Cooking with wine and learning to cook

[kupo15]

Hi,
I'm new to the site and fairly new to cooking, about 6 months in. Graduate school has forced me to start cooking for myself (even though I've had experience cooking some things with my Mom). I would call myself a rather good cook following recipes and such. I already know how to make:
-Chicken Marsala
-Homemade pasta sauce and crab gravy
-Shrimp Scampi
-California Chicken
-Beef Burgundy
-Chicken parm
-Beef stew
-Honey BBQ chicken
-Pasta Asian stir-fry (doesn't count since I buy the prepackaged stir-fry and mix in with pasta and oil)

(geez, that can't be all I know how to make!)

and they turn out to be really good.

However, I would like to be able to learn how to make my own dishes or rather "understand" how to cook instead of just following a recipe.

Is there some sort of 101 guide to cooking that anyone knows of that can help me learn the basics of cooking? Kinda like the key, basic recipes that are good to learn how certain ingredients flavor meat? Sorta like a group of dishes that use a common ingredient so I know that x ingredient will flavor it this way. (ie if you use thyme with several dishes you will understand the thyme taste quite well)

Even though I know how to make several quality dishes, I never really experiment with different spices or veges. The primary spices I've ever used are:

-garlic
-salt/pepper (although I never actually taste the pepper)
-Thyme
-Nutmeg (only for making spaetzels)
-Bay leaf (not sure what this adds to the dishes)
-Parsley (once again, not sure what this adds to the dishes)
-Paprika (???)
-Bullion cubes
-Lemon
-Butter

And the only veges are:

-mushrooms
-onions (don't know the differences between onions)
-Tomato sauce

I've never made anything with cucumber or tomato for example. A prime example of my cluelessness is when I make California Chicken. It calls for paprika. I use it but have absolutely no idea what kind of flavor it brings and thus how much to use.

Now onto the wine question:
What is the difference between the types of red and white wine? When I'm asked to use white wine, I don't know whether to use Chablis, Marsala or Riesling (that's what I currently have) and for red wine, I only have Burgundy.

Thanks!

 

[chopper]

Welcome. I am new here too, but I bet if you stick around here long enough you will learn tons! I have cooked and baked for years, but every day when I check this forum I learn something new. I am sure some of these folks will help you soon!

 

[Midnight_Merlot]

I know that my user name idicates wine (Merlot), &, I admit that I am "familiar" w/wine(heck - I'm even enjoying a nice Shiraz right now )...but, I rarely cook w/the stuff. Usually though, if I do, its going to be a red w/beef though. (NOT the "sweet" stuff either -dessert wines are AWFUL for cooking "main dishes" with)..stick to your burgundy is best when needing a nice, easy red to use (heavier reds like Merlot or Shiraz are nice to pop in there now & again though because they DO add a nice, big "wow" of flavor just in case you are wondering thou...just not AS "substantial" as one might think-IMO)...white wine...I really am not so sure of though. The only kind that I will "touch" is a Reisling, which, works perfectly paired w/chicken or fish recipes. The whites can get to an appalling sense of drys, whereas the reds can go silly w/the sweets. GAH!!

Getting past the wine part of your question, -again, this is ALL my OWN opinion...its always fine to experiment w/different seasonings & ingridients...that's in essence, how wonderful recipes are "born"...My BIGGEST issue to point out though, is, NEVER compromise an ENTIRE recipe when trying something "new"..!!! ALWAYS take a small portion aside, add what you decide, then "test" the results. If it tastes like "yuck", scrap the tiny portion, &, you never need to sacrfice the entire yield due to a bad idea. Flip-side...if it tastes like heaven in a pot,...well, since you are on to something, I think that it would be safe to go full-steam-ahead w/the new spices....sounds like a delicious pot of "yummmm" to me!!
What this all boils down to as "fun" in the kitchen, is that somewhere along the way, you WILL find an amazing recipe that suits you just fine, & leaves happy faces on the folks that eat your food.
The journey can be quite bumpy along the way, but,...one day, recipes/combos will become 2nd nature to you through your trials & tribulations, &, when that happens, the angels above hail down from above, & pray for a seat at your pot-luck dinner one night!!

 

[Hoot]

Welcome to D.C.
There are a number of resources available to anyone who wishes to learn cooking.
It can take the form of a cooking class, cookbooks, cooking with friends with an aim to learning and of course there is the 'Net.
I, personally, would recommend experience as the best teacher, with a fair amount of reading included.
And you will find that there are more than a few folks here at D.C. that will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have. (in fact, I have never ran across an instance where no one here could offer advice, or answers).
D.C. is a wonderful resource. I am sure there are other suggestions.
Now....
Paprika is dried and ground peppers. It can be sweet as with bell peppers or spicy as with chilies, it can have a smoky quality if the peppers are smoked. I prefer the spicy variety and the smoked paprika as they bring so much more flavor to the table.

 

[Hoot]

Now onto the wine question:
What is the difference between the types of red and white wine? When I'm asked to use white wine, I don't know whether to use Chablis, Marsala or Riesling (that's what I currently have) and for red wine, I only have Burgundy.

Thanks!

The main difference between red and white wine is that red wine gets it's color from letting the grape hulls reside in the "must" for a period of time. Doing so, brings color, flavors, acidity and other characteristics that would otherwise be absent.
The only advice I can offer is that you, likely, shouldn't cook with a wine that you don't like to drink.

 

[ChefBLucas]

I'm new here as well. I've been cooking professionally for 14 years though. I remember back when I first started. It was all really confusing. Tons of different terms that I had no idea what they ment.
I started simple with things that I was familular with at home, but at work I was thrown into cooking things that I had never seen or tasted, let alone cooked.
I decided to go to culinary school shortly after starting my career. This is not necessary at all!! Only if you think you want to make a career out of it and not even then do you have to but it helps.
Anyway...wines are great for cooking. I use alot of different ones but I stick to the basic few. Chardonay, Burgandy, Cabrinet Survonion, Pinot Noir ect. I find that it best ot taste the wines that you cook with before using them. As the old saying goes if you won't drink it don't cook with it.
Herbs and spices are the same way. Taste a tiny bit of it first to give yourself an idea of what your working with. Note: Some spices don't taste very good by themselves or uncooked. Thats why you taste small amounts first.
Nothing beats plain old salt and pepper! Stick with that everything needs it.
It seems like you have got a good start on things because some of those dishes you are talking about are some of the hardest to perfect. Perfecting the classic dishes is the key to being able to come up with stuff all on your own.
The internet is great for feed back if you have a thought or an idea of something you'd like to cook. I still to this day google my ideas to see who has done something simular. If you think of it chances are someone else has too. I use thier recipe/idea to build my own.
Eventually the whole thing will make since. You'll not what goes with what. What wines compliment certain dishes blah blah blah. Then you are unstoppable.
My kitchen is my favorite play ground. I wish the same where true for everyone. Never be afraid to think outside the box and broaden your horizons. Your pallet is your friend and will never lie to you. It may trick you but not lie to you.
A chef I worked for told me once when I was first starting that if it seems like it's getting easy and you're getting bored, that means you're getting good at it. Time to teach someone what you do so you can move on.
I love to teach and share what I've learned over the years. Feel free to ask me anything about food. If I don't know the answere I'll find it for you.
KEEP IT UP!!!

 

[sparrowgrass]

You sound like you are well on your way--I'd come for dinner any night.

A small amount of wine in a dish--say a quarter cup for 4 servings--adds a lot of flavor. Alcohol releases flavor that plain water or stock doesn't. Generally, as Midnight Merlot says, use red for beef and white for chicken and fish.

And don't limit yourself to wine--bourbon chicken is super, and white vermouth adds a bit of 'herby' flavor.

Paprika--if you are buying good quality fresh paprika (I buy from Penzeys) it will add flavor and color. If you are getting old stale stuff from the grocery store, all you are getting is color and maybe some bitterness.

Sharpen your knife and start chopping those veggies for stir fry--fresh is almost always better than prechopped and bagged, or frozen!

Take a Saturday and learn how to make stock. It also adds tons of flavor.

Hang around here, browse recipes and ask questions. I also visit eGullet.com--they have an online 'culinary institute' and you can find detailed instructions on topics like making stock, bread, using spices, even making sushi!!

 

[Josie1945]

I love to cook with wine but I don't since Hubby is diabetic.

Welcome to DC.

Josie

 

[Claire]

Welcome kupo! Paprika: It's already been said, don't buy the off the shelf in the jar stuff, it has almost no flavor. Once my sister mentioned that it was only for decorative color (how our mother used it). I took her to the cabinet and had her taste my paprika. Oh, dearie me. What a revelation. If you do buy grocery store, look for a square metal can that is usually red in color. The brand on my shelf is Szeged, and as already stated, comes in hot, smoked or sweet.

I used whatever wine I'm drinking to cook with, assuming I'm not drinking expensive wine (and I rarely do). If I'm drinking expensive wine, I find a less expensive wine of the same type, but still something I'd drink.

I like fortified wines for cooking, they are easier. For white I use dry vermouth, for red it depends if I want it to have a sweet edge. But still use the driest of the wines. For example, a dry sherry goes great in cream sauces.

 

[Hamden]

Hi Kupo,

I'm new to this site also, but not new to cooking. It seems to me that you are asking 2 questions -- one about learning how to cook, the other about wine in particular.

Let me address the first question first.

I'm not sure whether I read this on this forum or somewhere else, but it was very insightful. Someone wrote that in cooking, there is no reason to re-invent the wheel. Humans have been cooking for about a hundred thousand years, sampling what is good in nature, how to cook it, and so on. And in the last 1000 years, many cultures have raised this to an art -- to make things that are not just good, but delicious.

The best way to learn how to cook, and not just recipes, but anything, is to learn the techniques of the various traditions of cooking. Almost all great cooking cultures have techniques in common, but also their own special techniques. It's sort of like learning a vocabulary and grammar in order to write your own speeches (being a cook), rather than memorizing speeches (knowing recipes).

I feels very fortunate to have been exposed to some amazing traditions. My grandmother was an African American farm woman in the south who I spent my summers with (I'm from the city), and she made quick bread twice a day, along with an amazing variety of extremely traditional foods that you probably wouldn't think of as soul food (more like chef Edna Lewis). My first wife was West Indian and her mother was a domestic worker and cook and cooked traditional Caribbean food, and my current is Puerto Rican and her mother owned a restaurant. I've closely observed all these great cooks and also read a lot. I also at one point was very close to a south Asian couple who taught me "curries" and other Indian techniques.

So the thing is to learn the big picture techniques, not recipes. For example, French, traditional African American and US southern, and New Orleans Cajun and Creole dishes rely on very similar techniques. These include stocks and rues and sauces (or in the upper south, gravy). Learn how to make great stock and a rue and then only your imagination is a limit, not the recipes you know.

Italian and Spanish and Latin American foods rely on "sofrito," a flavorful mixture of pounded or pureed onions, garlic, green peppers and if Latin cilantro and other spices. Cajun/Creoles have something similar of onions, garlic, celery, carrots. This paste is sauteed before other ingredients.

West Indian and South Asians use curries and masalas. For example, many people think that curry is one spice. It's actually a very modern word that describes many Indian spice mixes. But you don't have to learn a gazillion mixes, because the basic mix is corriander, cumin, and tumeric, and then many varieties involving cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, chili powder, and cordamon.

Various cultures have learned over hundreds of years what goes really well together. In the south, it's salt, pepper, sage and thyme. In India, it's corriander, cumin and tumeric. And so on. It's really difficult to improve on that collective human knowledge.

The easiest and most universal I think for American/European cooking is the stock/rue/gravy process. It's fun and once you learn that technique you immediately realize that you have elevated the taste of your food to an entirely new level. There is no comparison, eg, between a basic roast chicken, and a basic roast chicken with a light gravy made from a good stock, pan drippings and rue. Try it. You'll be amazed.

Hope this helps!

 

[kupo15]

Oh wow. So much information! Thanks so much!

So I guess I better ditch my Shop Rite brand Paprika then! lol

Looking back on things, I think my main concern that got me overwhelmed was just not knowing a lot of dishes to make. I was browsing this site and links came across some good recipes. I think my plan for the moment is to start making a bunch of well known recipes and learn through that. I came up with a nice plan for the week and in doing so, had to buy things I've never bought before like green onion, capers, shallots, peppers, cucumber, heavy cream. I also bought lard, but should I really use it? I hear its terrible for you but tastes so good!

Saturday: Olive Garden's Chicken Crostini w/ linguini
Sunday: Hibachi Steak and Fried rice
Monday: Chicken a La King
Tuesday: Chicken Cacciatore
Wednesday: Beef bourbon over rice
Thursday: Pollo Tesoro

I was soo excited when Saturday's dinner turned out extremely well!! As you can see, I have mostly chicken dishes because that is the easiest things I can find. Does anyone have any suggestions of good beef dishes I can try? I have 4 lbs of round beef roast in my freezer that I would like to use haha. I also bought pork tenderloin and don't know what dish to make with that either!

For the wines, I definitely need to buy another good red wine and I don't think I'll use much sherry. I didn't really like the taste of it. The Riesling was delicious though I'll give the Vermouth a try as well!

I'll definitely look into the Egullet.com

Yes, I really need to learn how to make stock cause currently I just use chicken broth instead. Can I make stock and freeze it for a while? I assume that I would be able to.

What is the difference between olive oil, virgin olive oil, vege oil, canola oil and when would you use one over the other?

Also, sea salt or normal salt? Difference? I have both.

I also have a 365 chicken recipe book that I think I should just go through and make just about everyone! I plan on taking all the good recipes that I make from anywhere and make my own recipe book to document things that I love! This is going to be really exciting! I feel like it takes forever to get to dinner and that there isn't enough time to cook everything!!

Thanks so much, guys!

 

[Kevin Rayoni]

i guess i can really sum it all up by saying that it all comes down to trial and error. practice, practice, practice. taste an ingredient before you cook it. smell is a key factor in taste as well; that goes for wine as well. don't expect to figure it all our overnight and keep mental notes of everything and build off of that. good luck!

 

[Zereh]

My only practical suggestion would be to try and do less cooking. haha What I mean is there is no need to go through seven huge dinner productions each week (unless, of course, you have unlimited energy, time and money) but instead try to cook "big" a couple times a week and cook smart the other nights. =P

e.g. Figure out how to roast a perfect chicken! There's one great meal when you add some veggies to the roasting pan and have a salad on the side.

Remove the uneaten meat from the bones. Use the carcass to make stock in your crock pot (foolproof and delicious). Figure out what combination of vegetables you like best in your stock via trial and error.

Next night have quesadillas or chicken fried rice or BBQ chicken pizza. Making something like that lets you work on perfecting your rice- or dough-making skills.

Night after that use the stock and whatever chicken you have left to make some fantastic tortilla soup or chicken & biscuits. You could make homemade egg noodles to go with your soup.

It's just an idea to think about; but that is really how I try to cook. It's learning to buy a little carton of whipping cream automatically when I buy buttermilk so I can make some creme fraiche. Which means I need to buy sweet potatoes and regular potatoes to make our favorite kind of mashed 'taters using the creme fraiche. Mashed potatoes are the perfect excuse to make ... LOL see!

Best of luck on your cooking adventures. =)

 

[msmofet]

I love to cook with wine but I don't since Hubby is diabetic.

Welcome to DC.

Josie

I'm diabetic and cook with wine ALL the time. My A1C and other numbers are fantastic.

Oh wow. So much information! Thanks so much!

So I guess I better ditch my Shop Rite brand Paprika then! lol

Looking back on things, I think my main concern that got me overwhelmed was just not knowing a lot of dishes to make. I was browsing this site and links came across some good recipes. I think my plan for the moment is to start making a bunch of well known recipes and learn through that. I came up with a nice plan for the week and in doing so, had to buy things I've never bought before like green onion, capers, shallots, peppers, cucumber, heavy cream. I also bought lard, but should I really use it? I hear its terrible for you but tastes so good!

Saturday: Olive Garden's Chicken Crostini w/ linguini
Sunday: Hibachi Steak and Fried rice
Monday: Chicken a La King
Tuesday: Chicken Cacciatore
Wednesday: Beef bourbon over rice
Thursday: Pollo Tesoro

I was soo excited when Saturday's dinner turned out extremely well!! As you can see, I have mostly chicken dishes because that is the easiest things I can find. Does anyone have any suggestions of good beef dishes I can try? I have 4 lbs of round beef roast in my freezer that I would like to use haha. I also bought pork tenderloin and don't know what dish to make with that either!

For the wines, I definitely need to buy another good red wine and I don't think I'll use much sherry. I didn't really like the taste of it. The Riesling was delicious though I'll give the Vermouth a try as well!

I'll definitely look into the Egullet.com

Yes, I really need to learn how to make stock cause currently I just use chicken broth instead. Can I make stock and freeze it for a while? I assume that I would be able to.

What is the difference between olive oil, virgin olive oil, vege oil, canola oil and when would you use one over the other?

Also, sea salt or normal salt? Difference? I have both.

I also have a 365 chicken recipe book that I think I should just go through and make just about everyone! I plan on taking all the good recipes that I make from anywhere and make my own recipe book to document things that I love! This is going to be really exciting! I feel like it takes forever to get to dinner and that there isn't enough time to cook everything!!

Thanks so much, guys!

Welcome!! I also shop at Shop-Rite. Are you in the NJ/NYC area?

 

[kupo15]

Grew up in S jersey, undergrad in N jersey, grad in CT. haha didn't realize Shop Rite wasn't a universal place. silly me