Your best bet is to go to the wine and/or liquor store and get real sherry (wine fortified with brandy). Avoid the grocery store stuff labelled "cooking sherry".
Dry sherries (Madeira, Sack, etc.) are very commonly used in cooking. I have never heard of cream sherry being used in cooking, though it would make sense for some types of dessert recipes.
It will change the taste.
Yes, any good quality white wine can be used instead of sherry.
yes you can _______ Red cooking wine would be a better substitute as sherry has a red wine base. White cooking wine wouldn't have the same depth.
Chicken Marsala is traditionally made with Marsala Wine. But If you want to use Sherry wine. Buy the best one you can afford, the same for the Marsala ( It's an Italian sweet wine ) I recommend trying the Marsala. I say always when cooking with wine use the best stuff you can afford. The better the wine the better the flavor.
When cooking with something like sherry, you need not worry about a recovering alcoholic eating food that has sherry in it. Cooking removes any significant alcohol in the food dish, and for all intents and purposes, only adds a good flavor. I would not worry about substituting another ingredient for the sherry. Use the sherry.
You can use equal parts dry sherry/pale sherry wine; not the cooking wine... the drinking wine. :)
Cooking sherry is low-quality sherry with salt added. There is no reason to buy cooking sherry. Purchase any inexpensive sherry and this will give you better control over the sodium content of your food. For a non alcoholic substitute try a mixture of vinegar, sugar and a dash of lemon juice OR a mixture of apple, cranberry and grape juice. Orange or pineapple juice can also be used.
Yes, but the flavors will be different. And you should use real wine or real sherry, not the salt heavy 'cooking' versions found in many grocery stores. The alcohol releases and dissolves some flavors that water based recipes will not, adding to the flavors. Essentially any alcohol should be allowed to evaporate through heating to leave the flavor of the wine used. Whether a recipe calls for cooking sherry, wine, or not, I often deglaze any meats cooked in a frying pan with red or white wine. The French say that you should use the best wine you can afford for this process but I use whatever I have to hand.
Vegetable or Peanut oil. Depends on the type of cooking you are doing.
Any good DRY sherry wil do. Just don't use cooking sherry . If it's not good enough to drink , you will not get a good result in your recipe . Ask for a dry sherry at the liquor store , but don't mention it's for cooking. I'm sorry I can't recommend any brand names , but I usually only cook with burgundy or sauterne .
Usually it's sherry, but you can use whichever you prefer the taste of.