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Q&A: To Drink or Not to Drink.......

Julia Jayes asks:

"How long can an opened bottle of wine (re-corked) be left unrefrigerated?"

I found several reliable sources with answers to this question and all of them agreed pretty closely. 

Cellar Notes offers the following:

"Around here, we keep wines up to 3 days after the bottle has been opened. Once a bottle of wine is opened, the oxygen in the air starts a process that initially softens the flavors and opens up the aromas of the wine. As this process (oxidation) continues over many hours and days, the wine is ultimately made undrinkable. The trick is to use the wine before it becomes unpalatable or to pour it out before bad wine is served to guests."

Girl Meets Grape, a Yahoo Food site, says:

"The fridge is your friend, so use it. This goes for red wine, too, y'all. Keep all opened bottles in your fridge, and the wine's life will be extended by 2 to 3 days if you're lucky."

Wiki Answers offers:

"I recommend that you shouldn't hold onto a bottle of wine for more than a day or two."

All recommend using those devices that either pump air out or put nitrogen into the bottle before recorking.  The goal is to remove oxygen, the major culprit in wine spoilage.  Refrigeration is recommended for all wines, red or white, to reduce the effects of spoilage.

Better yet, Steve recommends getting some friends together and just finishing the bottle at one sitting.  That way you don't need to worry about whether the darn stuff will keep or not. 

Q&A: Cool Aluminum Foil Question

Linda Hedges asks:

So why does aluminum foil not get hot in the oven? I just removed a tent-like piece from atop our Christmas turkey with my bare pinkies. Cool as a cucumber. I wondered why... and then I remembered I could askstevedotcom!

How seasonal!!  A Christmas question.  The phenomenon Linda describes has everything to do with mass, gravitas, weight, and other heavy issues.  Granted, while inside a 350 degree oven, the aluminum foil is indeed 350 degrees warm.  However, because the foil is so, so thin (0.008 inches thick) it contains very little mass and therefore few actual calories.  Also, because aluminum is an excellent conductor of things like heat (and electricity) it cools very rapidly, especially compared to other metals.  So, voila, (that's French) the foil cools almost as soon as you get it out of the oven.

However, if the foil has come in contact with fluids like oil, or turkey goo, it will remain hot enough to burn one's pinkies when handled too soon.  So, be careful.  As the guys on Mythbusters say, "Don't try this at home, .......ever."

When's dinner anyway?