Food containing alcohol
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Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2014
Location: UK
Posts: 69
Food containing alcohol
Ok, so I just want to throw this one out here. I am a recovering alcoholic and have been sober for 13 months now. I would like to know peoples views on eating food containing alcohol. Is it a no-go? My rule of thumb has been, if it is blatant alcohol in the food then to stay clear, for example, christmas cake soaked in brandy or beef bourguignon. I am a big foodie and I don't like to think the whole 'no alcohol' thing is going to effect my enjoyment of eating. I'm really only talking about restaurants here, I wouldn't dream of buying alcohol myself to put in food. Thing is with restaurants, they cook with alcohol a lot and I don't want to be constantly scrutinising the menu or having to ask whether things contain alcohol. I'm pretty sure it wont cause me to crave alcohol it's just the feeling that I've sort of failed if any passes my lips. So I was wondering what other peoples views on this are and what they do in these circumstances? Thanks
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,432
It's a regular question round here.
I think it's a personal decision.
I avoid it - if you're a foodie like me, you'll know what things usually contain alcohol.
I simply don't order those things.
For me it's just another way I safeguard my recovery.
It's yet to hamper my enjoyment of a meal - in fact I think my palate has become a lot keener for it...
You may be surprised to learn how much alcohol is retained in the cooking process.
Alcohol Burn-off Chart
D
I think it's a personal decision.
I avoid it - if you're a foodie like me, you'll know what things usually contain alcohol.
I simply don't order those things.
For me it's just another way I safeguard my recovery.
It's yet to hamper my enjoyment of a meal - in fact I think my palate has become a lot keener for it...
You may be surprised to learn how much alcohol is retained in the cooking process.
Alcohol Burn-off Chart
D
Keeping it simple!
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Surrey, BC
Posts: 3,282
Personally I stay away from food with alcohol in it. I wouldn't order anything made with alcohol in a restaurant, but that is just me. Some people do and I certainly don't judge them on it.
12 Step Recovered Alcoholic
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 6,613
Personal choice as Dee says.
It pays to be careful because we have an allergy to alcoholic, and something as innocent as cough medicine might set it away.
For my self, I don't eat cold deserts with alcohol in them, liqueur coffees and such. But I don't have a problem with wine in most cooking. Having owned a restaurant, I have a good idea of most cooking processes and proportions. As a proportion of the meal, wine is a very small part, and having been cooked, the percentage of alcohol is infinitesimal in the over all meal. So I don't have a problem with that.
It pays to be careful because we have an allergy to alcoholic, and something as innocent as cough medicine might set it away.
For my self, I don't eat cold deserts with alcohol in them, liqueur coffees and such. But I don't have a problem with wine in most cooking. Having owned a restaurant, I have a good idea of most cooking processes and proportions. As a proportion of the meal, wine is a very small part, and having been cooked, the percentage of alcohol is infinitesimal in the over all meal. So I don't have a problem with that.
Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: UK
Posts: 2,937
I never thought I would be bothered by this.
I never really went for food with alcohol in it anyway.
In fact most of the time I avoided food so I would get an extra buzz from drinking on an empty stomach.
But then again most restaurants don't use dirt, cheap, nasty, vile vodka to enhance their food anyway.
AT least I don't know of any!
I went to Europe about 2 years ago.
We had a cheese fondue.
It was not very nice but that was all there was to eat after a long day. I think maybe they had reheated those buckets of cheese for months and months for the tourists who visited.
I ate the cheese one and I did get a buzz from it.
It had wine in it.
Was it worth it?
No not at all. It was hideous. I felt flushed and sick.
I tend to think now if I can't drink alcohol, I'm not going to waste my time eating it. And I would rather eat clean food than food that has been dipped in booze.
But thats just me xx
I never really went for food with alcohol in it anyway.
In fact most of the time I avoided food so I would get an extra buzz from drinking on an empty stomach.
But then again most restaurants don't use dirt, cheap, nasty, vile vodka to enhance their food anyway.
AT least I don't know of any!
I went to Europe about 2 years ago.
We had a cheese fondue.
It was not very nice but that was all there was to eat after a long day. I think maybe they had reheated those buckets of cheese for months and months for the tourists who visited.
I ate the cheese one and I did get a buzz from it.
It had wine in it.
Was it worth it?
No not at all. It was hideous. I felt flushed and sick.
I tend to think now if I can't drink alcohol, I'm not going to waste my time eating it. And I would rather eat clean food than food that has been dipped in booze.
But thats just me xx
Self recovered Self discovered
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Toronto Canada
Posts: 5,148
I try to swing for the other side in this conversation. I don't eat food to which liquor has been added and not cooked. But a blind refusal to consume any thing with 'a trace of alcohol' in it would lead to some very strange behaviour. There are 'traces of alcohol' in all sorts of foods, foods that would never trigger an alcoholic response. I don't 'feel a failure' if I have some fruit juice or a slice of bread fresh from the oven, both of which have easily measured tiny amounts of alcohol in them. I can show you that splash of wine added to the slow cooked lamb shank would actually have much less alcohol than either of these.
I have been taken to task for this here, saying I am fear mongering, but on the contrary. I think an informed and reasoned response is always the best one. There is no alcohol in a beer butt chicken, and it's delicious.
I agree with GottaLife on this one. It is a personal decision, and doesn't have to have anything to do with facts to be a valid one.
I have been taken to task for this here, saying I am fear mongering, but on the contrary. I think an informed and reasoned response is always the best one. There is no alcohol in a beer butt chicken, and it's delicious.
I agree with GottaLife on this one. It is a personal decision, and doesn't have to have anything to do with facts to be a valid one.
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