Need a replacement for the white wine in a recipe? One of these non-alcoholic substitutes should work beautifully.White Wine SubstitutesChicken Broth - Replace the white wine called for with an equal amount of chicken broth (vegetable broth will work, too). This will add depth to the recipe, even if it changes the flavor a bit. If you aren't using a low or no-sodium broth, you may want to taste the dish you're making, before you add any additional salt to the recipe. Apple Juice - Swap in apple juice for the white wine in your recipe. It'll add that bit of sweetness that the wine contributes. Since apple juice is sweeter than wine, consider adding a splash of vinegar or lemon juice to dial it back a bit.White Grape Juice - Keep that white grape flavor in your recipe by using white grape juice in place of the white wine. It'll be quite a bit sweeter than the wine, so you may need to add a bit of vinegar or lemon juice to balance the flavor.Apple Cider - If you happen to have it on hand, apple cider vinegar is a great substitute for white wine.

It's sweet like the wine and has a similar aged depth. Dry White Wine SubstitutesWhite Wine Vinegar - If your recipe calls for dry white wine, white wine vinegar is a solid alcohol-free option. Since it's made from white wine, it'll have some of the intended flavors. However, it will be more acidic, Dilute it with water to compensate for this. A mix of 50% vinegar and 50% water should do the trick. Apple Cider Vinegar - Use a 50-50 mix of apple cider vinegar and water in place of the white wine called for in your recipe. It'll add that fruity/acidic bite that the recipe needs.Ginger Ale - Replace the white wine called for with an equal amount of ginger ale. It has that same sort of dry, sweet taste, so it'll work nicely. Water - If you don't have any of these other ingredients on hand, just replace the wine called for with the same amount of water. It won't contribute anything to the recipe in the way of flavor, but it will keep the liquid volumes as intended, ensuring your dish doesn't turn out dry. 

More Alcohol SubstitutesTrying to eliminate all of the alcohol from your cooking? Be sure to check out these resources:Red Wine SubstituteBeer SubstituteHow to Make Non-Alcoholic ExtractView All Alcohol SubstitutesBefore You Go ...Take a second to pin or bookmark my complete ingredient substitution list. It has the information you need to keep your recipes on track, whether you're out of an ingredient or looking to make a swap because someone in your household is allergic to an ingredient, or simply doesn't like or eat something. best wine under 30 dollarsA good substitute can save you a trip to the store, and it may even save the day.wine in a bag ukCooking with wine, like drinking wine can add another dimension to a recipe. top 10 bc white wines

Cultivating and enhancing flavors while accentuating textures are the main incentives for adding wine to recipes.When deciding what kind of wine to cook with, many agree that your best bet is to cook with a wine that you would drink. Remember, it is only the alcohol that diminishes during the cooking process, not the poor quality or undesirable flavor. Wines designated as “cooking wines” tend to be cheap, salty and often incorporate additional spices or herbs. best wine forumBottom line - they will do little to enhance your recipe. best red wine for drinking without foodYou do not need to spend big bucks on a wine that you intend to cook with, save that for the wine you plan on serving and drinking with the meal itself. where to buy mini wine

However, if you shoot for ultra cheap (less than $5) you will likely be disappointed in both the flavor and the overall contribution to your recipe, consider forgoing the wine addition altogether.Think of flavoring a recipe with wine in the same light as you would adding a spice. The flavors tend to mellow the longer you cook the wine in the dish and it is recommended that a young, strong red wine is allowed to cook for at least 45 minutes. The next question, is typically should I use a red or a white wine? Reds tend to bring color, clarity and a distinctly dry characteristic to the foods they flavor. White wines are known to bring an acidic quality with a bit of pucker power. Use reds for flavoring red sauces with red meat. For example, a bold red wine would be perfect for a meatball marina or stout stews with lots of heavy vegetables. Steer towards white wines if you are making cream sauces or emphasizing white meats or seafood. Keep in mind that not all of the alcohol will evaporate from the cooking process.

The concentration of residual alcohol that remains in your dish depends on the length of time and way in which it was cooked. For example, boiling a sauce for 25 minutes will remove considerably more alcohol than merely baking a dish for 15 minutes.Cooking with wine should be fun. If you are just starting out, keep it simple - try a young bold red (Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon ) in Aunt Betty's family spaghetti sauce recipe or a dash of Chardonnay in your Creamy Alfredo Chicken recipe. Experiment with using wines in recipes, it is not rocket science and shaking recipes up with a splash or two of wine will likely make your favorite recipe that much better!7 Ways With WineAs Julia Child used to so often say, the best wine to cook with is one you consider good enough to drink. As a general rule of thumb, dry (non-sweet) wines work best in savory dishes, while sweet or fortified wines (such as port and sherry) are more attuned to desserts and sauces.Every newbie wine drinker discovers that there’s a learning curve to drinking wine.

At the beginning of our wine journey we often favor sweeter white wines and then move on to more complex, drier reds with more nuance. So, after quaffing a few bottles most of us have figured out how to choose a bottle we’d like to drink. But how does one go about choosing a bottle of wine to cook with? When listed on an ingredient list, wine is most often identified in generic terms such as “1 cup dry white wine”.  The cook is left to ponder the many different varietals (types of grapes), price points and how that wine will work with all the other ingredients in the recipe…a not so simple chore. I generally cook with wines in the $10 range. That is not to say that I’d cook with a wine that I wouldn’t drink. It should be drinkable. When cooked with food, wine mellows and softens, adding brightness and depth to dishes. Wine is basically composed of acids, tannins and sugars and cooking with wine is not so difficult once you understand its role in the dish. Wine is most often used as a marinade, as a liquid in a braise or to flavor a dish at the end of cooking.

I prefer to use wine and broth when simmering beef, chicken or vegetables to tenderness. The acid and sugars add flavor and when cooked for an hour or more the wine changes from astringent and thin to a deep, rich flavor. I also marinate beef, pork and chicken in wine because the acid in the wine tenderizes and flavors the meat. It’s a good idea to marinate beef overnight but chicken and pork can marinate in as little as one hour and be the better for it. Whether I use red or white wine depends upon the main ingredient. I usually opt for red wines when cooking beef and white wines when cooking chicken, pork and vegetables (but not always). There are no rules here. You should use what strikes you or whatever you have leftover in the last bottle you opened. It will probably be terrific. That brings us to the question of the quality level of wine used in cooking. I’d rather drink the good wine than cook with it. The honest truth is that wine changes as it cooks and most of the really charming qualities of wine will be lost while the acids and sugars remain to flavor the other ingredients.

So, I generally cook with wines in the $10 range. It should be drinkable, of course, or your dish may not be as delicious as it should be. But as a general rule, save the $20 and up bottles for the glass. And never, ever, (promise) cook with “cooking wine”. It’s full of salt and if you’ve ever tasted it, it’s just horrible. Most of the time, the wine I’m cooking with is the wine that is left over in the bottle that I opened the night before. If you aren’t a wineaux like me, you can purchase wine in the little bottles that come in a four-pack. That way you only open what you are going to use in the moment. The secret to cooking with wine is reduction. Add wine at the beginning of the cooking process and allow it to cook down and be absorbed into the dish. Never add more wine to a dish just prior to serving or it will taste thin and raw. The biggest mistake home cooks make when cooking with wine is not allowing the wine to cook and reduce so that it no longer tastes raw.

Taste your dish at the end of cooking and if it still tastes astringent and sharp or not flavorful and rich, it just needs to cook a little longer. When making beef stew I sometimes remove the meat and vegetables once tender and just boil the liquid until it reduces and tastes more concentrated, then add the meat and vegetables back in, season (salt and pepper make all the difference) and serve. When I make risotto, I add 1/2 cup of white wine to the rice and let it boil off before adding broth or water. That little bit of sugar and acid in the rice make the risotto at the end of the dish taste so much more…hard to say…just more delicious. This is why we cook with wine. That being said there are some varietals of wine that just cook better than others. On the red spectrum, cabernet sauvignon is a bit tannic and not the best wine for cooking. I opt for a bottle of Petit Syrah, Malbec, Zinfandel or better yet, a red blend when cooking. A red blend usually has well balanced sugars and acids and so works flavorfully when cooking.

I have often used a little red from one leftover bottle along with a little from another bottle and it works just fine when cooking. As for whites, I avoid cooking with chardonnay because of its oaky characteristics (though unoaked chardonnay is fine). Most often I find myself using a sauvignon blanc when cooking with white wine. It has nice acidity and sugar and flavors most dishes perfectly. Avoid sweet whites when cooking as they are just sweet and don’t offer up the acidity necessary to brighten the dish. Sweet wines are best left for dessert. Which brings us to finishing a dish with wine and this is where the sweets come in. One of the most charming desserts is fresh berries or melon with white wine. Just drizzle some sauternes or sweet sparkling white wine over seasonal berries and serve with a little glass on the side. It’s simple and tasty as well. Basically there are a few general rules to cooking with wine but you should always feel free to go with the flow and follow your instincts.