The phrase cooking with wine for many of us conjures up images of enjoying a glass while whipping up a meal in the kitchen, but did you know that you can also use wine in the actual preparation of your dish? Using wine while cooking can be a great way to add new flavours and textures to your dishes, so here are some helpful hints and tips to get you cooking with wine in a whole new way.
1. If you wouldn’t want to drink it, then please don’t cook with it!
2. Wine can be used as a marinade, ingredient or as a cooking liquid. When used as a marinade, wine works as an acid and will help to soften the protein and add flavour to it.
3. When using wine as an ingredient, remember that less is more and it is easier to add more than to take it away. Add small amounts at a time to your dish, at a slow simmer, and remember to taste test your dish every 10-20 minutes before adding in more.
4. Tannic wines (mouth-drying sensation) such as cabernet sauvignon should be used with caution as they can cause the dish to take on a more astringent texture (remember previous hint and you’ll be fine).
5. Wines with stronger oak nuances and flavours will bring these characteristics to your dish.
6. Half to three quarters of a cup of wine will reduce on average to two tablespoons of concentrated liquid when slowly reduced.
7. Freezing left over wine in ice-cube trays is a great way to have wine you like to cook with on hand at all times. After the wine is frozen put into freezer bags for an easy way to have wine on hand to add to stews, soups, stir-fries and sauces.
8. When a recipe asks for water as an ingredient you can try substituting half the amount with wine to add a new flavour to your dish.
9. Wine, on average, lasts for three days after opening – this applies to cooking with it, too. Cooking with wine that has been open too long will give your dish an oxidized flavour.
10. Enjoy the same wine with your dish that you used for cooking it, as they will naturally complement each other.
Renowned as Western Canada's favourite sommelier and fast-becoming a national name, Erin Rosar is the creator of 'Wine in the Kitchen' and founder of WG Wines based in Calgary, where she goes by the alter ego of Wine Girl (WG). She is also an instructor with the International Sommelier Guild and is a recognized sommelier with the Court of Masters Sommeliers out of London, England. Learn more about Wine Girl at www.wgwines.com.
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