# What's the deal in white wine in cooking? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** wine\ **Created:** [February 27, 2010, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-in-white-wine-in-cooking/530590 "2010-02-27T01:04:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Diamonds02](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Diamonds02](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diamonds02)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-in-white-wine-in-cooking/530590/1 "2010-02-27T01:04:11Z")
I ate a pasta dish a while back that had white wine as an ingredient. I told someone about the dish and how I liked it because I could taste the wine, he told me that you are not supposed to taste the wine and the wine is a “cooking” wine and not “regular” wine. So what’s the deal with wine in food, how is it supposed to be used? ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-in-white-wine-in-cooking/530590/2 "2010-02-27T01:13:25Z")
“Cooking” wine is heavily salted so your teenagers / maid won’t drink it. At least that’s what I was told, though [wiki disagrees](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooking_wine#Other_styles). That said, regular wine is used all the time in cooking, and does contribute to the flavor of the dish that it’s in, although generally the alcohol boils off when the wine is heated. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-in-white-wine-in-cooking/530590/3 "2010-02-27T01:17:08Z")
I think most cooks would agree that if you wouldn’t drink it, you shouldn’t cook with it. You definitely would not drink what is sold as “cooking” wine. It is not true that all the alcohol boils out of the wine. Depending how long the sauce is cooked, it’s entirely possible that you tasted the wine (and its alcohol) in it. If you’re not supposed to taste the wine, why in the world would you cook with it? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-in-white-wine-in-cooking/530590/4 "2010-02-27T01:24:02Z")
You cook with it because there a myriad of flavors that are alcohol-soluble, not water-soluble. Wine releases these flavors into the food. That’s why I always put a dollop of red wine or vermouth into my pasta sauces. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-in-white-wine-in-cooking/530590/5 "2010-02-27T01:25:53Z")
> [@freckafree](#): > > I think most cooks would agree that if you wouldn’t drink it, you shouldn’t cook with it. You definitely would not drink what is sold as “cooking” wine. Seconded. > [@](#): > > It is not true that all the alcohol boils out of the wine. That’s great, because I never said it did. > [@](#): > > Depending how long the sauce is cooked, it’s entirely possible that you tasted the wine (and its alcohol) in it. Alcohol != wine flavor. If you pour some red wine into a sauce, then cook it for a while (depleting the alcohol either a little or a lot), you will retain the red wine flavor. In fact, I personally think cooking the wine into the sauce for a while mingles the flavors more favorably, but YMMV. I don’t speak for white wine, since I rarely cook with it, but I’d be surprised if the wine flavor disappeared as the alcohol cooked away. > [@](#): > > If you’re not supposed to taste the wine, why in the world would you cook with it? Exactly. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-in-white-wine-in-cooking/530590/6 "2010-02-27T01:27:47Z")
Even if all the alcohol does boil off, you should still be able to taste the wine flavor. That’s the whole point of adding it. It doesn’t matter how long you cook it for, the flavor of the wine isn’t going anywhere. (And no, it’s not made with added salt.) Your friend was wrong. Cooking wine is just really bad quality wine that’s not even all that cheap, considering the size of the bottle. But you can buy it in a grocery store that may not carry wines, like if you’re in a dry area. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-in-white-wine-in-cooking/530590/7 "2010-02-27T01:30:10Z")
Last night, I made slow-braised beef short ribs. I had run out of wine, but I had a bottle of non-alcoholic red wine here, and I used some of it. It was great in the dish, and there was no difference in flavor between the non-alcoholic wine and the usual stuff. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-in-white-wine-in-cooking/530590/8 "2010-02-27T01:36:21Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > (And no, it’s not made with added salt.) Your friend was wrong. Cooking wine is just really bad quality wine that’s not even all that cheap, considering the size of the bottle. But you can buy it in a grocery store that may not carry wines, like if you’re in a dry area. Did you read the wiki article linked above? > [@Wiki](#): > > Cooking wine or Cooking sherry refers to inexpensive grape wine or rice wine (in Chinese and other East Asian cuisine). It is intended for use as an ingredient in food rather than as a beverage. **Cooking wine typically available in North America is treated with salt as a preservative** ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-in-white-wine-in-cooking/530590/9 "2010-02-27T01:39:08Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > That’s great, because I never said it did. **squeegee,** I can see why you thought I was contradicting you, but I hadn’t seen your post when I hit “submit” on mine. My apologies to you! No harm, no foul, I hope. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-in-white-wine-in-cooking/530590/10 "2010-02-27T01:50:50Z")
> [@freckafree](#): > > **squeegee,** I can see why you thought I was contradicting you, but I hadn’t seen your post when I hit “submit” on mine. My apologies to you! No harm, no foul, I hope. OK, that’s funny – it looked entirely to me like you were answering my post. So I’ll apologize in turn then: if I sounded terse or angry, that wasn’t my intent, and I apologize for that and for misinterpreting your post. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-in-white-wine-in-cooking/530590/11 "2010-02-27T01:53:56Z")
A neat trick for storing wine for cooking that’s been opened/partially drank for a couple days is to pour it into an ice cube tray and freeze it. Whenever you need some wine to cook with, just pop out a couple cubes and toss into hot skillet/pan and presto! It’ll keep forever. ---
**Author:** ![Diamonds02](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Diamonds02](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diamonds02)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-in-white-wine-in-cooking/530590/12 "2010-02-27T02:09:12Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > A neat trick for storing wine for cooking that’s been opened/partially drank for a couple days is to pour it into an ice cube tray and freeze it. Whenever you need some wine to cook with, just pop out a couple cubes and toss into hot skillet/pan and presto! It’ll keep forever. Oh, so I am not supposed to put wine back in the fridge after I’ve opened it? ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-in-white-wine-in-cooking/530590/13 "2010-02-27T02:16:53Z")
> [@Diamonds02](#): > > Oh, so I am not supposed to put wine back in the fridge after I’ve opened it? You can certainly do that. If you’re talking about wine you will also be drinking (you should _always_ cook with wine you would also drink), I’d definitely put it in the fridge if you don’t drink much daily, as it will keep much longer. But if its been laying about for a few days and close to going south, doing as I suggested will at least enable you to get more use out of it rather than pouring it down the sink. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-in-white-wine-in-cooking/530590/14 "2010-02-27T02:25:14Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > Did you read the wiki article linked above? No, because I was respondingto your “heavily salted so that the teenagers won’t drink it” statement. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-in-white-wine-in-cooking/530590/15 "2010-02-27T02:29:21Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > In fact, I personally think cooking the wine into the sauce for a while mingles the flavors more favorably, but YMMV. I recently saw a show of Nigella Lawson’s _Express_ which is all about cooking good stuff utilising as many shortcuts as is practicable. It is quite interesting. She did a quick bolognese sauce (which she ate without pasta, just a bowl of meat sauce) and said almost the same thing about wine. So to get over that she used Marsala on the basis that the makers had done some of the reducing for you. Her other cunning trick in that recipe was using a jar of caramelized onions rather than starting by slowly cooking onions. They aren’t available here but I keep batches of frozen caramelized onions I make in the crockpot for adding to stews or sandwiches. burgers, hot dogs etc. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-in-white-wine-in-cooking/530590/16 "2010-02-27T02:31:12Z")
We’ve never had the problem of “leftover wine,” but the freezing trick is the way to go. For everyday use, there are four-packs of Sutter Cab and Chardonnay minis available. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-in-white-wine-in-cooking/530590/17 "2010-02-27T02:49:54Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > No, because I was respondingto your “heavily salted so that the teenagers won’t drink it” statement. That link is in the same post you were responding to, all of one sentence away. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-in-white-wine-in-cooking/530590/18 "2010-02-27T03:10:30Z")
> [@](#): > > Q: What is cooking wine? How is it different from normal table wine? > A: [Holland House Cooking Wine](http://www.mizkan.com/?id=20369253881) uses premium quality wine stock and is similar to table wine except for salt added to it. The salt gives the cooking wine a longer shelf life and makes it stable in your pantry for up to 16 months after opening. Cooking wine is used as an ingredient; it is not meant to be consumed as a beverage, and is available in standard grocery stores. [_Holland House_](http://www.mizkan.com/?id=1581470336&temp=false&brand=3) being the ubiquitous supermarket cooking [del]swill[/del] “wine”. CMC fnord! ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-in-white-wine-in-cooking/530590/19 "2010-02-27T12:26:07Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > [_Holland House_](http://www.mizkan.com/?id=1581470336&temp=false&brand=3) being the ubiquitous supermarket cooking [del]swill[/del] “wine”. > > CMC fnord! that shit is the nastiest crap you can buy … never cook with anything you wouldn’t drink! There are some very nice box wines that are great for cooking, and are about the level of mixing with fruit juice for sangria or serving over ice as the plonk you drink when nobody is around to be impressed 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-in-white-wine-in-cooking/530590/20 "2010-02-27T15:05:08Z")
I … I don’t think I could be friends with anyone who used a cooking “wine”, much less eat their food. As for when I cook, I use the Keith Floyd-patented “one for the pot, one for me” method. So it’s high-end stuff, the $4-$5 range wines. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-in-white-wine-in-cooking/530590.md?page=2)