Can a wine bottle be recorked and if so how and what are the best cooking wines?!
Can a wine bottle be recorked and if so how and what are the best cooking wines?
Answers:
A wine you would drink is always good choice. I don't like a real dry wine but prefer them for cooking because you get the flavor of the wine, but most of the alcohol boils off. Also the small amount of alcohol that is left is a great flavor carrier. You know how sauces with oil in them tastes better, even if the oil itself doesn't have a flavor? That's because oil is a carrier of some flavors such as spices.
Many places sell cork replacements.
Visit any major liquor emporium or trendy store like Pier One. They have a wide selection of stoppers that can be used to "recork" wine bottles. Use any wine you like to cook.
Keep in mind if it is not good enough to drink it is not fit to cook with. Other than that it depends on what you are cooking as to the wine you will use.
#1 - Yes it can be "re-plugged"... not exactly re-corked. A simple stopper as described above will work, or they even have products that take the air out of the bottle via a pump or spray. This slows down oxidation.
#2 - A good cooking wine is any good drinking wine. Don't waste a really expensive drinking wine, but don't use "cooking wine" from a supermarket or a really cheap bottle either.
You can buy a wine bottle stopper (a.k.a. fancy replacement wine cork) anywhere cheap. Cooking wine is awful as it is nearly 50% salt. The best wines for cooking are the wines you enjoy drinking. They add the best flavor to your food.