Maybe this would be a good idea for a thread? At least it would be for me, with all the experts on CC!
My question of the day, I gathered all the ingredients for beef stew before this snow storm. Today I discovered most recipes call for red wine, and I don’t have any (just not a red wine fan). I know it’s not critical, but what can I add to the stew in its place so it’s not bland? White wine? Cooking sherry? Something else? Nothing?
Do you have beef stock? I often see that used as an alternative for red wine in stews.
Mix beef stock with balsamic vinegar.
I have red cooking wine in my pantry. It’s in the baking aisle at the grocery store. It’s good to have on hand if you have recipes calling for red wine. I drink red wine, but I don’t typically use my drinking wine in my cooking. If you need a quick substitute, here’s a good guide: The Best Substitutes for Red and White Wine in Cooking.
We have this on hand too, as we mostly only drink socially and seldom have an open bottle of wine around for cooking. Some of the recipes specify “good red wine” but I’ve never had a problem just using the cooking wine. (Fwiw, our supermarket has it next to the vinegars rather than in the baking aisle.)
I freeze unused red wine in ice cube trays than pop the cubes into a freezer bag to use for cooking.
I’d use the cooking sherry. I don’t have open wine or drink much wine. I think the sherry adds a bit of depth to the stew.
We keep a box of white wine in the refrigerator, and a box of red wine on the counter in a relatively dark location next to a sink. Spares are waiting in a cool dark location. At least some of the box wines have gotten pretty good, and keep a long time (unless you consume them, of course). Most of the red wine ends up being used for cooking, although it is pretty good to drink also.
Thanks everyone! Yes- I have also gotten the little tiny bottles of red to keep around for cooking but I’m out! I was planning on using water+BetterThanBouillon, so should I just add a splash of balsamic in there too?
Was going to base off the recipe on Delish, or Damn Delicious, something simple like that.
I would add beef broth to replace the red wine, rather than cooking wine or sherry. I use inexpensive wines from Trader Joe’s for cooking rather than the supermarket ‘cooking’ wine and freeze left over wine in cube trays as someone else suggested above.
Yes. That will work perfectly.
That never even occurred to me…and it’s not that unusual for us to have some wine left over after a social evening. Will definitely be doing that from now on!
I made beef stew yesterday. In addition to beef broth and red wine it had balsamic vinegar and a tablespoon of tomato paste. Both of those would add some depth of flavor.