# Cooking wine or sherry

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-wine-or-sherry/1022874>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Tags:** wine\
**Created:** [September 9, 2025, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-wine-or-sherry/1022874 "2025-09-09T03:08:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2025, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-wine-or-sherry/1022874/21 "2025-09-09T22:19:12Z")

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> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#):
>
> If it’s not good enough to drink, it’s not good enough to cook with.

Yeah, this is me, too. I only cook with what I’m willing to drink. It’s just easier, and IMHO, tastes better, too.

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**Author:** ![Frazzled](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frazzled/32/3368_2.png) [@Frazzled](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frazzled)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2025, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-wine-or-sherry/1022874/22 "2025-09-09T22:52:12Z")

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> [@nearwildheaven](#):
>
> I’m also assuming that salting that wine is a way to dodge certain alcoholic beverage laws, taxes, etc.?

This is exactly why cooking wine exists. It’s not drinkable so isn’t considered to be an alcoholic beverage so anybody can buy it.

When I was younger, I bought “Marsala Cooking Wine” to make Chicken Marsala on a date. At the time I followed recipes to a T and I seasoned everything exactly like the recipe said. After I added the “wine” I cooked it down a bit to turn into a sauce. What I ended up with was a salty mess and inedible. At least I got points for effort.

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**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2025, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-wine-or-sherry/1022874/23 "2025-09-09T23:02:33Z")

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> [@nearwildheaven](#):
>
> I’m assuming you’re from the Anchorage area? (Maybe you’ve mentioned it before, and I forgot about it.)

Yup, by way of Juneau. I was 16 when that quake hit. I contributed to another thread about disasters one has lived through.

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