You use the good vermouth for drinking, and the regular for cooking? I think that is bad advice. For cooking only the best ingredients will do. Instead use the cheap components for guests. --
RedMabuse
One cannot go by a general rule here. I would never for a moment consider using those dreadful things they sell as "cooking" wines; if I wouldn't drink it, I won't cook with it. But it would be an equal crime to bury the rich but subtle aromas and flavors of a good Sauterne or vintage port in a sauce--they are meant to be appreciated for themselves. Vermouth is probably a middle ground--the good stuff isn't so expensive that using it in a soup is out of the question (M&R's only about twice the price of Gallo), but the cheaper stuff isn't bad at all, except when it is exposed nearly alone, as in a martini. Dogmatic devotion to "only the best" is just pointless snobbery when the reality is that cheaper things are very good sometimes. For example, some people go out of their way to use "fleur de sel" instead of kosher salt (at about 5 times the price) in recipes where it will be dissolved--and therefore utterly impossible to distinguish by taste from the cheap stuff. The former is reasonable to use where its unique texture can be appreciated--say, sprinkled over roasted vegetables or in a salad; but in a soup, it's nothing but a waste of money. Likewise, I go out of my way to make good, rich stock for soups, but in a curry that totally dominates its flavor, no one on earth could tell the difference between that and canned stuff, so I use a can.
And it goes without saying that my guests get the good stuff. I do, after all, want to continue having guests. --LDC
Lee, you're a piece of work. You'd do Miss Manners proud. :-) --KQ
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