Using alcohol in cooking

[CraigC]

I make a "sweet potato with rum dish" which is really great. Don't have a recipe just eyeball it.Karen makes bourbon balls that if you eat more than a few, you'll catch a buzz.

 

[ElizabethB]

Wine - almost always. In place of or in addition to stock or broth. sauces and gravies cry for wine.
I love braised meat and poultry . Wine is a must

Beer - for batter - fish, chicken, onion rings, other fried vegetables. Love beer batter fried pickles.
Cognac or brandy occasionally.
I occasionally add a splash of dry Vermouth to scrambled eggs.
A little bit in the pot and more in the chef

 

[Morning Glory]

"sweet potato with rum dish"

It might persuade me to eat sweet potato! I'm not a fan as it is so sweet. There is one recipe I like which has rosemary, burnt butter and chilli with the sweet potato. Maybe add a bit of rum to that...

 

[Morning Glory]

I occasionally add a splash of dry Vermouth to scrambled eggs.

Interesting. I may try that.

 

[GadgetGuy]

And sometimes, I use some beer when making Beef with Beer gravy!

 

[Morning Glory]

And sometimes, I use some beer when making Beef with Beer gravy!

Yes - beer is great in gravy. Especially a god dark ale.

 

[TastyReuben]

Yeah, absolutely. Wine in pan sauces, beer in bread, brandy in desserts...I make a sauce for ice cream that's bananas and Guinness, cooked down a bit.

Probably more wine than anything else, though, because it's so versatile.

 

[Morning Glory]

more wine than anything else, though, because it's so versatile.

Yes - I probably use wine the most. Brandy next (mainly in chicken, game and mushroom type dishes).

 

[Kenmiller]

Do you use alcohol when you cook? To my mind it is one of those ingredients which adds a deeper dimension to a dish. Oddly enough (I always think) vegan and vegetarian dishes use alcohol far less than meaty cooking. Maybe this is a legacy of the puritanical health conscious vegetarian movement back in the early part of the 20th century? Yet there are so many meatless dishes which can 'sing' if they have a little alcohol added.

I reckon that all manner of dishes can be enhanced and improved by a splash of beer, wine or spirits. Tell us which alcohols you use in cooking. And if you don't use alcohol in cooking, why not?

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I have not heard it before that alcohol is also used in cooking

 

[Morning Glory]

I have not heard it before that alcohol is also used in cooking

Its rarely (if ever) used in traditional Indian cuisine - so that may be why.