If you’re a home cook and want to zing up your dinners, then keep a bottle of wine (or two) nearby — you may even end up cooking with it! Hah!
Alcohol has been used in culinary creations of all kinds by chefs all over the world, and it does far more than just making your ingredient list sound fancy. It imparts unique flavors that have been carefully extracted by the fermentation or distillation process and, as such, can be hard to find elsewhere!
Why use wine in cooking? Great question. It all comes down to the alcohol content which, depending on the cooking temperature, duration and technique, can interact with molecules in ways that other liquids can’t.
For example, the acids found in wine bind well with calcium and can prevent coagulation. Where does this chemical reaction come in handy? In a cheese fondue, of course! Adding a touch of wine to the sauce can prevent the cheese from becoming stringy or clumpy and can make the sauce smoother and more stable.
In addition to changing the texture of dishes, wine’s natural acidity is a great tenderizer and it has a great ability to break down fat molecules — making it a perfect addition to meat dishes.
There’s a whole lot of science behind alcohol’s use in cooking, and there are plenty of experts out there who will gladly go down those rabbit holes of information. We’ll just stick to the basics right now, though.
Here’s how you can use the rich, complex flavors of wine in the kitchen to create dishes that are well worth a chef’s kiss!
Ways to use wine in cooking & baking
How to use wine in baked goods
Bakers use wine in a variety of ways at various stages in creating a dish.
Use bubbly wine in poaching or stewing fruit to create complex flavors and smooth textures. Then, use the same bubbly wine in a cake batter to help aerate the sponge. You can use liqueurs to add extra flavor before, during and after baking, too!
Great baking wines: Prosecco, white wine, sherry
How to roast with wine
Roasting is all about maintaining moisture and optimizing tenderness in your dish, and alcohol’s low boiling point and tenderizing properties help immensely with that!
Adding a splash of wine to roast veggies or meats can do several things. First, as the wine heats and slowly evaporates, the released steam will help create a moist environment at a lower temperature than most liquids will allow. Second, the reduced wine will concentrate and create a stronger flavor, bringing out the flavors of the wine itself. Third, the tannins in the wine will break down any fats and create tender meat without drying them out — this also works for tough veggies like beets, turnips, carrots and sweet potatoes.
Great roasting wines: red wines for red meats and root veggies, white wines for poultry, soft vegetables and fish
Using wine for deglazing
Deglazing is more of an in-between step than a recipe on its own, but it’s nonetheless crucial for making good roasts, sauces and gravies.
Deglazing happens after you sauté , sear or pan-fry food in a pan and remove it. The bits of food left behind are usually packed with flavor and are joined by some spices, onions or garlic to create a rich sauté seasoning. Add wine to the pan to un-stick the seasoning, then allow the liquid to simmer and reduce into a strong sauce packed with a punch of powerful flavor!
From here, add a bit of broth and butter to create a stable sauce, or use it as a base for a soup or stew. Either way, the complex flavors of the wine and its ability to add extra aromatics makes it a great ingredient to use in deglazing!
Great deglazing wines: Sherry, medium-bodied white wines, dry red wines, Vermentino, Gamay, Zinfandel
Sautéing with wine
Similar to the process of deglazing with wine, sautéing with wine allows the flavors of the wine to get stronger while also tenderizing the food it’s being cooked with.
Sautéing mushrooms with wine is one of the more popular ways to use this method. The soft mushrooms will absorb the wine, and the wine will add a rich flavor to the umami nature of the mushrooms. They're perfect as a side dish or on top of a good steak!
Great sauté wines: dry red wines, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, barrel-aged white wine, Chardonnay, Viognier
Using wine in marinades
Wine can elevate your marinades by adding a depth of flavor and tenderness to meats.
Red wine complements beef and pork with its bold flavors (remember the wine-pairing rules!), while the flavors of white wine are better suited to poultry, fish and lighter meats.
Any acid-based liquid can work well as a marinade, but wine can both tenderize the fats and impart a rich, complex flavor to the meat. It can work a little too well, however, so it’s important to balance the wine's natural acidity with fats and like oil or butter to prevent over-tenderizing and toughening the meat.
If you’re marinating overnight or for long periods of time, use a wine with a lower acid content. Short marinades can benefit from more acidic wines!
Great marinade wines: Zinfandel, Malbec, Carignan, Chardonnay, rice wine, Mirin
Braising with wine
This slow-cooking technique is perfect for wine, since the acids will help tenderize the meat and the flavors will become more powerful. Red wines work best here, although the extra heat in fortified wines really adds a touch of richness to a dish.
Great braising wines: fortified wines, Madeira, sherry, port, fruity red wines
Wine reductions
Simmer wine for long enough and you’re left with a thick, ultra-flavorful liquid that’s perfect for, well, anything you choose!
Wine reductions are most often served alongside steaks or filet mignons, but you can also use reductions with duck, on pasta, on top of vegetables or in desserts.
Great reduction wines: dry red wines, Merlot, Sangiovese, Pinot Noir, acidic white wines, Chardonnay
Next time you’re looking for a bottle of wine to accompany your meal, find one that will go just as well inside it as it will alongside it! Experiment with flavors you like and use wines that you’d enjoy on their own, too. You can’t go wrong!
Cheers!
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Featured photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash