I don't drink wine, so the saying "don't cook with a wine you wouldn't drink" doesn't help me. Any suggestions on different wines to use while cooking? I have used the different Kroger brand cooking wines (red, white, Marsala) which adds a good flavor to the dish but I would guess there are better wines to use. Thanks in advance!

Not much of a hard liquor drinker, do people cook with it at all? I do drink beer and like cooking with a nice porter or stout every now and then though.

(11-10-2016, 06:00 PM)Cure4CF Wrote: I don't drink wine, so the saying "don't cook with a wine you wouldn't drink" doesn't help me.   Any suggestions on different wines to use while cooking?   I have used the different Kroger brand cooking wines (red, white, Marsala) which adds a good flavor to the dish but I would guess there are better wines to use.  Thanks in advance!

Not much of a hard liquor drinker, do people cook with it at all?  I do drink beer and like cooking with a nice porter or stout every now and then though.

I'll preface this with I'm not a chef.

However, the ones I've worked with (I've worked in many restaurants, including fine dining) and I've noticed many prefer Zinfandel, Cabernet, and Merlot for reds.  Whites seem to be less selective.

And yes people use hard liquor in cooking, mainly in sauces, such as Jack Daniels/Jim Beam BBQ sauces and glazes.  There's a lot of bourbon flavored dishes out there, and vodka marinara sauces.  Also people use rum a lot in dishes.  I'm sure there is more I'm missing, but it's late.

I like to use a white wine when I make scampi.  Otherwise, I use reds for most meats and sauteed shrooms.

Florio brand marsala. Available in sweet or dry.

Depends on what you're cooking.

When I make spaghetti, lasagna, or other tomato-based garlic sauces, I usually go with a sweet red (pinot noir is my favorite, but you can go with any cheap sweet red) in the sauce. I go with drier reds (cabernets) if it's a beef roast or some kind of slow cooked red meat.

Usually, with Chinese type dishes (dishes that use a lot of soy or ginger, or dishes that try for that balance of sweet, sour, spicy like Thai cooking) I go with dry whites (sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio). About the only time I use white with beef is in cream based dishes (beef stroganoff, mushroom beef stew, etc).

Wines and spirits usually tend to enhance flavors already in a dish. Beers tend to help mute them. If I'm fixing something spicy (Mexican food, chili, wings, BBQ) I tend to use beer in any of the sauces. It softens the spice without dulling the flavor. I like black butte porters or just a cheap Miller Lite, depending on how strong of a flavor I want.

Spirits are trickier. Their flavor can overwhelm a dish, but it depends on what you're cooking and how much you cook off. Whiskey in BBQ sauces, baked beans and other sweet dishes brings out great flavors as it pairs well with brown sugar, just be careful if you aren't cooking the alcohol off not to make it overpowering. I don't usually saute meat in spirits, but if you do it cooks the alcohol out if you're cooking it high enough.