wine for cooking

[laden]

Does anyone have a good way to preserve a drinking wine for cooking? Can you freeze it or store it in the pantry for extended lengths of time?

I generally just use cooking wine which doesn't impart as much flavor to my dishes.

I love to drink wine but usually don't open a bottle just for myself because I'm tempted to drink the whole bottle!

Any suggestions?

[christinew]

Great Question Laden. I too have the same problem. Wonder if we could freeze wine ice cubes and then take them out when we are ready to use? http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[tammy/MN]

i don't think that you can freeze wine BC of the alcohol in it. wine keeps in the frig for quite awhile, just make sure that the bottle is tilted so the cork doesn't dry out. also, look for smaller, individual bottles, they are more spendy but in the long run it might save money.

i usually just serve the wine for dinner that i cook w/, though i have actually polished off a bottle while i cooked-i wouldn't recommend that though, especially since it was thanksgiving dinner & I didn't feel like eating after that! hahaha

tammy/MN

[Beth Y]

I have nothing to offer about what to do with the wine, as freezing is out of the question. Drinking it is always my solution, but we have wine almost every night and hubby helps so I am not such a wino. They have all sorts of thingys at wine stores now that let you make a vacuum in the bottle and store wine longer. Check them out. But, please, do not use cooking wine (or cooking sherry for that matter). It is dreadful stuff. Who was it that said that "you should not put any wine into your dish that you would not drink yourself"...I think, Julia Child (But then, we have seen her throw back a few while cooking!) A decent wine, port or sherry makes all the differnce in a dish.

[Ralph]

Agree w/Tammy, wine can't be frozen due to its alcohol content. There was a thread a while back about wine for cooking; you'd have to go back at least a couple of weeks.
Years ago I remember reading that cooking wine is basically worthless (which I think you've found out, Laden!). We don't use the most expensive wines for cooking - those also seem to be the ones that turn quickest. For cooking, we buy a cheap, large (usually 1.5L) bottle (Almaden, Gallo, etc.), & it seems to keep in the refrigerator for weeks!

[MrsReber]

I love to cook with wine, but I have never had a problem with keeping it. We just keep it in the fridge after it's opened. With the exception of marsala, I like to have a glass of wine while I am cooking - only one glass, or like Tammy, I don't think I'd eat either!I mostly cook with either marsala or white zinfandel. Never ever "cooking wine". I don't think it really adds much to a dish.

[christinew]

Sorry about offering the advice of freezing the wine..what was I thinking? I need to go back to science class. I like the advice Ralph offered about a big bottle of GALLO that keeps for a long time.
http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/redface.gif


[This message has been edited by christinew (edited 08-27-2000).]

[Ohioan]

Some vineyards now have little "splits" of wine, about 8 oz., sometimes even packed in six-packs like beer! I usually keep one of these small bottles of cabernet sauvignon in my refrigerator for splashing into sauces. I won't say these are the finest wines in the world, but the ones I've bought have been quite drinkable, and of course excellent for cooking.

Phoebe

[Gail]

Phoebe's idea about splits of wine is great, if you rarely drink wine. As probably everyone here on the board knows, here in my household, we're wine people, so this isn't usually my problem. However, I am definitely of the belief that if it's not good enough to drink, it's not good enough to put into your food. Maybe I'll buy something less expensive to cook with, but it's still got to be potable. Secondly, depending upon how frequently you cook with the wine, you can stick it back into the fridge and use it later. I've also been known to re-cork red wines and just leave 'em out on the counter. Certainly if you want to keep your wine as pristine as possible, it's worth checking into a Vac-u-vin system. Frankly, I have no problem either replacing the cork (we have an opener which doesn't pierce the cork, so it's technically reusable) or we also have a couple of nice, marble-topped wine corks that can be used in a pinch.

[This message has been edited by Gail (edited 08-27-2000).]

[Beth]

As BethY mentioned, there are lots of ways to store open wine to help it keep longer. One that we have used and liked is the vacu-vin. For about $10, you get a white pump that fits over the top of a grey rubber stopper and pumps the air out of the bottle, minimizing the oxidation that spoils the wine, and 2 or 3 stoppers. You can buy extra stoppers too. We have recommended these and given them to friends as gifts. Hnady for inexpensive wines, but worth the price for even a single bottle of a medium priced wine you'd like to save and enjoy again. I've found these in just about every wine shop, but I think there are on-line sources too. Let me know if you need one.

[Holly S]

Hello all, the only thing I can add to this topic is the reason that cooking wine IS so awful. The makes of cooking wines salt them, YUCK. But next time you get a chance check out the sodium content, you will be amazed.

[laden]

Thanks for all the great suggestions. Does anyone have a rule of thumb for how long a cabernet would keep in the refrigerator for cooking?

[Shirley Panek]

Everyone here has great suggestions. I seem to keep the wine in the fridge for awhile, and so far (knock on wood!) it's been okay.

To check if it's still good, I just open it up, smell the wine, and take a small sip. If it tastes okay then I'm set.

http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

Shirley

[Kristilyn1]

I am not a wine drinker--so for cooking I always buy the little four packs of wine--red and white. I wish I could remember who makes them. My husband loves wine and he deemed them "drinkable" so I think they are ok. I store them in the cupboard (since I don't drink them) and one bottle is usually only good for one or two recipes so it works perfect.

Kristi

[Kristilyn1]

I must clarify--I don't store opened wine in the cupboard--just the unopened stuff.

Kristi

[sneezles]

I would think that if the wine went "off" you could just use it as wine vinegar!

[Gail]

Originally posted by sneezles:
I would think that if the wine went "off" you could just use it as wine vinegar!


You can also still cook with it. Vinegar in some dishes is great and your wine is going to have to get pretty old to get that bad.

[Shirley Panek]

Gail -

What kind of opener do you have? We've got one that uses pressure (by forcing in air) to pop the cork, but yours sounds interesting. Of course I'm not much of a wine conniseuer (yet!) so it might not be something I need. (But I'm a gadget-holic http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif).

Also, can you still use wine that has sat out all night (uncorked)? Or is it a big no no?

Thanks.

Shirley

[Gail]

Originally posted by Wendy w:
A few years ago, I took a cooking class and the instructor said that white vermouth or any type of wine with a screw top will keep for a long time

The white vermouth works great. My aunt swears by it (says that's a Julia Child thing.)

Shirley, Since I'm feeling lazy at the moment (no breakfast yet at this obscenely late hour) I'm copying something CathieA said in my kitchen gadget thread which aptly describes the wine opener. "... I use a wine opener that has 2 metal prongs on the sides, one long and one short, connected by a rounded, open "T" grip. You insert the longer prong along side of the cork, then rock the opener down until the second prong is no longer visable, pull up and Voila!, corks out. Much easier and faster than any other wine opener I've ever used."

It kinda looks like a big, flat key when in its case.

Your other question... I really don't know. Maybe it isn't a big deal leaving the wine overnight if you're planning to cook with it, but I really don't know. Sorry. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/confused.gif



[This message has been edited by Gail (edited 08-31-2000).]

[Wendy w]

A few years ago, I took a cooking class and the instructor said that white vermouth or any type of wine with a screw top will keep for a long time. Ralph is right about the big bottle of Gallo!