Cooking with Wine | Ozark Natural Foods

I?m a foodie. I admit that fact with relish but without being too syrupy about it. Just a plain simple fact that I get all buttered up about food.?That is?good food.?And I appreciate my friends who show me a new food, a new way to cook food, or a new way to enjoy food.

So it came as a surprise to me, when I started this job as the Beer and Wine Buyer for the Co-op, that I had not yet learned to cook with wine. I had heard of it before, just never tried it.?That all changed with Post Familie Winery?s suggestion that I try cooking with their Sherry.

I had been vegetarian for over 20 years and I still enjoy tofu.?I buy the firm tofu in the refrigerated case, wrap it in a towel, and press it between two cutting boards with a slight weight on them to press the tofu even firmer. Then I marinate it.?I will use shoyu sauce, olive oil, any of the many vinegars, spices, garlic, hot peppers or sauces, and/or water.

Now, I will often also include Post Familie?s Sherry.?Wow!?What a difference.

I eat meat now, and my favorite is lamb.?After hearing about the Sherry, I tried it in a marinate with the lamb, and again?wow!?The acids, apparently, help break down the meat and make it more tender.?And tastier.

If you were to do a search online for ?cooking with wine?, you will learn very fast that you should cook with a wine that you would drink.?In other words, don?t use a bad wine or a wine that went bad for your cooking?or so the conventional wisdom goes.?Personally, I have had mixed results myself.?Some wines that sat around too long after opening would taste good in the cooking, and some not so good; so experiment yourself while taking in just a dash of that conventional wisdom.

Other suggestions that are worthy of savoring: for red wines, don?t go too heavy on the tannins or oaks?so Merlots, Pinots, maybe Italian wines like Chianti.?Use the wine to help deglaze pans, or use in roasts, for braising, or for stewing.?Generally, it?s best to avoid the so-called cooking wines you?ll see on regular grocery shelves; go for the real stuff!?And add the wine when it has time to cook; the alcohol itself doesn?t add to the dish, only it?s flavor does.

Tidbits of advice on white wines are similar to the red wines: put the wine in early so the alcohol burns off; use low-oak wines (no Chardonnays) like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio; use the wine to deglaze chicken, fish, pork, or mushrooms; and save your best wine for drinking while cooking with a decent wine.

Enjoy!

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Source: http://www.ozarknaturalfoods.com/2012/10/cooking-with-wine/

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