Given the frigid weather that much of the country has been experiencing this winter, a whole lot of people have been staying home and cooking rather than going out to eat.
Little wonder, then, that the following question came in. Since winter isn’t going away anytime soon, I thought we should waste no time in addressing this topic…
QUESTION: I’ve read a lot about cooking with wine. Does it really matter what type of wine you cook with?
ANSWER: Absolutely.
The first thing you should know is that you should never, ever… ever!… cook with “cooking wine,” which is typically sold in supermarkets. Most of those products taste dreadful, and typically are laced with salt.
When a recipe calls for wine, your best bet is to use the wine that you intend to drink with the dish.
While it’s true that some subtle nuances of the wine are lost in the cooking process, it’s also true that some of the qualities remain — and that will help make the food and wine pairing sing.
This weekend, unless an unexpected warm-up occurs, plan to stay inside, find a recipe that calls for wine, open a bottle and head for the kitchen.
Then enjoy the meal with a glass of vino, and kick those winter doldrums to the curb.
