It’s no secret that food and wine are great companions. When combined properly, a wine and food pairing brings out the best in both ingredients, a whole more delicious than the sum of its parts. The same goes for using wine to prepare food. Wine can play a pivotal role in cooking, adding moisture and flavor to dishes. With a little know-how, you can kick your cooking up a notch with this secret weapon.

Add wine to marinades. Since wine contains acid, it acts as a meat tenderizer, and it will keep meats and veggies moist as they cook. As with all food and wine pairings, you’ll want to match complementary flavors. Red meats cook well with hearty red wines, and fish with lighter whites.

Use wine to simmer foods. Wine is a great substitute for fat when simmering foods in a skillet. Since fat is added in part for moisture, you can reduce the fat content of dishes significantly by adding wine in for part of the fat. Experts advise not to cook with any wine you wouldn’t drink. Even though “cooking wines” are abundant, they are often salty and unpleasant to taste. You should stick with a wine you know you like, because the flavor will be detectable in your dish.

Wine is for baking, too! The fat-replacement property of wine works for baking as well, and also adds flavor. Choose a wine with flavor notes that complement your baked goods. Treats containing apples, pears, and citrus fruits will work well with white wines, whereas desserts containing berries, cherries, chocolate, or coffee match better with red. Consider the sweetness of the wine, as well—you don’t want to overpower an already sweet dish with too much sugar. For this reason, dry Sherry is often used in baking.