"I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food."
--W.C. Fields
W.C. Fields certainly said it best! I personally like the flavour of wine in food during the winter.
Wine has a valuable place in the avid home cook's repertoire. Marinating, basting, glazing, deglazing and flaming are but some of its many functions.
When using wine in your culinary preparations, remember that a wine's quality or lack of it will be revealed in the dish, so stay away from cooking wines, thin wines and wines past their prime, which will give your dish a bitter taste. Use only young wines with body and flavour to ensure excellent results. If featuring wine with dinner, it makes sense to use a little of it in the food preparation. If you intend to serve an expensive vintage with dinner, save every drop for your wine glasses and buy something less expensive to cook with, such as a blended wine or house wine.
To store leftover wine, simply pour a thin film of vegetable oil on top; this will keep the wine from oxidizing too quickly.
Red and white wines are interchangeable in cooking. Reds do offer more depth of flavour and colour than whites, making them a better choice for heavier dishes containing meat and game.
Seafood and fish are delicate foods, thus deserving of a delicate white. White sauces need a white wine to retain their colour. If you use a rose or red wine in a white sauce, it will turn grey.
Sweet wines work well in pastries and desserts, while those with just a touch of sweetness enhance sweet meats like pork.
Champagne loses its bubbles in cooking and functions as a white. If the dish takes several hours to cook, add the wine halfway through so its qualities will not be lost.
Wine does not enhance all dishes.
Vinegar-based dishes or those with heavy citrus character overshadow any flavour imparted by a wine.
Asparagus and artichokes can be enemies of the fermented grape both in the pan and on the table. As for chocolate - brandy, rum and liqueurs are a better choice.
Add wine to the recipe according to its use. If it's acting as a tenderizer or marinade, use it at the beginning of meal preparation. If its aroma and flavour are to predominate, add it at the end. Just be sure to add a little at a time.
Above all, add wine only to one element of the meal, otherwise its wonderful effect will be lost.
--W.C. Fields
W.C. Fields certainly said it best! I personally like the flavour of wine in food during the winter.
Wine has a valuable place in the avid home cook's repertoire. Marinating, basting, glazing, deglazing and flaming are but some of its many functions.
When using wine in your culinary preparations, remember that a wine's quality or lack of it will be revealed in the dish, so stay away from cooking wines, thin wines and wines past their prime, which will give your dish a bitter taste. Use only young wines with body and flavour to ensure excellent results. If featuring wine with dinner, it makes sense to use a little of it in the food preparation. If you intend to serve an expensive vintage with dinner, save every drop for your wine glasses and buy something less expensive to cook with, such as a blended wine or house wine.
To store leftover wine, simply pour a thin film of vegetable oil on top; this will keep the wine from oxidizing too quickly.
Red and white wines are interchangeable in cooking. Reds do offer more depth of flavour and colour than whites, making them a better choice for heavier dishes containing meat and game.
Seafood and fish are delicate foods, thus deserving of a delicate white. White sauces need a white wine to retain their colour. If you use a rose or red wine in a white sauce, it will turn grey.
Sweet wines work well in pastries and desserts, while those with just a touch of sweetness enhance sweet meats like pork.
Champagne loses its bubbles in cooking and functions as a white. If the dish takes several hours to cook, add the wine halfway through so its qualities will not be lost.
Wine does not enhance all dishes.
Vinegar-based dishes or those with heavy citrus character overshadow any flavour imparted by a wine.
Asparagus and artichokes can be enemies of the fermented grape both in the pan and on the table. As for chocolate - brandy, rum and liqueurs are a better choice.
Add wine to the recipe according to its use. If it's acting as a tenderizer or marinade, use it at the beginning of meal preparation. If its aroma and flavour are to predominate, add it at the end. Just be sure to add a little at a time.
Above all, add wine only to one element of the meal, otherwise its wonderful effect will be lost.
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