Substitution for dry sherry

[Andy M.]

Fortified wines can differ greatly from one another. As Jen said, one isn't a flavor sub for the other simply because they are both fortified. They all will last a very long time because they are fortified.

The three most common are dry sherry, dry vermouth and marsala (both dry and sweet). Each has a distinctive flavor.

Sherry is useful as a sub for Chinese rice wine. It's great in mushroom dishes.

Vermouth can be used anytime a recipe calls for a dry white wine. If you have a bottle of wine you want to use, great. If you don't drink wine or don't want to open a bottle just to cook a dish, you can use vermouth.

Marsala has a distinctive taste. Typically, dry marsala is used in savory dishes and sweet marsala is used in dessert dishes. Not a hard and fast rule. Some folks use sweet marsala in savory dishes.

The point is, you can buy and store these wines and have them on hand for the occasional use without fear they will become vinegar. I have one of each in the kitchen. Can't tell you how long they've been there.

[Zhizara]

Originally Posted by jennyema

Vermouth and sherry don't taste like each other, so vermouth isn't a flavor sub.

Why not track down some sherry? It lasts nearly forever.

My transportation is limited to van rides provided by the housing management. I do get to go to a very small liquor store once a month. I can get sherry there, but only one brand.

There are two types of sherry, cream and dry? One tastes good, the other one tastes awful. I think the tasty one is the cream.

It doesn't last long as I like to drink sherry as well as cook with it. I often forget to pick some up unless I have a specific dish I want to use it in.

I'll just have to plan a dish and put sherry on the list.

I was just hoping there was a similar type of flavor that would be available to substitute.

[jennyema]

Originally Posted by Zhizara

My transportation is limited to van rides provided by the housing management. I do get to go to a very small liquor store once a month. I can get sherry there, but only one brand.

There are two types of sherry, cream and dry? One tastes good, the other one tastes awful. I think the tasty one is the cream.

It doesn't last long as I like to drink sherry as well as cook with it. I often forget to pick some up unless I have a specific dish I want to use it in.

I'll just have to plan a dish and put sherry on the list.

I was just hoping there was a similar type of flavor that would be available to substitute.

Don't cook with cream sherry except in desserts. Sherry has a very distictive taste for which nothing is a good substitute.

There are lots of different types of sherries. I generally cook with a manzanilla or unsweetened amontillado.


Styles

• Fino ('fine' in Spanish) is the driest and palest of the traditional varieties of sherry. The wine is aged in barrels under a cap of flor yeast to prevent contact with the air.
• Manzanilla is an especially light variety of fino Sherry made around the port of Sanlúcar de Barrameda.
• Manzanilla Pasada is a Manzanilla that has undergone extended aging or has been partially oxidised, giving a richer, nuttier flavour.
• Amontillado is a variety of Sherry that is first aged under flor but which is then exposed to oxygen, producing a sherry that is darker than a fino but lighter than an oloroso. Naturally dry, they are sometimes sold lightly to medium sweetened.
• Oloroso ('scented' in Spanish) is a variety of Sherry aged oxidatively for a longer time than a fino or amontillado, producing a darker and richer wine. With alcohol levels between 18 and 20%, olorosos are the most alcoholic sherries in the bottle.[11] Again naturally dry, they are often also sold in sweetened versions (Amoroso).
• Palo Cortado is a variety of Sherry that is initially aged like an amontillado, typically for three or four years, but which subsequently develops a character closer to an oloroso. This either happens by accident when the flor dies, or commonly the flor is killed by fortification or filtration.
• Jerez Dulce (Sweet Sherries) are made either by fermenting dried Pedro Ximénez (PX) or Moscatel grapes, which produces an intensely sweet dark brown or black wine, or by blending sweeter wines or grape must with a drier variety. Cream Sherry is a common type of sweet sherry made by blending different wines, such as oloroso sweetened with PX.

[ChefJune]

Originally Posted by Zhizara

My transportation is limited to van rides provided by the housing management. I do get to go to a very small liquor store once a month. I can get sherry there, but only one brand.

There are two types of sherry, cream and dry? One tastes good, the other one tastes awful. I think the tasty one is the cream.

Don't be fooled. If you cook a savory dish with the cream sherry, you will be VERY disappointed. It will be awful, regardless if it's what you like to drink. You need the dry sherry for cooking.

[Zhizara]

Thanks, June. I wasn't sure before.