Replacing Alcohol in CookingAuthor: Andrew HallReplacing Alcohol in Cooking - You'llhave to use your own judgement on substituting for alcohol in recipes.Sweet recipes will require different substitutions than savory. Amountswill also make a difference. You wouldn't want to use a quarter cup ofalmond extract to replace the same amount of Amaretto liqueur. Andremember, the final product will not be how the original cook intended,but it should still be tasty. Look at the main ingredients ofyour recipe. Usually the main liquid ingredient can be extended tocover a small amount of required alcoholic ingredient. If the amount is less than a tablespoon, it can probably beomittedalthough flavor will be lost. Any variety of juices and/or tomato juice can often besubstitutedin marinades. Non-alcoholic wine or wine vinegar can be substituted forwine. Adda bit of honey or sugar to emulate sweeter wines. Extracts,flavorings, syrups, and juices can be substituted for flavor-basedliquors and liqueurs. They will usually need to be diluted. Usenon-alcoholic wines over cooking wine or sherry. It should bedrinkable. The cooking wines and sherries are loaded with sodium whichdetracts from flavor and adds a salty flavor to the food. To helpburn off more alcohol and reduce potential injuries when using it forflamed dishes, be sure to warm the liquor before adding to the hot (thefood must also be hot!), and use a long match or lighter to ignite it.Always tilt the pan away from you when igniting. The liquor should beadded very last possible moment and lit as quickly as possible to avoidthe liquor soaking into the food. Let the alcohol burn off enough sothe flavor does not overpower the dish. Tomato sauce or juice combined with Worcestershire sauce orsoysauce can work as a substitute for many robust liquors. Frozendesserts and high alcohol-content liquor do not mix well since thealcohol freezes at a much lower temperature. You may end up with runnyice cream or sorbet. When using milk or cream in a saucecontaining alcohol, be sure to burn off the alcohol before adding thecream or the sauce may curdle. If the alcoholic ingredient in therecipe is intended to be the main flavor and you must avoid alcohol,find another recipe. It just won't taste the same. *** Areyou interested in adding your article but you think your writing skillsare not what theyshould be? Think again... What a pleasant surprise. I ran across thisfabulous book. I only wish that all thetext books where written this way when I was in school and college.Life would have been so much simpler and a whole lot easier... |
