Port

When cooking with port, people often wonder how to choose the best type for their recipe, when to add it during the cooking process, and whether or not the alcohol content will evaporate. A common mistake is using a cheap or low-quality port for cooking, believing that the quality doesn't matter since it's not being consumed straight. However, like with any wine, the quality of the port will greatly affect the flavor of your dish. Firstly, choose your port based on the recipe. Ruby ports are full-bodied and fruity, perfect for meaty stews or fruity desserts. Tawny ports are lighter and nuttier, ideal for cheese based dishes and lighter, creamy desserts. Vintage ports, being the highest quality, should generally be reserved for drinking rather than cooking. Adding your port at the right time during cooking is also crucial. For stews and sauces, adding it early allows time for the port to reduce and intensify its flavors. For desserts or dishes where a stronger port flavor is desired, adding it later in the cooking process will preserve more of the original wine character. Though many believe that all the alcohol content in wine will burn off during cooking, this is not entirely true. The amount that evaporates depends greatly on cooking time and method, with a longer cooking time resulting in more alcohol evaporation. As a final tip, port can be used to deglaze a pan, pulling up any flavorful bits stuck to the bottom after searing meat. This not only adds a rich flavor to your food, but it also helps to clean your pan!