Rum raisin ice cream... can we have it?

[WatchTheSky]

This might be a really dumb question, but would you still consider yourself sober if you ate rum raisin ice cream? I enjoy the flavor and would like to still be able to eat it sometimes! I looked up ingredients online, and some brands contain rum while others do not. What's your take on it?

[johndelko408]

That reminds me of that episode of Seinfeld when George is demanding the apology from the guy working his 9th step.

As far as the ice cream I'm not sure. I still do a lot of cooking using wine in the flavoring, especially chicken and fish. The alcohol is burned off when its cooked. I know people who won't.even eat food if its been cooked with wine, but yet they'll swig Nyquil when they're sick. As far as the ice cream goes I don't know if its cooked or not.

[Dee74]

You'll find a range of opinions WTS.

I had some rum flavoured chocolate a while back - even tho I made sure it was rum flavoring and not real rum, I still had a strong reaction to it and disliked it intensely, so I won't be repeating that experience .

This is from Streets - Australia's biggest icecream makers

Artificial free flavours are added. Alcohol is an important component of many flavours - especially natural flavours. It is used to extract the flavour components from various natural ingredients. For example, vanilla flavour from vanilla beans, or strawberry flavours from strawberries. As a result, there is always some alcohol present in these flavours when they are added to ice cream. Much of this alcohol would be evaporated during processing, but a small amount may remain. However, the level of alcohol in the final product is extremely low (much less than 0.1%). In some cases there are alternative flavours we could use, and where applicable we do. However, in the majority of cases we tend to use the alcohol based material for the following reasons:

1. They are usually natural flavours.
2. They have a far superior flavour delivery and are of higher quality.
3. There is no significant reason for not using them. Most, if not all, of our products will have these small levels of alcohol in them.

D

[wichitalineman]

Some people are cool with it, others not. It really depends on you - is this going to, in _any_ way, affect your sobriety? If the answer is yes, then I would personally avoid it. Just getting the taste of Rum could be enough to get your mind thinking again 'gee, I sure love the taste of Rum...'. Why even risk it?

Instead of simply making the pleasurable taste of Rum off-limits (and as such, a 'desirable no-no') and denying yourself without any rewards, the key is to replace that rewarding taste with something else. Find something else that's _really_ good and replace it with that. I personally like Odwalla juices and other fresh stuff. And of course... the almighty Cherry Coca Cola.

[Dee74]

I'll get in now and post the alcohol burn off chart

Alcohol Burn-off Chart

D

[Isaiah]

My rule of thumb is more or less: "could I forseeably use this stuff to get drunk?" If there was enough rum in rum raisin ice cream that I could get drunk off of it, I wouldn't do it. To me there's just got to be some practical limit where the line gets drawn. To say one could have nothing with *any* alcohol in it ever and be sober means dipping sushi in soy sauce is a relapse.

[Zencat]

Its your call. Rum raisin ice cream? NO as I have experienced it has no more alcohol than nothing basically. One would have to consume outrageous amounts to only get sick of the ice cream..never less the rum.

I call it a shock product...want to a good rise out of the recovery community, mention anything with a speck of booze in its product...bamm...warnings abound.

The deal is, want recovery, forget about it...booze coffee, liquor cake, jello shots, any-other new diversify of alcohol infusion...its not to do.

Keep plotting a new way to live free from AOD...there you'll find plenty of alcohol free gimmicks to grove on.

[LaFemme]

Well aside from the fact that I think its a yucky flavor of ice cream:-) I would say that if you think it will have a negative impact on your sobriety don't eat it. Otherwise I fall in the 'its cool' camp.

[Untoxicated]

Originally Posted by WatchTheSky

This might be a really dumb question, but would you still consider yourself sober if you ate rum raisin ice cream? I enjoy the flavor and would like to still be able to eat it sometimes! I looked up ingredients online, and some brands contain rum while others do not. What's your take on it?

I haven't had this flavor in awhile, it is pretty tasty.

If you question it or think it will affect your sobriety, stay away from it. Having said that, everyone is different. If I can remember to do it, I'll avoid alcohol containing foods/medicines. I've never had an urge to drink from using Listerine or Nyquil. Either one of those could send someone else into a tailspin based on how alcohol affects their physiology.

I was always on a mental mission to get drunk and that didn't have anything to do with collateral alcohol in foods/medicines. YMMV

[Ainslie]

Im a weird one when it comes to alcohol in food - whether its a synthetic essence, or real alcohol burnt off during the cooking process.

I dont like rum n raisin icecream so wouldnt eat it anyhow. I love steak, used to love it marinated in red wine....and white wine in many pasta dishes. Im still scared that ill be able to recognise the flavour, and although there may be no trace of alcohol - im still worried that i might take the next step in a moment of insanity and order a glass of red with that steak. To ME, its the same as taking a sip of wine. Pointless when there are many other marinades I can use instead.

Yet I can sit in a bars and not feel the compulsion to drink! Guess im just strange

[Anna]

Dee, thanks for posting the Chart.

I'm always surprised how many people think that alcohol burns off when cooking.

[NEOMARXIST]

Seems such an obvious answer to me. For this alkie I wouldn't consider eating any food product with any alcoholic beverage in the title, regardless of whether there's any alcohol in the product. I eat absolutely nothing with any any relationship to alcohol. So I don't eat mice-pies or christmas pudding, trifle or steak and ale pie, wine based sauces etcetcetc. I'm an alkie and this just seems the obvious thing for me to do. The same goes for mouthwash in that I only use alcohol-free mouthwash.

Each to their own obviously but certainly not for this alcoholic.

Peace

[Ainslie]

Originally Posted by Anna

Dee, thanks for posting the Chart.

I'm always surprised how many people think that alcohol burns off when cooking.

I never really questioned that because many chefs told me it burned off - I wrongly assumed they were correct, just because they were chefs and they should know?....but still for the reasons stated above, I refuse to eat anything with alcohol or alcoholic flavouring in it.

Then I remembered, many years back we used to drink flaming sambucca shots. They still got me drunk

[WakeUp]

Originally Posted by Ainslie

I never really questioned that because many chefs told me it burned off - I wrongly assumed they were correct, just because they were chefs and they should know?....but still for the reasons stated above, I refuse to eat anything with alcohol or alcoholic flavouring in it.

Then I remembered, many years back we used to drink flaming sambucca shots. They still got me drunk

Alcohol does burn off, it just takes a long time to burn off.

On the subject of food, if anyone wonders about vanilla, just buy whole vanilla beans, split it down the side, and scrape out the inners. It will add a couple of bucks to your baked goods, but it's better than alcoholic vanilla extract.

[Fandy]

i've eaten rum-raisin over the summer and never thought twice about the alcohol content....i just enjoy the flavor.....(ben and jerry brand)....it didn't affect me either way....it would have to be straight rum swirling in a glass to get me going.

[Demut]

I really view this topic as one of those personal equastions, we're all different in this regard. It is only a matter of determining where you're at with it. Rum cakes, bourban balls, bread pudding with a liquor. None of it troubles me. I take wine at communion. These are subtleties where I am concerned and bear no risk. If I want to drink, I'll drink, I'll drive to the store, purchase a bottle and drink. Flavors of alcohol really do not affect me. Now, some say they can join their friends at a bar and not be bothered by the atmosphere. And, for me, that one is over the top, I would never do it, never have. So, it really is my opinion that it is a personal matter. At the end of the day, the goal is another sober 24 - we do what ever it takes, for ourselves, to accomlish it

[yeahgr8]

Why dont you give it a couple of years and see how you feel?

[Fandy]

yes, i've often wondered/pondered if i could sit in a bar/pub with friends and not feel uncomfortable??? my answer to myself is "not now".....but maybe in 6-8 months it will feel different....

i still shy away from restaurants where they have endless varieties of drinks, sticking with the smaller ones that are BYOB.

[Toronto68]

What about some other flavor, like Neapolitan? That's what I have at home.

[c49]

Even if it was 0% alcohol, the taste may jump-start a desire for drinking again.

Not worth the temptation to me.