What type of white wine do you recommend for cooking?

[Easton]

I rarely drink so my alcohol knowledge is limited. I was using the cheap cooking white wine until I started realizing the aftertaste as well as the amount salt in it.

I'm also looking to keep it relatively cheap.

Any particular brand you care for?

Thanks for your help.

 

[kitchenelf]

If you don't use it often I highly recommend buying a boxed Chardonnay or Chablis. The boxed stuff will last about 6 - 9 months because no air get to it to oxidize it. Otherwise, a bottle won't last that long. AND, the boxed stuff isn't that bad to drink if you just want a glass. I keep mine near by stove in a cabinet but you could always keep it in the fridge if you want to drink it too:

 

[Andy M.]

Cooking wine is awful stuff. You are better off using no wine at all.

Wherever wine is sold in your state, look for the individual serving white wine bottles. They are sold in four packs and often as loose singles in a discount bin. Sine you are not a drinker, these will minimize waste. You can freeze any leftover from an opened bottle for later use.

For the type of wine, look for sauvignon blanc, pinot gris or pinot grigio. Chardonnay is also a possibility but I recommend you avoid chardonnays aged in oak.

 

[Maverick2272]

What KitchenElf said....

 

[Robo410]

f you aren't drinking it, a dry vermouth is fine for most cooking. otherwise a box white chardonay or sauvignon blanc should be fine.

 

[Poppinfresh]

If you're just cooking with it? Depends on what you are cooking.

More often than not, what I cook with is a real dry riesling. I don't get the cheapest stuff I can find, but a bottle that runs 10-12 dollars is usually great for cooking purposes. Get yourself a vacuum stopper and some fridge space and it'll last as long as you need it to.

But if I'm making a dessert or something sweet, I do pull out the nice wines. Recently, for example, I pulled a bottle of '64 Couteaux (real sweet wine) for a dish I was making. Made all the difference in the world, though using a 200 dollar bottle of wine for a dessert is admittedly a bit of overkill.

 

[kitchenelf]

For some reason I've never cooked with a Sauvignon Blanc - I was always afraid the grass or "ammonia" would be the flavors left

 

[Chicks]

I have found for a picatta sauce or any light sauce pinot grigio works wonderfully. If you aren't going to use the wine in a couple of weeks freeze it in 1 or 1/2 C serving for use in recipes.
Cin

 

[suziquzie]

I keep mine near by stove in a cabinet but you could always keep it in the fridge if you want to drink it too:

She does not she keeps it on the dining room table and just ducks under, gives the little button a push when she needs a mouthful!!!!

 

[kitchenelf]

She does not she keeps it on the dining room table and just ducks under, gives the little button a push when she needs a mouthful!!!!

You got a problem with that?

 

[suziquzie]

Not at all!
It's nice not to be alone in the world.....

 

[Easton]

Thanks for your responses.

I use it probably every other week or so, usually for linguine and clams or chicken picatta.

 

[ChefJune]

I started using dry white vermouth (Noilly Prat is head and shoulders better than the other brands) years ago when it was suggested by Julia Child.

Because it's a fortified wine, it keeps almost indefinitely in the fridge after opening, and it has 13 (or so) herbs infused in it, so it's going to add real pop for your effort.

BTW, it's not bad to sip on the rocks, very cold.

 

[lulu]

I started using dry white vermouth (Noilly Prat is head and shoulders better than the other brands) years ago when it was suggested by Julia Child.

Because it's a fortified wine, it keeps almost indefinitely in the fridge after opening, and it has 13 (or so) herbs infused in it, so it's going to add real pop for your effort.

BTW, it's not bad to sip on the rocks, very cold.

This is excellent advice. my sister a wonderful cook, always does this.

I use different wines deending on what the dish is (most usually what I would serve it with, but not always).

A few years ago I was preparing moules for DH and I when I realised the only white we had was a cheap fizzy white from Italy. very sweet and not to my drinking taste at all. But, with the mussels it was fantastic, added a ne note to the mussels that you don't get with a lovely dry white. I almost always cook mussels with a sweeter white ine now, usually the cheapest german or italian i can find, because in a strange way this does seem to work better. (But I still drink a wine more to my palate with it, lol)

 

[jet]

I normally go with an inexpensive (< $10) bottle of dry white wine and freeze it in ice cubes trays. Two of my cubes are about 1/4 cup and I store them in miniature zipper bags.

 

[lulu]

I normally go with an inexpensive (< $10) bottle of dry white wine and freeze it in ice cubes trays. Two of my cubes are about 1/4 cup and I store them in miniature zipper bags.

Wow, another great Idea that I did when I had more freezer space. I freeze mine in bags though rather than cubes. I tend to over booze my cooking I guess, but I just tip anyhing left into a freezer bag and jam it into awkward freezer spaces.

 

[Cooper'sMom]

I mostly use dry sherry for my Asian recipes.

 

[quicksilver]

I like a smooth, on the sweet side chenin blanc for my cooking with white. it never overpowers the dish, but
"curbs" it, where you can taste everything else.
I usually look for what might be on sale. Buy it, then plan the meal, instead of vise versa.

 

[Bigjim68]

I believe that you should at least taste the wine you intend to use prior to committing it to the pot, even if you don't drink wine. There are thousands of different Pino's, Chards, etc, each one different. Speaking in generalities with wine just does not work. With limited knowledge, I would find a wine vendor who is also a cook, many of them are, and seek advice, but still taste. The little bottles make sense if they fit the dish, so to do the boxes, although I find most of them too sweet, and they come in large size. The vermouth is a good idea as is sherry, at they last longer. Lately I have been using sherry (not creme) with cream sauces. To me, they really add a depth of flavor. Good cooking wines need not cost over 10 or so bucks a bottle. Never, never, even consider those labelled cooking wines. They are salted so as to make them undrinkable, and were bad wines to begin with.