Cooking Sherry

Hi, I am looking for advice on the best brand of cooking sherry. It seems like the kind of thing that could be awful. Also maybe best to avoid and use drinking sherry or another wine? I would not want to spend more that $30 and would prefer to spend much less.

Thanks!

Great question! I do not recommend using products labeled as "cooking wine", including sherry, as they are generally loaded with additives and preservatives, including salt, which greatly affect taste. I keep a bottle of Alvear Fino Sherry for cooking, the price runs in the teens, and it is available at Binny's. If I am making something that wants a splash that won't be cooked off, such as in an Anthony Bourdain mushroom soup recipe we like, I splurge on something aged.

Thanks so much! I was literally standing in the cooking oil section at Mariano’s when your reply came through. Perfect!

I go to the liquor store for that and Marsala. The stuff I have in the pantry now is Savory&James from Spain. Typically there are other varieties.

I thought so-called "cooking sherry" had salt added to it on purpose to discourage people from drinking it --- well, maybe not exactly that; I suppose the salt was considered a useful flavoring additive.

My mom kept an inexpensive sherry such as Taylor's on hand for cooking, and I do too. She didn't drink sherry straight, and neither do I. Sherry is a great addition to many creamy and brown sauces and soups, and it only takes a bit to get its effect. Marsala and white vermouth are too, for different flavors.

Bottom line for me, Taylor's sherry and marsala for about $7/bottle are fine for cooking. If beyond that you like to drink sherry straight, then spend some more.

Thanks everyone. Very helpful.

With the Taylor, how long does it last once it’s opened and how do you store it? In the fridge?

(Non-cooking) Sherry doesn't last all that long once it is opened. Store in the fridge. Sweeter varieties last longer than drier varieties, ranging from a few days to a few months. So I wouldn't really store an opened bottle in the fridge for occasional use over a few years, like ketchup.

An alternative is to buy a half bottle. There are a lot of very good half-bottles at Binny's that cost like $12-$15. Use some for cooking and drink the rest. Taylor's is inexpensive, but you might enjoy what you can get in a half bottle for a few bucks more.

Darren72 wrote:(Non-cooking) Sherry doesn't last all that long once it is opened. Store in the fridge. Sweeter varieties last longer than drier varieties, ranging from a few days to a few months. So I wouldn't really store an opened bottle in the fridge for occasional use over a few years, like ketchup.

An alternative is to buy a half bottle. There are a lot of very good half-bottles at Binny's that cost like $12-$15. Use some for cooking and drink the rest. Taylor's is inexpensive, but you might enjoy what you can get in a half bottle for a few bucks more.

Madeira is a bit more expensive and a bit of a different flavor, but an unopened bottle lasts forever and doesn't need refrigeration.

I do not like the flavor profile of Sherry whether using it to cook or to drink.
I use ‘RainWater’ Madeira, usually Blandings which has a flavor profile more like Chinese wine, it seems to last forever on the shelf.
I still don’t have a source for Chinese wine, whether the standard square bottle stuff or the more expensive round crock.
I would never use ‘Cooking’ wine!
-Richard

LTH
What Richard said about c” poking wine.”
For me, Tio Pepe-Fino

Katie wrote:I thought so-called "cooking sherry" had salt added to it on purpose to discourage people from drinking it --- well, maybe not exactly that; I suppose the salt was considered a useful flavoring additive.

My mom kept an inexpensive sherry such as Taylor's on hand for cooking, and I do too. She didn't drink sherry straight, and neither do I. Sherry is a great addition to many creamy and brown sauces and soups, and it only takes a bit to get its effect. Marsala and white vermouth are too, for different flavors.

Bottom line for me, Taylor's sherry and marsala for about $7/bottle are fine for cooking. If beyond that you like to drink sherry straight, then spend some more.

I believe that the salt is added so it's not taxed at the same rate as regular alcohol just like commercial denatured alcohol.

Salt is added to make the spirit unpalatable/ undesirable to the kitchen workers. And alcohol is also stored in locked cages.

Evil Ronnie wrote:Salt is added to make the spirit unpalatable/ undesirable to the kitchen workers.

Yeah, that's what I thought I'd heard. I don't know about the tax angle.