By now I am sure you have heard the basic principle that you should not cook with wine that you would not drink. However, there are probably a few other guidelines to master before you audition for the next season of Top Chef.
If you are a devotee of this blog you would never consider using a wine over $15 for your recipe. Personally, the Wine Witch would lower this threshold to $10. Please, please do not use unlined aluminum or cast iron cookware. Metallic is never an attractive flavor in either food or wine. Another important thing to remember is to wait 10 or 15 minutes after adding your wine before tasting or adjusting any other seasonings. The alcohol evaporates during cooking thus concentrating and releasing its flavors.
Here is another useful tip. Although an almost unheard of experience at the Wine Witch’s house, should you have leftover wine freeze it in an ice cube tray and then store in a plastic bag. You will have 1/4 cup portions on hand for your recipes.
Here are some basic guidelines on what wine goes into what dish. In general you can never go wrong with the wine you plan to drink with the dish. Red wine complements red meats, red sauces, and dishes with root vegetables. White wine go with lighter meats, seafood, cream sauces, and dishes made with with butter and herbs. No rocket science here.
If you want to take a walk on the wilder side, here are some less standard pairings:
- Sherry – darker poultry like duck; vegetable soups
- Vermouth – Dry vermouth anytime you would use white wine
- Port – fruity dishes or deserts
- Champagne – gives an extra zesty kick in place of white wine
Hopefully, the hocus pocus is now gone and you will fearlessly experiment using wine in your favorite recipes.
Cheers!
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A chum recommended me to read this page, great post, interesting read… keep up the nice work!
Not to disagree with Suzie ( The Wine Witch )… I wanted to pop in my thoughts…
Fully 100% agree – if you can’t drink it do not cook with it! Never ever use that stuff you find in your grocery store called “cooking wine” it’s foul and overly salty. You can find wines under $10 that are perfectly suited for cooking. Some names that come to mind are Astica, Penguin, Indaba.
Here’s where I disagree though… I love cast iron cookware for many reasons. treated properly it’s nearly indestructible. One key to proper use is something called seasoning – I’m not going into the details here about cast iron care read more on wikipedia. I prefer cast iron for 2 reasons higher heat and even heat. That doesn’t mean other cookware won’t work it’s just a preference. Just don’t use a pan from a dollar store.
As for what wine to use when I agree for the most part with a few exceptions… The basic idea of white wine light sauce, red wine dark rustic sauce is the simplest way to view it. However there are times where I will use whatever I have left over around… stews, paella, jambalaya I will often use red or white yes the flavor will change somewhat with the different wines but the end result will almost never be bad. Keep in mind what you’re using the wine for – marinade, cooking liquid, end flavoring.
Lastly I wanted to explain more about the sherry, vermouth, port uses… For those unaware these are known as “Fortified Wines” essentially this means additional alcohol has been added prior to extended aging. You need to be more aware when using these of what the aging has done to the flavors… Port tends often to be sweet with a taste of raisins and sherry can be nutty, vermouth changes depending on the herbs used when aged. Additionally I often have used rum due to it’s ability to blend into many flavors, basic plain Bacardi is fine.
So that’s my .03 cents (if that’s what it’s worth these days)