The best cooking sherry to use in recipes is one that is labeled as "dry" or "fino." These types of sherry have a more subtle flavor that won't overpower the dish you are preparing.
Some popular recipes that use dry cooking sherry as an ingredient include shrimp scampi, chicken marsala, and beef stir-fry.
It will change the taste.
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.
Yes, cooking sherry can go bad over time if not stored properly. It can lose its flavor and quality due to oxidation and exposure to light and heat. It is recommended to use cooking sherry within a year of opening for the best taste.
Eggplant recipes can be found in cookbooks devoted to vegetables, vegetarian cooking, or ethnic cooking from cuisines that often use eggplant in their dishes. Food and recipe sites online such as Simply Recipes, Food Network, and Fine Cooking also have a variety of eggplant recipes to try.
You can but it is stronger in flavour so don't use as much.
The best spinach recipes can be found at the Food Network or Allrecipes websites. You might even find ideas for spinach on You Tube as they have lots of cooking videos listed.
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.
Yes, any good quality white wine can be used instead of sherry.
A suitable alternative for rice wine in cooking or marinating dishes is dry sherry or mirin. These can provide a similar flavor profile to rice wine and work well as substitutes in recipes.
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.