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SALT LAKE CITY -- For anyone wishing to avoid the consumption of alcohol, the question often comes up about whether alcohol burns off in the cooking process. An enlightening study published at OChef.com answers that question.
"The conventional wisdom accepted by just about everyone in the food world is that all the alcohol you add to a dish evaporates or dissipates during cooking," the article says. "It’s wrong."
So the most correct answer is no, all of the alcohol does not burn off. But depending on the method of cooking, the amount that does burn off varies.
Depending on the method of preparation, anywhere from 5 percent to 85 percent of the alcohol used remains in the dish.
The same article includes a study done by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Nutrient Data Laboratory that calculated the percentage of alcohol remaining in a dish based on various cooking methods. Depending on the method of preparation, anywhere from 5 percent to 85 percent of the alcohol used remains in the dish.
Why bother cooking with wine, liquor or spirits at all?
We may never know for sure when chefs started cooking with alcohol, but Colin Spencer notes in his book "British Food: An Extraordinary Thousand Years of History" that written recipes including wine date back to before 1280 A.D., so it certainly is a practice that has been around a long time.
- Alcohol added to boiling liquid & removed from heat -- 85% of alcohol remains
- Alcohol flamed -- 75% remains
- No heat, stored overnight -- 70% remains
- Baked, 25 minutes, alcohol not stirred into mixture -- 45% remains
- Baked/simmered, alcohol stirred into mixture: 15 min. -- 40% remains
- 30 min. -- 35% remains
- 1 hour -- 25% remains
- 1.5 hours -- 20% remains
- 2 hours -- 10% remains
- 2.5 hours -- 5% remains
The inclusion of alcohol in a dish often creates a desired and unique taste. For example, the ever-popular vanilla bean achieves its rich flavor through a process of fermentation. Then, to create vanilla extract, the bean is soaked in alcohol. The many varieties of alcohol available can contribute to countless variations on taste.
Some claim that only the alcohol called for in a recipe will do, yet there's a large constituency who feel that the same flavors can be achieved with substitutes.
For many, cooking with alcohol is a cultural tradition and a normal occurrence. For others, it's a rare practice only used on special occasions, and for others still, alcohol is never tolerated.
In any given recipe, alcohol is not the main ingredient. In fact, after all the prep work and plating, the amount of alcohol remaining in a dish could be less than 1 percent. Yet still, its very presence is a legitimate concern for anyone desiring to abstain.
In February, LDS Living ran an article on cooking with alcohol and included a poll with some surprising results. Based on the site's query, the attitude about cooking with alcohol is nearly even, for and against. Those who left comments on the article, however, tended toward abstinence.
The science on the matter is clear — alcohol does not completely burn off when cooked. Perhaps the more relevant question is: do you care?
Christopher Miller is a longtime member of The League of Utah Writers and a contributing writer to BleacherReport.com. Contact him at www.millerchris.com and Twitter @christoddmiller
