Monday, July 28, 2008

Red wine substitution

I'm thinking of putting Vanderbilt Wife's Little League stew in the crockpot tomorrow.

What would you subsitute for 1/2 cup of red wine? (Don't have any in the house.)

44 comments:

Anonymous said...

Maybe beef broth?- Melissa

chiscotti said...

I would just put beef broth in place of wine. But, if it's high-sodium beef broth, reduce the salt :)

Anne Marie@Married to the Empire said...

It'll alter the finished flavor a bit, but beef stock would substitute just fine. Even a veggie stock would do.

Linda said...

beef stock, tomato juice, water (maybe plus a dash of worcestershire...). Good luck!

michellenotdawn said...

I tried subbing grape juice since I don't drink red wine, but it was pretty obvious - too sweet.

Are you subbing b/c of the alcohol content or b/c you don't want to buy a bottle for 1/2 cup?
If it's the bottle issue, check a c-store in the nicer part of town. You may find tiny bottles to get you the 1/2 cup instead of wasting the $$ on a regular bottle you won't drink.

If it's the alcohol issue, keep in mind that the alcohol will burn off in the crockpot.

Hope it works out! Let us know!

Anonymous said...

Meredith-
Looking at the recipe I would just substitute water. It won't taste exactly the same but 1/2 cup isnt that much. When I don't have white wine and a recipe calls for it I will often substitute apple juice.
Hope this helps!
Kim

Anonymous said...

Did a search and found a chart for you. Sorry, I had to put it on two lines because the address wouldn't fit, and I don't know how to make it a hot link. But I hope it helps.
http://homecooking.about.com/
library/archive/blalcohol6.htm

Leah Spencer said...

Red vinegar?

Saralyn said...

Beef broth with a splash of balsamic vinegar.

Tracy said...

There's a whole web-site dedicated to alcohol substitutions.

http://www.whatscookingamerica.net/alcoholsub.htm

Anonymous said...

I'd like to know what you figure out for this one! I'm always seeing wine as an ingredient and since we never have it in the house, I never know what to do. I am the most beginning cook you can imagine, so I'm afraid I don't have any genius substitution ideas. I guess if it were me, I'd probably just use beef broth, but that probably won't provide as much flavor. There's the rookie answer anyways... hey, there's a baseball reference, funny. :)

Christina said...

Beef or veggie broth should work just fine. Water would probably also work since there are so many other flavors, but I think the beef broth would be best. Looks yummy!

The Homemaker's Resource said...

Beef Broth

Mrs. Noonzie said...

I would maybe use water or beef broth as a sub?

Kelly said...

I always add a little Kitchen bouquet to my gravies and stews . It adds color and a little depth of flavor . I also add large button mushrooms to my stew in place of potatoes and carbs !!!

Nicola said...

i have to admit, we live in the land of two buck chuck ($2 charles shaw wine), so we always have some on hand, but my husband (who is the much better cook than i, even if i am the more frequent cook) says to just omit it and not substitute for that small an amount. if it were me, i would omit and add a smaller amount of balsamic vinegar to a stew like that.

Anonymous said...

Hi--
Love your blog!
I would substitute beef broth.

The Fine Art of Motherhood said...

Hello! I enjoy reading your blog but have not yet commented -- this I can help with though! I make a yummy crockpot stew and I just use half a can of beef broth, which works great! Enjoy!

Anonymous said...

Meredith, I think beef broth would be a fine substitute, with perhaps a tablespoon of red wine vinegar. I'll have to try that recipe...yum!

Anonymous said...

Mmm..sounds good. But why would you substitute the wine? Seriously?

Anonymous said...

Mmmm...sounds good! But why would you substitute the wine??? Seriously?

Lunch Buckets said...

I'd probably just use the wine, but if I couldn't I'd probably sub in a tablespoon or so of tomato paste and make up the rest of the liquid with some beef stock.

April said...

1/4 cup beef broth and 1/4 cup grape juice. But I use the wine! :)

Michele @ Frugal Granola said...

Maybe some broth and red wine vinegar and sugar?
That's what I usually do.

Yummy!
Michele :)
www.frugalgranola.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

I would say a really good beef stock.

Fe said...

Beef stock? Or you could always try a (not too sweet!) fruit juice... wouldn't be the same, but might add a middle eastern type feel to the dish:-) Although, I'd probably just go with stock or water.

Anonymous said...

If you don't want to use the wine, I would use beef broth/stock.

Sounds like a yummy recipe!

Linda said...

Why would you want to substitute red wine? If it's because of the alcohol, maybe it's a reassurance that it will all evaporate when it hits the temperature of drinkable tea (don't ask me the number in fahrenheit, but it's about 80 celcius)

But if you'd have to substitute.. obviously grape juice and a little vinegar.

greetings from the netherlands! :)

Meredith said...

I thank you so much!

I don't keep wine in the house, and I'm not sure a crockpot recipe is worth a trip to the store!

I was sure my frugal friends would have some tried-and-true ideas for substitutions.

Kristin Amaro said...

Myself, I would throw in those mushrooms that she leaves out and not make any subs. 1/2 cup is not that much and the mushrooms will some yield extra liquid.

Love your blog...

Robyn said...

apple cider vinegar, or red wine vinegar, or sweeten some white vinegar if that's all you have. It's the tang you're trying to replace.

My grandma always put some apple cider vinegar in her spaghetti sauce, instead of wine.

An Adventurer in the World said...

V-8, carrot juice or beef broth.

If you use V-8, add a teaspoon-ish of sugar to soften the acidity.

deb meyers

Sarah Taylor said...

Sounds like a yummy meal! Here's a link to an article that discusses the substitution of almost any type of liquor...hope it helps!
Sarah
http://homecooking.about.com/library/archive/blalcohol6.htm

Jessie Weaver said...

Meredith, As I wrote to you but maybe it will help others--I've read you can add a splash of the wine vinegar you want (red or white) to broth and that makes a good substitute. I've done that with white wine vinegar and chicken broth and it's just right. I'm also not willing to buy wine just for recipes usually--occasionally I will buy those mini-bottles.

Anonymous said...

Just add some stock granules or cube to 1/2 of water - you can use beef or chicken.
liz

Anonymous said...

I always substitute apple juice for wine and it's worked so far for me. Let us know what you decide!

Anonymous said...

Meredith - When a recipe calls for red wine I wisk together lots of boxed beef broth and Worshestire sauce in a bowl - with a tad pince of garlic powder -
Now, that's a great base to any soup or stew - and it barely costs me a thing - just one trip to my pantry.
Working mama in the NW
Latrice!

kristen said...

I buy a bottle of cheapo red wine and a bottle of equivalent dry white and just let them languish in the fridge for purposes such as these. Especially for a meal that's cooked for a long time, the quality won't hurt it, and the wine does add a nice flavor. I never spend more than $3-4 on a fridge-bottle, and then it's there when I need it.

Tubo Family said...

Coffee has a rich flavor and is sometimes called for in beef recipes--I've used it successfully.

Sara said...

I don't often have it in the house either, but when I do, I freeze the leftovers in ice cube portions and take it out as needed for recipes.

Julie Clark said...

apple cider vinegar mixed w/ grape juice

Anonymous said...

If you have any, apple juice is a wonderful substitute.
Ruth, PA

Elise @A Path Made Straight said...

I'm late, I know, but water or some sort of stock will do just fine! I never have red wine on hand... not for any reason in particular, but I just don't! :)

Meredith said...

Thank you for all the suggestions! Freezing the wine into ice cube portions is just brilliant.

I spotted 1/2 can of V-8 in the fridge, so I added that for extra moisture. The roast had been frozen in a tangy marinade, so between the 2 it compensated.

This recipe WAS delicious, albeit a little salty due to the canned soup. I used a 2.5 lb roast anticipating leftovers, but the family ate so much--and wanted it again for lunch--that I had to come up with a new meal the next night.