Wine has become the latest source of laughter for women, especially stressed out moms. I know you’ve seen all of the memes about how much we love our wine. For chefs and savvy home cooks, wine means a whole lot more. You may have seen a bottle of wine in some of my videos like, “How to make Crack Cake“. So, today I’ll teach you some differences between cooking wine and drinking (regular) wine.
Example
Cooking wine is usually found in the vinegar section of grocery stores because it contains very little alcohol. It sometimes goes by “Sherry Cooking Wine”. A lot of chefs avoid using this kind of wine because it lacks flavor and can be a bit salty. The salty taste comes from the added salt for preservation. It contains about 1 teaspoon of salt per ounce of wine. If you’re new to cooking with wine, make sure you follow the exact measurements the recipe calls for. Cooking wine is a great base for a sauce or gravy.
Drinking wine is usually a bit more expensive and has various price ranges, honestly, as much as you are willing to splurge. It comes in various flavors, alcohol content, and varieties such as, red, white, sweet and even dry. Drinking wine doesn’t have a long shelf life, especially if it has already been opened (unless it’s from a grape variety that ages well). A great way to store your wine is in a dark room laying flat. The cork should always be moist when you open the bottle.
Typically, the million dollar question is this: “Which wine should I use?” The answer is simple: Always use wine that you would drink. If you don’t like the flavor in a glass, you probably won’t like it on your plate.
Pairing Ideas:
A white wine would pair well with my One Pot Asparagus and a red wine would pair well with Apple Dump Cake.
Cooking with wine is an art form that is learned over time. The more you do it, the more experience you gain. With time, you may be mixing wines and sounding like a French sous chef as you cook. The key is to practice until you’re perfect!
