We all know that drinking a glass of Wine are good for our heart, But did you know you can cook with Wines as well as drinking them? There is nothing as fancy as opening a bottle of wine while you are whipping up a meal, pouring some into a glass and adding a splash to your dish while its simmering on the stove. When you cook with Wines it’s not as simple as you think. Cooking with wine is one of the most misunderstood techniques in the kitchen and here’s a quick guide to cooking with wine to help you get started.
What Happens When You Cook With Wine?
When you add wine while a dish is cooking, some or all the alcohol evaporates as it simmers and what you are left with is the concentrated flavors of the wine. This makes it important to understand what wine to pair with which foods. White wine pairs well with delicate foods like fish and seafood, or even some vegetables and brings out their flavors; while red wine pairs well with red meats or more robust meats like pork.
“If you do not have a good wine to use, it is far better to omit it, for a poor one can spoil a simple dish and utterly debase a noble one.”
It’s important to understand the basic flavor profile of the wine you are using before adding them. For example, the sugars in a sweet wine will be far more concentrated as the wine cooks down. Similarly, the tannins and acids in a red wine will add those flavors as you cook it. Become a member of the #1 winning Team and get a Free Case of Your Fine Wines Delivered each month with your membership.
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What should you know before you Cook with Wines
Which wine to pick while cooking? Don’t cook with wine that you wouldn’t normally drink. That is because the wine that you cook with will impart its own flavors to the dish and add to it as you cook with it. This does not mean that you need to pick only the most expensive wines to cook with. All you need is a good quality wine from wine makers of generations down, who handpick grapes from vineyards in Nappa Somonia Valley. They never rush their Grapes, Nor add any preservatives, Just Grapes when ready to produce some fantastic awesome Fine Wines. Then ship to your table. Now you can enjoy the finest Wines by becoming a Member and have your Free, Yes, FREE CASE. Delivered straight to your home. Click link >>> Membership <<<
Components of wine:
Consider the components of a wine because those will become more pronounced with cooking. Wine contains sugars, tannins and acids, and each wine has a different composition of these elements. Reduce other components, such as lemon juice, vinegar while adding wine so that you don’t overdo the acidity and throw the flavors off balance. While using vegetables such as onions, carrots or leeks which are high in sugars. Stay away from sweeter wines and use full bodied less dry wines.
Red or White Wines
Cook with wines that you would normally pair with the foods that you are cooking. Pairing wine is mostly simple. Generally, white wine is paired with light colored meats such as fish, chicken, whereas reds are paired with dark colored meats such as beef. Pork can be paired with white or red depending on the preparation. Here are some other pairing examples:
White wine: melon, Citrus (orange, lemon), Olives, Mushrooms, Asparagus etc.
Red wine: Peaches, Pears, Plums, Cherries, Chocolate, Berries etc.
Ways To Cook With Wine
Wine can be really versatile to cook with. And you can just do much more than adding a splash to the pan while cooking. Here are five different ways in which you can cook with wine.
Use it as a marinade
The acids in wine make it a fantastic marinade to work with. Use in place of vinegar or lemon juice to tenderize meats and add flavor to them
Use it to baste food
Baste foods with wine to add more moisture and flavor while grilling or baking them. Basting with wine during a barbecue can add an addition layer of flavor to the grilled dishes
Deglazing
This is a great technique where you can deglaze a pan that you’ve already cooked in with wine. Any burnt bits and juices at the bottom of the pan are loosened, the wine is then simmered with them
Making a pan sauce
Wine can make a complex pan sauce while cooking. A splash of white wine that is simmered down. And cooked with stock and butter is as good as any lemon butter sauce. Big Banyans sauvignon blanc or chardonnay can make a great component in pan sauces
Adding wine to Stews and Gravies
Dishes such as beef bourguignon, and coq au vin are synonymous with adding wine while cooking because wine adds a depth of flavor and complexity to these hearty stews. Big Banyan’s cabernet sauvignon or shiraz can add a lovely depth of flavour
Poaching
Poached pears are the perfect example of how to poach foods in wine. The wine liquid can be used to cook foods by gently poaching them in it
Baking
Substitute a part of the liquids in the recipe for wine. Most of the alcohol in the wine will evaporate but what you’ll be left with are the flavors. Big Banyan’s dessert wine or merlot are good picks.
While cooking with wine can be serious fun, it’s important to know that a little can go a long way. Wine should never be added towards the end of the cooking time because it needs to cook down, the alcohol needs to evaporate so that you are left with mostly flavor. Start with a splash and increase the amount as you taste to achieve the right balance.
Here are simple recipes with wine to get you started:
- Cheese Fondue Recipe with White Wine
- Ingredients
- ▢1 Garlic Clove grated
- ▢1 cup Dry White Wine
- ▢200 grams Emmentaler cheese at room temperature
- ▢200 grams Gruyère cheese at room temperature
- ▢50 grams Smoked Cheddar at room temperature
- ▢2 tablespoons Cornstarch
- ▢1 tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
- ▢Toasted bread cubed and/or lightly blanched vegetables for dipping
- Instructions
- Shred or grate all the cheese finely and toss well with cornstarch.
- Add wine and garlic to a heavy bottomed pan and bring to bubbling simmer and start adding cheese by the handful. Keep whisking as you go to incorporate the cheese till the mixture is smooth and the cheese has melted. The mixture should be smooth but have a slight elasticity to it. Add the lime juice and gently stir it in. Season with salt and pepper if you like but I didn’t need to add any extra salt.
- Transfer to a fondue pot and serve with dippers such as bread bites, lightly blanched broccoli, potatoes, steak bites, breadsticks etc. and chilled white wine.
- Notes
- Make sure you keep the heat to low while cooking the fondue. High heat can make the fondue break and you’ll be left with separate wine and cheese.
- If your fondue breaks and you have no other option but to throw it, try blending it in a blender. This is not authentic but it works and keeps the fondue together.
- Nutrition
- Calories: 304kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 66mg | Sodium: 327mg | Potassium: 88mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 586IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 496mg | Iron: 1mg
Recipes For Cooking With Wines
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