Using alcohol in cooking.

Morning Glory

Obsessive cook
Staff member
Joined
19 Apr 2015
Local time
12:55 AM
Messages
48,224
Location
Maidstone, Kent, UK
I use it a lot, for flavour and it really does make a difference. A splash of red wine in a tomato sauce, for example, will give a depth of flavour you can't achieve any other way. I keep a bottle of red wine (screw top) for cooking and it will keep for at least a month if not longer. Then there is beer in a meat stew, sherry or brandy added to mushroom dishes, shellfish with whisky (wonderful!). And there are many more examples.

But.... :eek:

...until about half an hour ago, I believed that cooking (as long as it was on a high heat) burnt off the alcohol content. Certainly, if you add red wine to a tomato sauce at the end of the cooking it will taste horrible and 'raw'. Obviously, I knew that uncooked dishes containing alcohol (sherry trifle, for example) would retain alcoholic content.

Anyway, I did a bit of research and came across the following:

http://www.todayifoundout.com/index...doesnt-really-cook-out-of-food-in-most-cases/

But then this: which seems more considered:

Does the alcohol burn off?
Alcohol not only evaporates without heat, but the majority also burns off during the cooking process. How much remains in the dish depends on the cooking method and amount of cooking time. Those alcohol-soaked fruitcakes would have to turn into solid bricks before the alcohol evaporates. A bottle of beer in a long-simmered stew is not going to leave a significantly measurable alcohol residue, but will add a rich, robust flavor. A quick flambé may not burn off all the alcohol, whereas a wine reduction sauce will leave little if any alcohol content. Heat and time are the keys. Obviously, uncooked foods with alcohol will retain the most alcohol.

Screen Shot 2016-11-17 at 15.29.19.png
 
Other little trivia:
Beer is between 3.2 and 5% alcohol.
Most wines are between 12 to 14%.
Brandy ranges from 35 to 60%.
Other liquors and whiskeys can range from 40 to 80%.
Everclear is 95% alcohol.
So yes, very much depends on the type, amount and cooking time.
One bottle of beer in 5 gallons of chili will probably have no alcohol by the end of the cookoff. However, most participants of said chili cookoff will more than likely have an alcohol content of at least 5%.
 
So if one puts 100mL of wine in, that's about 14mL of ethanol (that's "alcohol"). So if you have 50% left, maybe 7mL over a whole dish. Could be under a millilitre per serve.

I'd be curious to know how they measured the remaining ethanol content.
 
That's just neat alcohol! A bit might evaporate if the cake were to get hard and dry out.
Never heard Guinness being called "neat alcohol" before. Paddys comes closer.

Both added after as part of the process, for about a mounth.
 
We always 'feed' our Christmas cake [and in fact are doing so now - it is not of course 'neat alcohol' but whisky in our case - a VERY different thing] but TBH I doubt if the amount of alcohol in one slice would make any difference to anyone in the real world
 
We always 'feed' our Christmas cake [and in fact are doing so now - it is not of course 'neat alcohol' but whisky in our case - a VERY different thing] but TBH I doubt if the amount of alcohol in one slice would make any difference to anyone in the real world
I don't know why I said neat alcohol! I remember the day long ago when I partook of Polish Spirit. I remember the day... but not the evening or night...
 
Former bartender here.
When I hear neat, it means no rocks( ice).

@morning glory whiskey (whisky) usually has a high alcohol content.
Rum and brandy are also common fruitcake soakers.
 
Back
Top Bottom