Move over olive oil, fish oil, coconut and mustard oil. It’s time for the food enthusiasts in us to try out the good old wine for cooking.
Whether it is Spanish, Continental, Mediterranean or Indian, there are various types of wines available that enhance the flavour of the dish. For instance, if you are cooking a light sauce for the yummy pasta, then White Wine would be perfect. But if a heavy dish such as meats are on the cooking agenda, then Red Wine would be a perfect bet.
However, very few know that wines have been used as an early form of medication, antiseptic, digestive aid and many more. Let us explore the wide variety of wines that make a fine recipe for health as much for taste buds.
a/ Wine And Heart: Red wine has a compound called Resveratrol that is associated with longevity. This helps lower the risk of diabetes and inflammation. The powerful antioxidants in it help boost Omega-3 fatty acids that reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
b/ Wine and Brain: Latest studies done in Denmark and Sweden bring good news for patients afflicted with brain problems. Moderate consumption of wine helps reduce the risk of memory disorders and Alzheimer’s disease.
c/ Wine And Cancer: For men, this is great piece of news. Sip a glass of red wine daily if you want to cut down the risk of prostate cancer and esophageal (food pipe) disorders.
d/ Wine and Healthy Lifestyle: You can call it a miracle tonic but wine drinkers get inclined to eat healthy diets that are favourable to heart. Foods such as olives, vegetables, fruit, milk and low fat cheese all put together help wine drinkers get lean to average weight as compared to beer drinkers who prefer the chips, pork, sausages that are fattening.
Pairing Wine with Cooking
During conventional cooking, we allow ingredients to simmer on a slow heat so as to bring outstanding flavours to the dishes being cooked. The same formula applies when you are using wine in cooking.
Longer the wine is cooked over medium heat higher are the chances of getting more flavours in the recipe. And for heavens, do not add wine when the cooking is about to finish as this will tend to overpower the flavour.
Following are the list of wines that would make a healthy and delicious complement in cooking:
- Earthy Red Wine: This full-bodied wine is best for cooking red meat and beef stock
- Robust Red Wine: Would gel well with red sauces
- Dry White Wine: Ideal for fish, pork and poultry
- Sweet White Wine: Blends well with desserts
- Sherry: Good for making vegetable or poultry soups
Suggested quantity of Wine while Cooking
The right kind of measurement determines the taste and tang of a recipe. Here is a checklist of the quantity of wine you should pour while cooking:
- Soup: 2 tbsp of wine recommended per cup of soup
- Gravy: 2 tbsp of wine recommended per gravy cup
- Sauces: 1 tbsp of wine recommended per cup of sauce
- Meats and Stews: 1/4th cup of wine per pound of meat
- Poaching liquid for Fish: 1/2 cup of wine recommended per quart of liquid
Now go whet your appetite with health this time thanks to the choicest of wines available off the shelf and on online portals. Whether used as a marinade, or liquid to cook with, or a flavour to a finished recipe, wines not only make the perfect ingredient but keep you in the pink of health.