Dangers of booze in cooking

A GLASS of white wine in the risotto, a whole bottle of Burdungy for the roast beef, a shot of Madeira in the sauce: Many recipes call for the addition of alcohol, and not just for the cook.

“I used to cook with litres of port wine,” recalls Sybille Schoenberger, who earned her first Michelin star at age 27 and now runs a cooking school in Germany. Nowadays, however, she barely uses it.

Sascha Rohn, a professor of food chemistry at the University of Hamburg, said: “Theoretically, alcohol evaporates at 78.3°C. However, it binds with other ingredients and thus does remain in the dish.”

A study from the University of Idaho from 1992 showed varying results in the six dishes tested: Braised meats had 4% of the added alchohol after cooking, while Grand Marnier sauce had 85%.

“Cooking time plays a role, as does the temperature and intensity the dish is stirred with. But there’s no firm rule with which someone can estimate how much alcohol cooks off over a certain amount of time,” says Rohn, adding that children and pregnant women best abstain.

Cooking without alcohol isn’t really addressed in the education of young cooks, says Karl Haaf, from an association of German cooks. Classic recipes for fish or game are made with wine, just like they always were, and it’s not always stated on the menu – thus, it’s always a good idea to ask the waiter if you have any concerns.

As far as alternatives go, Schoenberger recommends brainstorming which ingredients taste similar to the alcohol in question. “If the chocolate or cinnamon note in a wine is important to a recipe, then I can also just use a piece of dark chocolate or a cinnamon stick.”

Grape juice works in dark sauces, white balsamic vinegar can replace white wine, a grated apple can add acid to a bolognese. “You just have to trust yourself and try a few things out,” says Schoenberger.