Tips for Cooking With Wine

Cooking with wine
Photo by Scott Warman on Unsplash

Cooking with wine is one of those things that seem so adult and fancy that it feels like it must be hard, so many of us don’t even bother to try it. But it’s actually easier than you might expect, and can unlock some new types of recipes for you that you’ll really enjoy. So don’t be intimidated; here are a few tips for cooking with wine.

Follow a Recipe

When you first start cooking with wine, it’s best to use it as part of a recipe instead of improvising on your own. Once you’ve done it a few times with guidance, you’ll get a better sense of how to use wine in cooking so you can be more flexible with it.

Know the Purpose

There are actually a lot of reasons why you might use wine in cooking, and it’s important to understand what you’re trying to achieve when you use wine. Here are some possible purposes:

  • Increase acidity in marinades
  • Replace water or broth as a liquid to cook in
  • Add flavor
  • Add moisture
  • Add aromatic scents

Choose the Right Wine

There are a few things to consider when choosing a wine to cook with. First, it’s important to avoid using “cooking wine,” which can have added salt, but rather use normal wine that you would possibly drink. And you’ll also want to choose a wine that makes sense with the dish you’re cooking. For example, white wine makes more sense in lighter dishes while red wine pairs well with richer, heavier dishes.