Cooking with wine

[Mollysad]

I have just started cooking with wines and wanted to know how long leftover wine is still fresh enough to cook with; in other words how long after opening does it last???

 

[mudbug]

How much can you drink? (smile) I cook with wine a lot, and sometimes I even put it in the food.

Seriously, all you want is the flavor. Opened wine shouldn't need to be be absolutely fresh for cooking, but could go flat and vinegary after too much air exposure. Re-cork between uses, and use it up within a week.

 

[Mollysad]

Thanks Mudbug. Maybe I should buy the small single serve bottles since we rarely drink wine.

 

[mudbug]

Thanks Mudbug. Maybe I should buy the small single serve bottles since we rarely drink wine.

Good idea. Or have people over who do drink it and buy a regular size bottle (750 ml).

 

[GB]

You can also freeze what you do not use.

I buy the box of wines (like Franzia) for cooking. They are not the best wines in the world, but I find them perfect for cooking. Since they are vacuum packed you can keep them in the pantry even after you open them indefinitely.

 

[kyles]

Snap GB, I was going to suggest freezing, you can freeze it in ice cube trays, which is great if you want to make dishes with small amounts of wine as well as larger amounts.

 

[masteraznchefjr]

i never knew about this about wines except that wine could become vinegarry or seomthing like that but i just still left a bottle of white wine - i just finish using it all up. the wine was like 1 year old since my sister bought it last year and opened it last year

 

[Bangbang]

Wine is great for gravies.

 

[ironchef]

taste it before you add it to the food. if it tastes like crap, then don't cook with it

 

[Claire]

Another solution is fortified wines, which have a much longer shelf life. In most recipes, you can substitute dry vermouth for white wine with great effect. Other fortified wines are sherry, port, sweet vermouth, and madeira. They all last, once opened, for far, far longer than regular wine (higher alcohol content), and in reality are easier to use, especially for beginners in the alcohol cooking realm). They have a mellower, less 'sour' flavor. Use sherry, port, sweet vermouth, and madeira in red wine recipes. They will be sweeter than the red wine, but most people will like that change. Dry vermouth is (to me) an improvement in almost any white wine recipe. In my house, an opened bottle of wine never goes to waste -- into the cook, the husband, or the guests in the blink of an eye. But if it is a problem in yours, go for the fortified wines. Be careful if you have a gas stove, because they are a little more flamable than regular wines. Until you are experienced, take the pan off the flame when pouring the alcohol.

 

[Mollysad]

What a wealth of information. Thanks so much!!!!!!!










Under democracy one party always devotes its chief energies to trying to prove that the other party is unfit to rule - and both commonly succeed, and are right. H.L. Mancken[/quote]

 

[kyles]

Claire's right about the fortified wine, I have dry vermouth in the cupboard, it's great with fish, and tastes fairly revolting so I'm not tempted to drink it. Madeira is not good for cooking, it evaporates in the bottle............no only joking, it's just that I bought a bottle of it on Decmeber 24th last year and by the end of December 25th it was all gone!!!

 

[VegasDramaQueen]

I wouldn't recommend freezing wine. I mentioned that to a vintner here in Michigan who owns a well respected winery and he just about fainted. It will ruin the taste and affect what you're cooking. I keep wine corked for about 2 weeks maximum in my fridge, but we usually wind up drinking it. The fortified wines will last much longer. I usually buy a cheaper wine for cooking like Glen Ellen, or a local wine for about 4 or 5 dollars a bottle. Whatever you do stay away from the so called "cooking wines" sold in grocery stores. That stuff is garbage and loaded with sodium.

 

[Audeo]

Any leftover wine usually gets turned into jelly in my house. Has become another one of those expected gifts at Christmastime.

 

[GB]

Any leftover wine usually gets turned into jelly in my house. Has become another one of those expected gifts at Christmastime.

That sounds interesting!!! Care to share the recipe?

 

[norgeskog]

I always keep a bottle of dry (white) vermouth in the fridge. Would not drink the stuff but it is the most marvelous wine for cooking (learned this from Julia Child). Why waste the stuff you drink in the food when you really cannot tell the difference?? A suggestion left over wine (something is wrong with this as I cannot comprehend left over wine) is use it in jello. You may have to play with the amounts or add a little extra unflavored gelatin for it to set. I did this once long ago for a party, i.e. white wine in an orange jello with a mandarin orange in the middle, cherry jello with a cherry, etc.... the possibilities are endless. And while you are experimenting to find the best combination, always can consume the rejects.

DUCKS LOST and dropped off National AP rating but still #4 in PAC10

 

[ironchef]

anytime you substitue something like sherry or vermouth into a recipe that calls for wine, you will dramtically change the flavor context. only use those if the recipe calls for it, or you are trying to intentionally change the flavor.

 

[norgeskog]

anytime you substitue something like sherry or vermouth into a recipe that calls for wine, you will dramtically change the flavor context. only use those if the recipe calls for it, or you are trying to intentionally change the flavor.

Sometimes I find the flavor of red wine is sometimes too intense for chicken, veal or pork, so I started using the dry vermouth (do not drink or cook with sherry) especially when I am using fresh herbs. I like to taste it all. Then dicided I liked it better. The flavor is more delicate. With beef I use a red wine sometimes depending on my pallet. Thanks for your comment.

DUCKS GOT PLUCKED BY THE SOONERS

 

[mudbug]

anytime you substitue something like sherry or vermouth into a recipe that calls for wine, you will dramtically change the flavor context. only use those if the recipe calls for it, or you are trying to intentionally change the flavor.

Sometimes I find the flavor of red wine is sometimes too intense for chicken, veal or pork, so I started using the dry vermouth (do not drink or cook with sherry) especially when I am using fresh herbs. I like to taste it all. Then dicided I liked it better. The flavor is more delicate. With beef I use a red wine sometimes depending on my pallet. Thanks for your comment.

DUCKS GOT PLUCKED BY THE SOONERS

you might try a lighter wine, such as a rose. Save the heavy reds for beef.

 

[VegasDramaQueen]

I agree with IRONCHEF. Substituting fortified wines for red or white wine will absolutley change the taste and not always for the better. If a recipe calls for dry wine, you will not get the same taste if you use sherry, vermouth, or port. Fortified wines have their place in cooking recipes and to substitute regular wines for the fortified wines is just a s risky.
Chicken Marsala falls far short of the great flavor if you use just plain red wine for instance.