"Steve House" <
[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> If it is a cooked recipe, the alcohol will evaporate during the cooking process so it's moot
> whether it starts with alcohol or not. Some people claim that even a few parts-per-million order
> of magnitude residue would be unacceptable but that defys both common sense and basic biochemistry
> and pharmacology 101 and I simply don't buy it.
But there may be more than a few parts per million. See below. Ed
[email protected]
http://pages.cthome.net/edhome
But, what about cooking with alcohol? This seems to be of concern to some of you as we occasionally
call for alcohol in our cooking -- it's an excellent way to add flavor to foods. Most, but not all
of the alcohol disappears, or evaporates, leaving few calories.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has published the following table of alcohol content in cooked
foods. Our dietitian uses this information in determining the nutritional analysis and exchanges of
any recipe in which we call for alcohol. You might find the results interesting and helpful in your
cooking of other recipes which include alcohol.
preparation method percent 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%
What if you and/or your doctor decides that you should not cook with alcohol -- what substitutions
can you make in our recipes and that of others which call for wine, beer, etc.
In savory dishes for each cup (240 ml) of wine in the recipe, substitute 7/8 cup (210 ml) of fat-
free low-sodium chicken, beef, vegetable broth, apple juice, white grape juice, or tomato juice,
with 2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh lemon juice or vinegar.
In desserts, substitute fruit juice for the wine, adding a dash of balsamic vinegar to the juice.
For orange liqueur such as Grand Marnier, use an equivalent amount of frozen orange juice
concentrate plus some grated orange zest.
For coffee liqueur, use double-strength espresso or instant coffee made with 4 to 6 times the amount
of coffee normally used.
For brandy or rum, try a small amount of brandy or rum extract, or pure vanilla extract.