that's decent enough to have a glass. I have tried this quite a few times and haven't been successful . We do not like strong wines and usually sip some dessert wine . Last week I picked out a recipe that called for white wine so I picked some out from Trader Joe's - a white that was a mix of Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling. I could only handle 2 or 3 sips of it so it will be used just for cooking now. I read in a cooking magazine that you shouldn't cook with a wine that you yourself would not drink... so that's been my mission. Trying to find a wine to cook with that we can enjoy sipping as well. Can anybody recommend a good multi purpose wine that's not too expensive? Thanks !
It really depends on what you plan on cooking. For some dishes, a dry wine is appropriate; for others, a more fruity flavor may work. My wife experiments with red wines when making spaghetti sauce, for example. When she sets fire to our annual Christmas pudding (something of a family tradition), warm brandy works best. I've heard it said that you should use wines for cooking that you'd be prepared to drink, rather than a 'cooking wine', per se. Not very specific, I'm afraid.
Thanks for replying Steve ! I guess I should google dry wine vs. fruity. I do not know the difference between the two . I am clueless !
I prefer to cook with a merlot but I usually only like to drink sweet blackberry wine (I prefer Manischewitz). I could cook with it, I suppose, but most of the recipes I use wine in would not be as good with the fruity sweetness as with the drier wine. I've always wanted to try marsala and have seen a ton of recipes for it. It is hard to find in my area, though.
Brooke - Maybe I will try cooking with a merlot next time - any suggestions on a specific one? What do you typically use it in ? ( slow cooker recipes? ) I can see if our stores here on the west coast carry it. Actress dancer - what kinds of things do you use Guiness for?
Sutter Home, Beringer and Robert Mondavi have a good Merlot at a moderate price. Not cheap, but not overly expensive. I also like that they sell it in small bottle 4 packs (around here they run about $6-7 for a 4 pack). That way I'm not opening a huge bottle of wine to use for cooking and it goes bad because we don't drink it and it sits in the fridge. I would drink all three of them, also....very good. They also have a good variety of wines....zinfandels, pinots, etc....so you can decide what you need. I tend to cook with a merlot or a cabernet when I'm making beef dishes, but a white when I'm cooking with fish or chicken. ETA: My new favorite red is a Shiraz.
Well wine makes taste in many recipes. This is my favorite recipe using wine. Preheat oven to 350 degrees farenheight. Brown chicken breasts in 4 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet. Remove the chicken and lay out flat in a casserole dish. In the reamining butter, mix the soup, diced bell pepper, water chestnuts, mushrooms and thyme. Add the wine or the juice (whichever your preference is). Simmer for 5 minutes. Pour this mixture over the chicken. Bake, covered at 350 degrees for twenty-five to thirty minutes. Uncover and bake an additional ten minutes. Serve over hot prepared white rice with warm rolls. To stretch this recipe for a crowd, use cubed chicken instead of chicken breasts.
