r/Cooking 1d ago

Using old red wine in spaghetti sauce?

[deleted]

9 Upvotes

41 comments sorted by

32

u/kittenrice 1d ago

If it still tastes good, then go for it.

32

u/1973man 1d ago

If it’s vinegar tasting then no.

15

u/Iceyes33 1d ago

OK I put about a quarter cup in my sauce and the sauce tastes wonderful! Thank you everyone! 🥰

12

u/amelie_789 1d ago

I would. Give it a quick taste/smell, but it’s likely ok.

47

u/dlinquintess 1d ago

If you wouldn’t drink it, don’t cook with it

34

u/No_Sir_6649 1d ago

Most wine used in restaurants for cooking is cheap boxed wine.

82

u/karl_hungas 1d ago

But id drink that

23

u/No_Sir_6649 1d ago

Spoken like a cook.

5

u/2old2care 1d ago

I both drink and cook with it. Convenient.

7

u/Torrronto 1d ago

I love cooking with wine. Sometimes it even goes into the food.

7

u/GearhedMG 1d ago

I refuse to eat at a restaurant if they are not using Leroy Musigny Grand Cru to cook with.

1

u/No_Sir_6649 1d ago

Circle jerk wine?

4

u/GearhedMG 1d ago

I honestly have no idea, I don't drink wine, I just looked up the most expensive bottles of wine sold

2

u/No_Sir_6649 1d ago

Cook that doesnt drink? Im sure it happens.

7

u/solidcurrency 1d ago

Definitely taste it first. Opened wine goes sour and vinegary.

3

u/Dr-Retz 1d ago

That’s gold for sauce making

2

u/WritPositWrit 1d ago

I’ve done it. So I think it’s fine.

2

u/Iceyes33 1d ago

It tastes ok. How much would you add to 56 ounces of sauce?

4

u/frijolita_bonita 1d ago

I’d add all of it to the onion/beef and let it simmer and reduce a bit. Maybe 15 minutes. Before adding the tomatoes

2

u/Omshadiddle 1d ago

Taste it. If it still tastes like wine, yes

If it tastes like vinegar, no

2

u/DoubleLigero85 1d ago

General rule of thumb is if you wouldn't drink it you shouldn't cook with it.

1

u/Madea_onFire 1d ago

It’s safe but it might taste terrible. Definitely taste a bit first

1

u/ThinkPath1999 1d ago

Just a couple of days ago, I used about a cup of old white wine that was in the fridge to make some pasta. I forget exactly how long it's been in there, but it's at least 6 months. I smelled it and it smelled normal so I used it and it was fine.

1

u/BOMMOB 1d ago

Real simple rule with red wine:

If you won't drink for whatever reason, don't cook with it.

1

u/bemenaker 1d ago

All wine

1

u/Raindancer2024 1d ago

If it's vinegary, use it bit of it instead to deglaze your frying pan when cooking meat; then use that with a bit of rice or wheat flour to make a gravy for your meat.

1

u/Low_Employ8454 1d ago

I’ve used much much older wine in cooking. Enjoy!

1

u/ButterPotatoHead 1d ago

Yes definitely, if it's been in the fridge it's fine. If it has been left out at room temp it can turn into vinegar which would ruin anything you cook with it. Just give it a quick sniff and/or taste and you'll know immediately.

2

u/liss100 1d ago

Don't cook with it if you wouldn't drink it. If you would , then definitely.

1

u/Amazing-Wave4704 1d ago

I would say NO. but other posters are right - take a sip and if you dont spit it out, I guess go ahead.

1

u/jibaro1953 1d ago

If a mouthful doesn't make you want to spit it out......

1

u/snotboogie 1d ago

I do it all the time, not that I ever let a bottle sit two months

1

u/gigashadowwolf 1d ago

I just did the same thing and it turned out great!

But here is the tip, taste it before you try to use it.

The common rule of thumb is if you wouldn't drink it, don't use it, but that's not quite true. It doesn't have to be quite tasty enough that you would actually want to drink it as it is now. It can still be used if it tastes just a little off and vinegary. The acid of the tomato sauce will mask that up to a point.

There is no health risk or anything, no one will get sick. If it tastes BAD though, there is a good chance as it reduces that bad taste will only get stronger and more concentrated.

For reference, when I made my sauce a few days ago, I had 3 old bottles of red wine I had forgotten about and only just rediscovered after I bought some new wine. They ranged from being open for 5 months to being open for 1 month. Contrary to what you'd expect, the 4 month one was somehow fine, drinkable even. It was admittedly a pretty expensive bottle though. I was really pissed at myself for not having finished it shortly after I had actually opened it. I thought I had. The one month one was the one I couldn't use. It tasted like straight up vinegar.

0

u/Iceyes33 1d ago

Were all your bottles of opened red wine stored in the refrigerator?

0

u/gigashadowwolf 1d ago

Yes. In a wine fridge.

And admittedly also, they all were also sealed with vacu vin wine stoppers, which makes them last longer too.

1

u/Iceyes33 1d ago

Yes I would love to get a few of those.

1

u/gigashadowwolf 1d ago

Yeah, the off brand ones are really cheap on Amazon. I like them. They don't make a night and day difference, but they definitely do last a little longer than standard wine stoppers or putting the cork back in.

0

u/The_B_Wolf 1d ago

I wouldn't. Taste it and see why.

0

u/RonSwanson714 1d ago

If you wouldn’t enjoy drinking it don’t put it in your food is my mantra

0

u/No_Sir_6649 1d ago

If there is no mold yes.

-2

u/CopperGoldCrimson 1d ago

Don't do it. I only recently figured out things go bad even if they don't seem off--RIP three months of increasingly nasty hummus (rancid tahini). Putting things in food is supposed to make them taste better; rancid wine is not going to improve the flavour profile of your sauce.