din

whats the general rule of thumb here?
I love to cook, and do lots of it.....................
i just ran across a recipe that called for wine
(the only prob I see is the rest of the open bottle)......okay, that answered my question...........

but what about eating dishes prepared with wine in it?
its not like you get a buzz off of 1/2 cup in an entire dish..Right?
this was probably a stupid question

Dee74

here's a link to how much alcohol burns off...or doesn't
Alcohol Burn-off Chart

My personal opinion is I'm an alcoholic - I have no business cooking with alcohol

here's a link to some non-alc cooking substitutions
Alcohol Cooking Substitutions - Alcohol Substitute Recipes

D

din

me too, and you're right

with that being said...........guess it wasnt a stupid question

thanks
(both for the link and reply)

ZZworldontheweb

I can see avoiding cooking with it at home, because many people are not comfortable with a supply of alcohol in the house (although I understand others are fine with that).

But ORDERING a dish prepared with alcohol? I thought nearly all of it just burned off in the process, is that not correct? I haven't had the opportunity yet but it's a fair question I think.

Isaiah

Funny you should bring this up now. I am currently braising some sauerkraut. Culinary-wise, ideally I would be doing with this some white wine. But I don't ever keep it or buy it. Even the non-alcoholic wine is just an expensive waste as far as I'm concerned.

You can imitate white wine with diluted apple or white grape juice mixed with a little vinegar or lemon juice. For red wine, regular grape juice plus a bit of vinegar. I usually use less than the recipe calls for because the flavors are a little more sweet and tart than actual wine. If you're doing something delicate like risotto though, I wouldn't recommend this.

As for stuff cooked with it, I don't mind but it depends on the preparation. If I'm at a restaurant and I have to question whether a dish might have too much alcohol, then I don't bother. If I have to ask, it's not worth it. But I think some trace alcohol is okay, if it wasn't I'd have to throw away all the soy sauce, vinegar and flavor extracts in my house, and I don't think that's necessary.

CarolD

ZZ...please read the links Dee provided to answer
your question...

Isaiah...one of those links also has sggestions on how to subsitute
you might also find that interesting.


I've been cooking and eating without alcohol for years.
I still dine out....guests come often to enjoy my food.


One of my pet peeves? On the cooking shows...some Chef's
splash in alcohol....grinning and saying...."It all burns off"
Absolutely untrue and could be dangerous for some people
who can not tolerate alcohol.
And what about serving such dishes to children?

Sudz No More

For me, cooking with it is completely different than actually drinking it. In a sauce it is just flavor, a seasoning. I used a whole 750 ml of red in my Beef Brisket on Christmas and half a bottle of white deglazing the spinach for my Chicken Florentine. I used the rest of the white to deglaze the onions being caramelized for the Crimini Mushrooms and Asparagus. Almost all of the Alcohol cooks off if you simmer it long enough. You can tell if you have gone far enough by simply pulling your hand over the steam in the pan and smelling it. You can smell the Alcohol in the steam if there still is some.

I have never had a problem with this giving me a craving but I guess I can see how some people might. Best to avoid it if you think it will bother you.

Scampi without white? hmm...

Sudz No More

I just found this answer that sounds legit. I guess if you are really sensitive it is best to avoid it.
__________________________________________________ _______________________

Contrary to popular opinion, cooking removes only a portion of the alcohol added to a dish,
a much smaller portion than previously thought.

Perhaps most interesting, 75% of the alcohol remains after flambe-ing. A whopping thirty-five percent (35%) of alcohol remains even after a dish has been simmered 30 minutes on the stove, according to a 2003 USDA study. Alcohol remains in a dish chemically, even when its taste in undetectable – a very important consideration for someone in sobriety or for those cooking for someone in sobriety.

USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 5 (2003)
NUTRIENT DATA LABORATORY...

I cooked my Beef Brisket for three hours but my Spinach and Mushrooms probably still had some Alcohol in them. Does that mean some of you think I am on day 7? LOL

Table from USDA Showing Percent of Alcohol Retained After Cooking
Preparation Method Percent of Alcohol Retained
alcohol added to boiling liquid & removed from heat 85%
alcohol flamed 75%
no heat, stored overnight 70%
baked, 25 minutes, alcohol not stirred into mixture 45%
baked/simmered, alcohol stirred into mixture:
15 minutes 40%
30 minutes 35%
1 hour 25%
1.5 hours 20%
2 hours 10%
2.5 hours 5%

Krang

Thanks! I learned something new today.

CarolD

Sudz No More..
Guess you too did not check out Dee's links


I lost data when I recently changed my CPU
I did have a very good link from a site dedicated
to recipes without alcohol.

I'd really be pleased if have the time to track it down
and share on this thread. :

Nyte Byrd

Although I have heard by some it burns off in the cooking, I still make it a 'safe' point of avoiding use of it in cooking or even when I eat out if its used on certain foods.

Funny story. Went to some restaurant with my wife. Ordered some meat that had some fancy restaurant term for the sauce. I asked the waiter if the sauce contained alcohol. He told me it did. I asked him if it could come without the sauce. Just to give him some reason, and without feeling I had to be deceiving, but not too revealing why, I told him I had an allergy. As he took my order, before he turned to walk away, he muttered,
"that's okay, so do I."

I sat there till he returned wondering if maybe he broke out in hives or something himself. I kind of felt like he turned the tables on me or something.

When he came back, I just had to ask him specifically what happens to him if he drinks alcohol. He looked at me and winked and asked...."Friend of Bill W?"

I guess there really are no coincidences.

Sudz No More

Thanks Carol, I'll keep my eyes out for it and post if I find it. Thanks to Dee for the links as well, they have some good information

AmericanGirl

Hi din! Good advice here. I like isaiah's sub ideas. I've tried subbing chicken broth/lemon for white wine in some recipes with good results, so you might try that too!

dubbguy

I'm sure it depends on the person but I think a big part of the danger would be in going to the liquor store and having the alcohol around the house more so than the actual eating part.

NYCDoglvr

You don't have to cook something with alcohol in it. I cook, I've been sober 19+ years. I just don't cook anything with alcohol in it.

nvrbeentospain

My thought, too. I personally don't have strong feelings about eating food prepared with alcohol, but I think an already opened bottle of wine would be a pretty big temptation for most of us. I also don't think there are many things that you need to cook with alcohol.