Cooking With Wine

By Bob Lipinski

Anyone who enjoys cooking and creating gourmet dinners or just tinkering around the stove can transform dishes into Epicurean triumphs with wine. Chefs the world over know the value of wine and have been cooking with it daily, transforming the blandest of dishes into tasty treats. By replacing some of the liquid in the recipe with wine, you add another dimension of flavor. After all, wine is about 85 percent water, anyway.

It is not an exaggeration to say that wine will improve almost any dish; and there is nothing mysterious or complicated about using wine in cooking. Most people are reluctant to cook with wine because they don’t know which wines to use, or how to use them. Use a dry white or red wine for cooking, unless otherwise instructed by the recipe.

Cooking with wine won’t get you intoxicated (unless you’re sneaking sips from the open bottle), since heat causes the alcohol to evaporate. Alcohol vaporizes at a lower temperature than water, about 173° F.

To be certain the alcohol has evaporated, reduce the liquid to at least half. You can also pre-reduce the wine in a separate pan. Then you are not fighting time and temperature. This pre-reduced wine can be put in ice cube trays and frozen for future use.

Do not cook with wines that are spoiled. If you wouldn’t drink the wine by itself, then discard it. Using an inferior or spoiled wine risks ruining your ingredients and you make good food taste bad; the “off” flavors are transferred to the dish. Avoid using wines labeled “cooking wines,” because they are of a lower quality and usually contain added salt and potassium.

There is no need to use an expensive wine for cooking. Inexpensive wines, including “wines in boxes” or “jug wines,” provide the same aroma and balance of flavors as do expensive wines. Wine is only one component in a dish and when it’s cooked, it marries with the other flavors in the food.

Finally, there is only one important objective to be realized, and that is to make a good dish taste even better. That’s what cooking with wine is all about. Experiment! Wine, not expensive to use, adds to your food’s taste, and makes for great table conversation.

Wine creates a relaxed and gracious atmosphere at the table and sets the scene for greater enjoyment of food, no matter how simple the menu may be. And remember to save a glass of wine for yourself to enjoy.

Bob Lipinski is the author of 10 books, including “101: Everything You Need To Know About Whiskey” and “Italian Wine & Cheese Made Simple” (available on Amazon.com). He consults and conducts training seminars on Wine, Spirits, and Food and is available for speaking engagements. He can be reached at www.boblipinski.com OR bkjm@hotmail.com.