"Steve House" > wrote in message
...
> 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

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.