Booze in your food.

[Takami]

I'm not sure if this is practiced common enough, but sometimes I like to add some alcohol in my food when I cook it. The issue here is that alcohol will evaporate when exposed to heat, and this makes the taste of the liquor unnoticeable.

The following is what I found to work well:

Scrambled eggs: just when your egg is about to solidify on the hot pan, poor 1/3 shot of hard liquor (rum, whiskey, or vodka) and turn the heat off.

The following is what I found to not work too well

Steaks: because steaks naturally carry a strong taste, putting in liquor/wine into this food seem to only modify the taste of the beef, and not the liquor itself.

Mushroom/Cream Soup: for some reason, pouring a bottle of beer in this soup makes the beer completely disappear. Perhaps I have cooked this one too long?


So, does anyone have some good recipe, or opinions of putting booze in your food?

[flypretty]

A friend of mine who I ate with at Jack Astor's ordered a soup called "Beer and Cheddar", and it basically only tasted like cheese and barely like beer at all.

[Ma_Jie]

It's far too late for me to go into depth on this; but yes, I cook with alcohol quite frequently. You have to be careful about beer because if you over-reduce it, it'll be reduced to, well, water.

Another thing: always good-quality wine/beer/etc. If you use crappy wine, for example, your dish will suffer; if it's not a decent, drinkable wine, don't use it.

I love making Sauce Bordelaise to go with steak: red wine + veal stock (and aromatics) on steak = money. I also use wine/beer in all my braised dishes -- depending on what I'm braising.

- JiE

[Poepoies]

Steaks: because steaks naturally carry a strong taste, putting in liquor/wine into this food seem to only modify the taste of the beef, and not the liquor itself.

Mushroom/Cream Soup: for some reason, pouring a bottle of beer in this soup makes the beer completely disappear. Perhaps I have cooked this one too long?


Why are you thinking of "modifying taste of the liquor", thats ... bartending, not cooking. The two should complement each other. Cook steaks separate from the sauce, as MaJie mentioned, Bordelaise sauce made properly will taste like the wine itself, and should complement your steaks.

Think about beer/wine/food pairing--- a white wine (Cali Chardonnay) is more likely to show/complement mushrooms and cream because of strong oak, acidity (to balance cream *fat/sweet*).

I get the feeling you are trying to make your wine taste like beef, and hard liqour like eggs....

My suggestion:

Angus Steak Smoothie
4oz Steak, grilled to your liking
2oz vodka, blend it together

Scrabled Egg Martini
1 egg scrambled
2 1/2 oz gin
1/2 oz vermouth
Shake it up in a shaker, and serve on a soup plate.

Bottom line is... if you want to pair your food to your alcohol, keeping them separate is probably your best choice.

A friend of mine who I ate with at Jack Astor's ordered a soup called "Beer and Cheddar", and it basically only tasted like cheese and barely like beer at all.

Jack Astor's soup-- sells cheaper than their beer right?... so.. how much beer do you think they really put it in? And... its pre-made and packed in a bag, then re-heated. Over-reduced beer and OLD beer doesn't really show.

[Pete_Coach]

It's far too late for me to go into depth on this; but yes, I cook with alcohol quite frequently. You have to be careful about beer because if you over-reduce it, it'll be reduced to, well, water.

Another thing: always good-quality wine/beer/etc. If you use crappy wine, for example, your dish will suffer; if it's not a decent, drinkable wine, don't use it.

I love making Sauce Bordelaise to go with steak: red wine + veal stock (and aromatics) on steak = money. I also use wine/beer in all my braised dishes -- depending on what I'm braising.

- JiE
Are you kidding? When you make any reduction, you intensify the flavours that are in the original product. Beer does not turn to water. Wines turn into an intensely flavoured syrup if reduced sufficiently. As anything, cheap tastes cheap. the rule of thumb is never put anything in your cooking that you would not put down your throat.
As for adding a "spirit" (cognac, rum, etc) you do need to cook it for quite a while to get rid of the alcohol. It needs to heat up beyond the evaporation level of the alcohol to get rid of it (flambe is very often used). You use spirits to add the base flavor of whichever one you choose. If you want the alcohol taste (as in some deserts) you then add them in the end.
As for beer and cheddar soup, old beer or over reduced beer is not really the issue, it has everything to do with the type of beer and the amount. The stronger, the more intense the beer, the different the flavour will be. For example, Guinness versus Coors Light.

[TommyT]

Disagree with the wine comment. If you're going to use a small glass of wine in a dish whose main flavour isn't that wine, can you really tell the difference between a $3 bottle and a $23 bottle? I'm not saying always use the cheap stuff, but to say you should never use the cheap stuff is misleading.

As for the beer, if you don't use a dark enough beer, you're basically just using water. Although I'm not sure how when you overcook beer it would turn into water. But if you really want that flavour of beer if you food, use a dark one. Otherwise, you're just using VERY expensive water.

[slowtyper]

I'm not sure if this is practiced common enough, but sometimes I like to add some alcohol in my food when I cook it. The issue here is that alcohol will evaporate when exposed to heat, and this makes the taste of the liquor unnoticeable.

I don't think this is even close to correct. When you cook the booze (wine or beer) the alcohol is evaporated but you're left with the rest which is the flavorful part. Its usually a thick and messy but tasty affair.

[Keelie]

Disagree with the wine comment. If you're going to use a small glass of wine in a dish whose main flavour isn't that wine, can you really tell the difference between a $3 bottle and a $23 bottle? I'm not saying always use the cheap stuff, but to say you should never use the cheap stuff is misleading.

As for the beer, if you don't use a dark enough beer, you're basically just using water. Although I'm not sure how when you overcook beer it would turn into water. But if you really want that flavour of beer if you food, use a dark one. Otherwise, you're just using VERY expensive water.

Not so much never use cheap, but use something you would drink. If its cheap and tastes like crap, its not going to go well in anything you cook. If its cheap and tastes good, then go for it!

I cook with wine, brandy and sherry quite a bit.

[applecheeks]

Vodka in brownies..... yum yum :)

[shannn]

Vodka in brownies..... yum yum :)

I prefer vodka in my watermelon
And I prefer something else in my brownies to make them special :twisted: just kidding lol (or am I??)

[1yellowdog]

There's a few dishes I add red wine to but my all time fav is lamb chops braised in sherry, then you seperate the fat from the drippings and make a gravy. Wowsers.

[gordholio]

Pretty costly to use alcohol in everyday items like scrambled eggs.
I can see it for special dishes, but not in everyday cooking.

[duckdown]

I usually don't cook with it, personally.. maybe a vodka tomato sauce, but it's not something I make

[Pete_Coach]

Disagree with the wine comment. If you're going to use a small glass of wine in a dish whose main flavour isn't that wine, can you really tell the difference between a $3 bottle and a $23 bottle? I'm not saying always use the cheap stuff, but to say you should never use the cheap stuff is misleading.
As for the beer, if you don't use a dark enough beer, you're basically just using water. Although I'm not sure how when you overcook beer it would turn into water. But if you really want that flavour of beer if you food, use a dark one. Otherwise, you're just using VERY expensive water.
Tommy for a first post, bring some credibility, or at least, read the post you critique once again. I said, don't put anything in your cooking that you would not put down your throat, so, if $3 plonk is your choice, go for it.
Also, there are many recipes that require a lager, pilsner, ales or wheat beers, not everything needs a strong dark beer.
Spirits are the same, it is the tase you want, not the alcohol (in cooking, vodka laced watermelon notwithstanding).
It depends on what flavour you wish to impart in the dish.
And you Tommy, you are a chef?

[applecheeks]

I prefer vodka in my watermelon
And I prefer something else in my brownies to make them special :twisted: just kidding lol (or am I??)

That sh*t is good too ;)

[Slashz28]

Vodka - in pasta a la vodka:cheesygri
Brandy - in a rose pasta, with some mushrooms, fantastic
White Wine - Seafood pasta

[mlc2000]

i have a great recipe for Grand Marnier French Toast.

[M@rk]

I have a bottle of dry vermouth (Martini) that I use in pretty much everything that calls for white wine. Much cheaper (~$10 per 1L) and has a long shelf life once opened.

Roasted chicken drippings + vermouth + chicken stock = win.

I also use it in pasta sauces, certain veggies, soups, etc