Need recommendations for wine and cooking sherry

[Michelledawn]

What type of wines/ cooking sherry do you use. I would love something more specific than a dry white wine and or a red sherry. I have had some taste really good and some really bad in what I was making and truthfully I play a type of guessing game.

 

[carnivore]

for white wines, i use whatever Chablis is on sale. I don't use sherry very often except in Asian cooking, in which case it's my experiece that the soy sauce, fish sauce, ginger, garlic, or whatever else usually overpowers the taste of the sherry anyway.

 

[oldcoot]

We use whatever white or red wine on hand - frequently Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. Never had a drop of sherry in the house - in fact, never knowingly tasted the stuff. But I firmly believe in the "rule", if a wine doesn't taste good by itself, it won't taste good in foods.

 

[ironchef]

Dry White Wine

Any drinkable Chardonnay will do. As for sherry...well to be honest I don't really use too much sherry except for sherry vinegar. You could substitute sweet vermouth for sherry though.

 

[Coco]

I use whatever wine we are having with our dinner, and like Ironchef, I use vermouth instead of sherry.

 

[Bangbang]

Use whatever wine you like to drink. Period. I never use sherry. I love Porto myself. However any white or red that you like to drink will work just fine.

 

[Barbara L]

I don't like wine, but I do love chicken marinated in dry or cream sherry. Don't use cooking sherry, as it is loaded with salt.

Barbara

 

[skratty]

chardonnay isn't necessarily the best white wine for cooking as it has a lovely but limited palate. i would use a crisper sauvignon blanc or dry riesling.

red wine, i use whatever we'll be drinking with it. cabernet can be overpowering if you're not drinking it with the finished dish. in that case, i'd use a zin or merlot.

australian/new zealand is a good buy for cooking wines--flavorful, but usually not too pricey.

sherry--use fino for savory dishes, amontillado for desserts. cream sherry is okay.

 

[merstarr]

For white, I use mostly Sauvignon Blanc, occasionally Chardonnay.
For red, I use mostly Pinot Noir, occasionally Merlot.

 

[JRsTXDeb]

For white, I use mostly Sauvignon Blanc, occasionally Chardonnay.
For red, I use mostly Pinot Noir, occasionally Merlot.

I'm so glad you mentioned using Merlot to cook - it's my current favorite wine and I wasn't sure...but used it in a beef stew/dumpling recipe yesterday - it was so good - started out as Rachel Rays recipe, ended up completely mine!!! which is how most recipes end up at my house!

 

[merstarr]

For white, I use mostly Sauvignon Blanc, occasionally Chardonnay.
For red, I use mostly Pinot Noir, occasionally Merlot.

I'm so glad you mentioned using Merlot to cook - it's my current favorite wine and I wasn't sure...but used it in a beef stew/dumpling recipe yesterday - it was so good - started out as Rachel Rays recipe, ended up completely mine!!! which is how most recipes end up at my house!

Sounds great! Makes me wish I ate red meat again! Now I eat mostly vegetarian, with some fish and occasionally chicken. I find Pinot Noir the most versatile - it goes well with everything from pasta to chicken to whatever, plus it's delicious on its own (I like Kendall Jackson). I used to drink Merlot whenever I ate red meat - I loved it with steak!

 

[auntdot]

Agree that one should use a decent wine for cooking. If you can drink it, it is probably OK.

But there are both sweet and dry sherries and both can be used in cooking. But not interchangeably. Sweet sherries, like cream sherries, are very pleasant as an after dinner drink and can be used in a number of recipes. But don't substitute it for dry sherry, that is often used as a before dinner drink, and can give a nice flavor to a number of sauces and dishes, including soups.

When in doubt, take a wee taste (or more) of the wine/sherry you are adding to the pot. If it doesn't seem right, don't add it.