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Nagging Question
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Does Cooking Alcohol Really Burn It All Off?More booze, more flavor |
When cooking with wine or liquor, does all the alcohol burn off?
The answer is no. It’s true that alcohol boils at a much lower temperature than water (173 degrees Fahrenheit compared with 212 degrees Fahrenheit), so in a sauce, for example, the alcohol will begin to evaporate before the water does. But simply heating the alcohol (or any other cooking liquid, for that matter) will not make it all evaporate.
Wine and liquor are often called for in marinades or to deglaze a pan for a sauce. Jim Lapsley, adjunct associate professor in the Department of Viticulture & Enology at the University of California–Davis, says the amount of alcohol left after cooking will depend on three factors: concentration, heat, and time. A recipe using a higher percentage of alcohol heated briefly will retain more alcohol than a recipe using a lower percentage of alcohol heated for a long time. For example, crêpes suzette flambéed with Grand Marnier will retain more alcohol than boeuf bourguignon made with red wine that has been cooked for several hours.
A 2003 study by the USDA’s Nutrient Data Laboratory shows that the amount of alcohol retained in food can range from 5 to 85 percent, depending on the preparation method. For baked or simmered dishes with alcohol mixed in, after 2 1/2 hours of cooking time, 5 percent of the original amount of alcohol is left. But when the alcohol is added to a boiling liquid and then removed from the heat, 85 percent of the alcohol remains.
This is a bit of information I'd love to see disseminated far and wide. My mother is allergic to alcohol, and the number of times I've heard waiters--and even chefs--tell her 'Oh, it all cooks off' when we've asked them what items on the menu have alcohol in them is appalling. I mean, seriously, if a customer told them they had a peanut allergy, would they say 'oh, it's okay, we'll just pick them all out'.
This is a bit oversimplified, but it does make the basic point.
For those who are interested, the more precise version would say that while alcohol boils at 173 F vs. 212 F, what you're really dealing with in cooking situations is a solution of alcohol and water, with an intermediate boiling point -- as the solution is heated, the alcohol boils first, decreasing the concentration of alcohol and thus raising the boiling point. (This would be a fun experiment to do, actually, with cheap booze and a good thermometer!) As the alcohol content approaches zero the boiling point approaches that of pure water; thus, the only way to truly have zero alcohol content is to cook until all liquid is removed, which usually isn't the desired effect.
aleistra -
Chemistry was never my favorite class, but I'm wondering if the combination of water and alcohol makes more of a mixture than a solution. Does alcohol dissolve in water? If it does not, then I think it will continue to boil at 173 (while the water needs 212) regardless of the concentration; meaning that whether the concentration of alcohol is high or low, it still evaporates at 173.
Can you clarify?
Bellyacher, take a look at this post here:
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.fo...
I really do want to do the experiment, and record the temperature vs. time for a boiling combination of alcohol and water. Perhaps some cheap stuff will have to be sacrificed in the name of Science.
Thanks, aleista - pretty interesting. My view of the problem was over-simplistic.