I marinade recipe calls for red wine. I don't have any wine at home but I do have red cooking wine. I'm guessing that's okay to use???

The Curious Oyster
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6 Comments

ChefJune May 13, 2013
I would not suggest marinating with cooking wine. It's loaded with salt and other additives. Besides, "cooking wine" is made from the very lowest quality of wine. A marinade will be on your meat for quite some time, and the meat is going to absorb the flavor of that wine. The cooking wine doesn't taste good to start with! If you can't borrow some wine from a neighbor, I'd sub meat stock and use vinegar or lemon juice for the acid. Or I'd choose another recipe until I had some wine on hand.
 
amysarah May 12, 2013
I'd try to avoid cooking wine, only because it mostly tastes of salt and chemicals - kind of like the difference between Cool Whip and real whipped cream. Depending on what the marinade is, you might be able to sub sherry, or port, or (rarely, but sometimes) white wine, if any of those are handy.
 
SKK May 12, 2013
I only cook with wine that I would drink. It really makes the recipe great. I agree with Pierino on this one. Supermarket 'cooking wine' leaves a metallic, sour taste.

Can you borrow wine from a neighbor?
 
jmburns May 12, 2013
It may not the optimal quality of wine but I see no reason it will not work in a pinch. I am always looking in the wine section of the Grocery store and try to keep a couple of bottles of red or white specifically for cooking.
 
jmburns May 12, 2013
Meant to add that I look at the clearance section of the grocery store wines.
 

Voted the Best Reply!

pierino May 12, 2013
It's "okay" but highly undesirable. Supermarket "cooking wine" is really terrible stuff.
 
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