Where do you find cooking wine?

EXL311

Maybe I haven't looked hard enough but I don't think I've seen it at the store.  I'm supposed to use burgundy wine for a meal I'm making for tomorrow night and I need to be able to tell DH where to find it and I haven't got a clue.

SumnerBride

Please don't buy cooking wine.  Just buy a regular bottle of burgandy or some kind of red you'd drink.

npeacock

[;) ]In my wine cooler.  I don't cook with any wine I wouldn't drink.

EXL311

I don't actually drink wine.  Can I just make it without it or does it make a big difference?  Can someone suggest one I could find at Wal-mart?

SumnerBride

EXL311:

I don't actually drink wine.  Can I just make it without it or does it make a big difference?  Can someone suggest one I could find at Wal-mart?

It's the flavor in the wine that gets concentrated into the dish.  You can't do without, unless you want your meal to taste bland.  I'd just a cheap bottle of Merlot.  You could always freeze it into an ice tray to use to cook with at a later time.  I'm saying don't get the cooking wine, because it tastes like GARBAGE.  It'll make your meal taste like garbage too.

I'm not sure what your walmart stocks, but here in WA, we have a really good selection of wines.  Pretty much anything from CA or WA would be a good choice.

jessicaclare

What are you making?

I'd have him get a bottle of yellow tail Shiraz. That's typically what I cook with when I use red wine. 

Hooray2005

The wine will add a complexity to the flavor of the dish you're making that is likely a "necessary" component and probably shouldn't be dropped completely.

I'd tell DH to buy a reasonably priced red wine, even if it's not a Burgundy wine - probably a Cabernet Sauvignon so it has a nice, bold flavor in the sauce.  Something modestly priced ($10ish) is likely a safe, "drinkable" bottle suitable for cooking.

Or if you really don't want to spend the money and have a Trader Joe's anywhere near you, the "Two Buck Chuck" wines are ok for cooking.

EXL311

jessicaclare:

What are you making?

I'd have him get a bottle of yellow tail Shiraz. That's typically what I cook with when I use red wine. 

I'm making a beef stew recipe that I found on allrecipes.com.  I'm so glad I asked you guys because I seriously had no clue.  Who knows, maybe I'll end up actually drinking some.

MelandJeff

Ditto all of the other PP's, never ever cook with a wine that you wouldn't drink. Cooking wine is disgusting and it will make your food taste that way as well.

:-)

jen5-03

For cooking, I buy little 4-packs of wine - they're usually by the box wine and are individual sized bottles. I think it's just under a cup in each bottle, which is often enough for a recipe. And I think they taste ok to drink too.

4Speedy

Most cooking shows, books, magazines, etc. will advise that you NOT use anything labeled as cooking wine.  It usually has extra sodium and will result in a really salty dish.  Professional chefs advise using a drinking wine that is of a quality equal to what you would feel comfortable drinking.  In your case, since you don't normally drink wine, a $6-7 bottle of California Merlot (nothing fancy, just the basics) would be just right.