White wine for Mussels

Khaczor

I want to create a mussels dish with white wine and some other stuff for valentine's day tomorrow... is there any difference between cheap $5 bottles of white wine versus something for expensive? Anyone have any recommendations?

Thanks

Thanatos

Most recipes will call for a specific kind of wine. As far as variation in quality, there's no real difference between a $5 Chardonnay and a $500 Chardonnay for purposes of cooking.

In Starscream We Trust

Thanatos wrote: »

Most recipes will call for a specific kind of wine. As far as variation in quality, there's no real difference between a $5 Chardonnay and a $500 Chardonnay for purposes of cooking.

Any type of dry white will work fine. Although I would also recommend you grab some Pernod. Its what they use in the mussels at Carrabba's which are very yummy.

Here is the recipe if you are interested in it http://www.recipezaar.com/Carrabbas-Mussels-Cozze-Bianco-147361

Elin

The main issue is "if you wouldn't drink it, don't cook with it." If a wine has a nasty flavor when you drink it, that nasty flavor will be in your food if you cook with it. Now, there are good 5 - 10 dollar wines out there. Go to a decent liquor store and tell them what you need. They'll point you to a decent wine.

EggyToast

Have you cooked mussels before? They're a relatively simple seafood, which is why I ask. I personally get big ones and fry them up with just a little butter and a little seasalt, and if I were to add any liquid they wouldn't fry up so nicely.

Which makes me think that something high proof, such as Starscream's pernod suggestion, would work well.

edit to add: to go on top of Than's suggestion, the cheap stuff typically has a more biting alcohol taste, which is eradicated when you cook with it. I actually get a big jug of $5 wine and put it in a bottle near the stove (with a pouring spout stuffed in it) so I can quickly add it to whatever when needed. Wine in cooking should be used to add a little boost in flavor, because it will function like a very slightly sweet water. It's also used to regulate the temperature, as a splash of liquid will drop the temp on the food -- sometimes significantly depending on the splash.

232430

Good wine is meant to be about the nuances in its taste, aroma etc., these are mostly lost amongst other flavours when cooking; the cost of the wine is largely irrelevant in this case. Obviously really cheap (sub £4.00) is always worth avoiding. The idea is for the wine to enhance the flavour of the food i.e. its not really about the quality of the wine, but the dish as a whole. That being said, just picking one you like is almost definitely a surefire way to get it right. Avoid dessert wines though.

For this dish I would just steam the mussels in a pan with the wine and a couple of onions, garlic and herbs. In my opinion, simplicity is best in this case.

PROTIP: After eating a mussel use the empty shell to scoop up and drink the sauce.

Thanatos

Cooking with Two-Buck Chuck would be fine. It's of more than sufficient quality for cooking.

VisionOfClarity

Thanatos wrote: »

Cooking with Two-Buck Chuck would be fine. It's of more than sufficient quality for cooking.

This, if you spend double digits on wine to cook with you're just fooling yourself. I use a super cheap red wine for my roast beef and had to use some nicer wine once when it was all I had in the house, no taste difference. I wouldn't drink the red wine I normally use but it makes a damn good roast. The only time I cook with a wine I drink is when I'm too lazy to walk to the store for something cheap.

If you plan on drinking wine with the mussels, and only need a little bit to cook with then by all means get something good and use it for both, but if you're just cooking with it, go cheap.

Kivutar

Elin wrote: »

"if you wouldn't drink it, don't cook with it."

I couldn't agree more with this.

EggyToast

I always do this -- I was thinking scallops instead of mussels. I even do it when I am actively cooking scallops.

I've cooked mussels with white wine. What I do is set them up to steam and then dump about a cup of cheap wine in. Mussels are naturally sweet so the "wine vapor" helps emphasize that. You actually would want to use a cheap wine, as a fancier one is probably too weak/nuanced to really affect the flavors.

And don't overcook them. It doesn't take long for them to pop open.

Everywhereasign

Elin wrote: »

"if you wouldn't drink it, don't cook with it."

Very true, but some people tend to take this way too far. Then they end up using a really good wine to cook with and they don't get to enjoy it.

Especially for something like muscles, you're looking for the bottom end of what you would drink. Your every day swigg'n wine. Not the fancy stuff someone brought you for your promotion. But not so bad as you wouldn't drink have a couple glasses at a party.