Simple Mulled Wine Recipe Slow Cooker (2024)

FAQs

Can wine cook out in a slow cooker? ›

A roast in a covered slow cooker simmering in a wine or beer broth is going to retain more alcohol than a dish that's cooked uncovered for two hours in a hot oven. Alcohol retention during cooking also depends on the size of the pan or dish. The smaller the cooking vessel, the more alcohol will be retained.

It is however possible to still use wine etc the flavour is critical to the dish (for example our Sherry Braised Pork Shoulder), just brown off the vegetables etc in a frying pan and add the wine at that stage, then cook it down before adding to the slow cooker.

Does the alcohol cook out when making mulled wine? In short, yes, some of the alcohol burns off when boiling mulled wine, but you should only be gently bringing up to the boil and simmering for around 15-30 minutes which isn't enough time to completely remove all alcohol traces.

One important thing to remember when making your mulled wine – don't boil or heat it for too long! You'll cook off all the alcohol and be left with tasty but boozeless mulled grape juice.

It's okay to use a stone crock for the first few days of the wine brewing, but after the fermentation activity starts to slow down, around the fifth day, you will need to put the wine in a different type of container. One that can have an air-lock attach to it with a rubber stopper.

When it comes to cooking, your safest bet is to choose a mid-priced, medium-bodied red wine with moderate tannins, like a Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or Pinot Noir. Using a red wine that is too big, full-bodied and tannic, like Shiraz, may turn 'chalky' and astringent while cooking and ruin the flavour of your dish.

There are a myriad of great choices but we tend to favor pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc. These lighter-style wines will bring out the flavor of your dish without overwhelming it. Avoid robust and oaky white wines like chardonnay. Once the food is cooked, the oak-influence may cause your dish to taste bitter.

Food texture changes: Canned foods, such as vegetables, can become too mushy in a slow cooker. It's better to use them fresh or frozen. But, frozen veggies tend to make the texture of the dish more “watery”. Defrosting and draining the extra liquid before cooking can help minimize this.

Method. Put the red wine, cinnamon, star anise, cloves, lemon zest and sugar in a large pan. Cook on a low heat for 10 mins. Remove from the heat and cool, leaving to infuse for about 30 mins.

How do you keep the alcohol in mulled wine? ›

Ainsley Harriott recommends mulling wines in a slow cooker and says two hours at low temperature gives excellent results and should retain most alcohol content.

The best red wines for mulled wines taste bright and fresh, such as Grenache, Tempranillo, Sangiovese, fruit-forward Pinot Noir. Inexpensive Bordeaux is another great choice for mulled wine; in fact, claret was a traditional choice for British mulled wine in William Shakespeare's day.

You need to infuse the wine long enough with the spices to take on their flavour but DON'T ON ANY ACCOUNT LET THE MIXTURE BOIL as you'll be left with a bitter taste. Slow and low is the way to go. And it shouldn't be served piping hot, just comfortably - and comfortingly - warm.

The key to successfully heating up mulled wine is to take it up to a nice warm temperature without boiling it. Wine has a lower boiling point than water, and overheating it will cook off some of the alcohol, resulting in an unpleasant bitter flavour.

‣ Avoid accidentally boiling the wine. You're looking for a very low simmer; just enough to keep everything warm. Once it starts to boil you're just losing alcohol.

Despite its ability to dissipate, “it's impossible to cook out all of the alcohol [in a dish],” says McGee. Even after extensive heating, a small proportion of its molecules will remain bonded to molecules like water present in the mixture.

And if you are concerned that the alcohol will not “cook off” or evaporate in the Instant Pot, you are correct. If that is a concern, add the wine when using the Sauté function and allow the liquid to boil with the lid off for a minute or two before closing the lid and using the pressure cook function.

Wine can help cook and simmer foods.

Simmered along with the food, it adds flavor and moisture to whatever dish you're making.

The choice is up to you. You may choose to use cooking methods that help to reduce the alcohol content and use less alcohol in a dish to make it safer for your child. Otherwise the safer option is to choose to leave out alcoholic drinks when preparing food for babies and children.