Cooking Questions

The parmesan cheese is found in the cheese section. You can get it whole or grated or shredded. Personally, I wouldnt use the powdered stuff in the green container.
As far as cooking wines, those can be found at about any grocery store that sells wine. Just know WHAT wine that recipe calls for...rice wine, dry white, red, white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar....the list goes on and on....
Also, if you do not want alcohol, they also make alcohol free cooking "wines".

Good Luck!!!
M:)

NEVER use the powdered parm!! The difference is night and day. No recipe calling for parm would ever mean for the powdered stuff-unless specifially noted. Try it and you will be hooked. My college boyfriend introduced me too it and I haven't had the other since. It is best freshly grated but you can get it already done at the supermarket. I always get mine at Costco though-best price I have found.

Yes-you should use real wine. I would go to the liqour store and tell them you want to cook with it and they will point you to one to use that won't be too $$. I wonder if you can freeze it for cooking since you won't be drinking it?

1. Powdered Parm is to Parmesan what Spam is to Steak. TOTALLY different things... like the difference between Velveeta and Tilamook Chedder. The best parm is Parmigiano Reggiano, just is, no debate... but many other brands are okay (kraft is not one). Parmigiano Reggiano is expensive (typically about $20 per lb), but a little goes a long way. It tastes lemony and light and amazing. So if using a cheaper parm (like Stella or any of the other clear tub already shredded parms), you can simulate Parmigiano Reggiano by adding a little bit of lemon juice to the recipe. The other Italian Cheese to be aware of in cooking (and you can substitute it for Parm most of the time) is Pecorino Romano. Where parm is lemony, pecorino romano is salty.

2. I NEVER use cooking wine. (Cooking wine is heavily salted). You can get a cheap bottle of wine for about $4-6. Or even less if you buy one of the "mini" bottles (they come in 4 packs). Each mini bottle is about 1 - 1.5 cups. I just grab them from the grocery store. If your recipe calls for a "dry white" think chardonnay. If it calls for a sweet white, think pinot grigio. For cooking, vinyard doesn't really matter.

Using quality ingredients will make or break your dish so if the recipe calls for parm cheese get a good parm that you would need to grate yourself.

As far as wine, the recipe should tell you if you need a white or red. Chefs recommend using a wine you would drink but of course you don't want to use an expensive bottle of wine to cook with. I cook with wines that are less than $10 a bottle. You would just need to follow the recommendations if you need a dry, sweet, etc type of wine.

1. parm cheese. The powdered stuff tastes like cardboard compared to the fresh stuff. Buy a wedge of parm and grate it yourself when you need it. It is techinically the same stuff but at our store we have aged parm, etc.

2. cooking wine - for white wine, I use dry vermouth. It will last quite a long time (months). For red, buy a cheaper red at the wine store. Cooking wines have a lot of salt in them and are really not preferred. Only cook with drinkable wines. There are some new boxed wines that are quite good and good for cooking with. Since they are not exposed to air, they last a long time. However, they contain the equivalent to 4 bottles or so.

Good answers.. Yes, the red wine can be frozen in ice trays.. Since you are not planning on thawing them and then drinking them, it will be fine for cooking.
You could keep them in freezer bags so they do not take on the freezer odors..

Hi SS,

2. Use regular drinking wine. Typically, recipes include time for the alcohol to evaporate out of your food (and leave the other flavors of the wine), so you will not be consuming alcohol when you eat the meal.

t

It will specify if it wants you to use the powdered parm cheese , fresh is much better and if you keep it in a ziploc bag (if you buy a block) then it will keep for quite a few weeks in the fridge , the powdered stuff tastes horrible! , also for wine unless it says red or white wine vinegar then yes it means actual wine. If you have a recipe that needs wine vinegar then that is in the same isle as cooking oils.

For the cheese: it depends on the recipe, Parmesan cheese can also come shredded or in a hard wedge. Most of the time if it is just being sprinkled on top I use the powered kind, if it is in the meal I use the shredded or wedge Parmesan.

For the wine: There are special small wine containers for cooking BUT you can also use a bottle of wine depending on if the recipe asks for red, white or a specific kind. If you don't drink the wine the bottle of wine may last awhile for cooking so the smaller cooking wines might work better. I would ask your grocer if they have cooking wine and where it is located (I have found some places have it and some do not carry it), I have good luck at a whole food store finding cooking wine in smaller containers. Then again I love having a glass of wine while cooking so a bottle of wine never last long my house.

Both those questions depends on what quality of outcome you want. The powdered kind of Parm. is definately Ok for your recipes. Although freshly grated parmesan is much better tasting and quality. But Im sure that it depends on your preference. Others may disagree. But I watch alot of cooking shows with Chef Gordon Ramsey and he always thinks fresher is better! On the wine, you can buy cooking wines at most grocery stores. Its usually located where u buy oils and vinegars. Those are good cuz you can keep them on hand. Although again, it prob. tastes better w/ real wine you just opened! My husband makes shrimp scampi all the time and uses cooking wine and it is very yummy! I don't know if you already have this link but my fav. cooking website is www.allrecipes.com What I like is that they are real recipes by everyday people and so most of them are very easy simple dishes. But after every recipe there are comments by people that tried it, and then they ALL give their feedback and suggestions. What I like is if I didn't have an ingredient on hand usually there is someone else that didn't have it and they will say I didn't have this specific ingredient so I used this instead and it came out great or they will say..it didn't turn out. So its very helpful in that regard! Good luck and know u are doing a great thing by cooking your own meals! You will be able to make them soooo much more healthy and can save alot by cooking!

you can use the powdered kind, but i tell you its just not the same results, its good to keep both kinds in the fridge, the powdered kind is great in a pinch(pun intended),,,for last minute sprucing up, or in stuffed peppers/tomatos/mushrooms or as filler to add to real cheese to make more of it, but the sharp shredded parm is unmistakeably grander, its flavor notes are more of a kick.

Yes, when cooking with wine you can use the regular stuff. Cheap wine isnt as good, but will work. Id say get a bottle of merlot and a bottle of white and keep them in the fridge. White goes great when cooking fish, or making jelly, and red is amazing in a tomato sauce. Plus you can also offer a glass to company if you find yourself with extra. (thats never a problem in my house ;)..)

good news is, both your products that you are inquiring about will likely be 5 feet from each other at the grocery store

1. You can use either powder or fresh, but I find it's best to keep both in the house--powdered for toppings etc, and real for recipes. I know it's a bit pricier, but it goes a long way if you control when it's getting used.
2. I don't drink alcohol either. I've found that most recipes you can sub chicken broth for wine. It's not as rich, but essentially liquid-wise it works and will still produce good-tasting food. And FYI maybe I'm a weirdo, but keeping wine in my house when I don't drink it is NOT a super-great idea. For me, at least, alcohol could be like chocolate where if it's there and the mood strikes, don't know I could resist. But then, I'm not known for my strict self-control (food related), and maybe you are.