sherry

[Georgie]

I have a recipe for a salad dressing that calls for sherry. Are all sherries the same?

[Kcwhippet]

Not at all. There are very dry sherries, and there are those with some sweetness to them. However, all the dressings I've seen call for sherry vinegar, rather than straight sherry. If that's the case, then virtually all sherry wine vinegars will be fairly similar.

[Georgie]

Thanks, KC. This recipe calls for sherry all by itself with tarragon vinegar listed as a separate ingredient. I've used cream sherry in desserts, but I'm not sure that's what I want in this dressing.

[wondersofwine]

A dry sherry would probably be better. You could even use a product called cooking sherry found in the grocery store but I don't recommend it. The cooking sherry usually has a high sodium (salt) content.

[Thomas]

Never, under any circumstances, cook with so-called cooking wines. The idea is to cook with wine you would also drink. Wine, by regulation, must be rendered undrinkable in order to be made into cooking wine--all that salt makes it undrinkable...

[JagFarlane]

A good rule of thumb is, if you wouldn't serve it, don't cook with it. Also keep in mind, if you plan on serving a bottle of wine with the meal, try to use the same bottle or perhaps another bottle of the same, in your cooking.

[Kcwhippet]

Ok, Georgie. In that case I'd probably go with a decent Fino. Lustau makes a nice one that also drinks well as an aperitif.