back on calories and fat, food scientists commissioned by the United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA) discovered that, contrary to popular
belief, alcohol does not burn off or evaporate completely during cooking.
Needless to say, this surprising finding has important implications for alcoholics
and those with alcohol-related illnesses.
How much alcohol are we unknowingly consuming at the dinner table in
dishes that have been prepared with wine, beer, or spirits? Potentially, quite
a bit, as the following table shows:
Cooking Method Percent Alcohol Remaining
Simmered (1 to 2 minutes) 85
Flamed 75
Refrigerated (overnight) 70
Baked (25 minutes) 45
Boiled (10 minutes to 21⁄2 hours) between 60 and 4 percent
In practical terms, a serving of traditional English trifle could provide
several sips of sherry, while a Grand Marnier sauce could contain a good
swig of liqueur. When total abstinence is required, these amounts, as
small as they may seem, could jeopardize our health in serious ways. In
addition, for those struggling to stay sober, the smell and taste of alcoholic
beverages used in cooking could pose further problems by triggering
recognition through neurochemicals in the brain. These triggers, combined
with physical withdrawal, psychological stress, and visual cues, may spark
dangerous cravings and could lead ultimately to relapse.
So do we simply leave out the alcohol when we run across recipes that
include it as an ingredient? No, because the outcome and taste may
depend on it, so we need instead to safely substitute for these amounts
to provide whatever layer of flavor or texture the wine or spirit was contributing.
And this is easy to do using any number of ingredients such as
fruit juices, vinegars, and teas, which offer a good balance of acidity,
sweetness, and thickening power, mimicking the role that alcohol plays
in many recipes we encounter.
For those who, by choice, do not consume alcohol, small amounts in food
may not pose a problem. However, more often than not, people who do
not care to drink are usually put off by the taste, and if that taste is evident
in their food, it may be similarly off-putting. If you are not sure of
your guests’ preferences, using alcoholic-free substitutions will resolve
this without a glitch.
