SC - Re: Alcohol in food (RANT)

[B. M. Crumb]

Mordonna22 at aol.com wrote:
> 
> In a message dated 2/29/2000 6:25:40 PM US Mountain Standard Time,
> Bronwynmgn at aol.com writes:
> 
> <<
>  Because I'm not sure how much the alcohol would cook out just frying them in
>  oil in a frying pan.  I don't imagine they'd cook very long.  I have no
>  problem with serving kids things like brewets or other long-cooking items
>  that have wine in them, but I'm wary of things that cook quickly, like this.
> 
>  If I did make it with the wine, I would feel obliged to make sure that a)
> the
>  parents knew there was alcohol in it, and b) that it hadn't cooked very
> long,
>  so that they could make an informed decision as to whether they should feed
>  it to their kids.
> 
>  Brangwayna >>
> 
> The apple frittour recipe I posted earlier calls for ale and ale balm.  When
> I attempted it the first time for the article, I warmed the ale gently to
> just above skin temperature, then cooled it to around 90 degrees and added
> yeast.  Heated this way, the ale loses much of it's alcohol content.
> However, if you really do not want any alcohol at all in the finished
> product, (no matter what it is) be sure not to add any yeast, do not use any
> sour dough starter, do not allow any pastes, doughs, or batters made of wheat
> or cereal products to sit out for more than a few hours, do not use any
> prepared vanilla extracts, or any flavoring extracts, do not add any ripe
> fruits, do not even use simple syrups, in fact, do not use any sugar (because
> I have seen even sweetened ice tea ferment), do not use any aged sauces.
> 
> Mordonna the Cook,

My lady,

I think that you and the other people who are responding in this
way are taking your objections to an expressed desire not to use
added alcohol in food prepared for children way too far.

Naturally occurring alcohol, such as that occuring in the natural
digestion of sugars and starches are not in violation of my
religious food restrictions, and personal preferences.  Just what
is wrong with saying I don't want wine added as an ingredient in
my food?  Or ale or other alcoholic beverage?  Sourdough,
flavoring extracts and things like that are not in violation of
the Word of Wisdom... and are normally used as ingredients in
items that ARE cooked long enough for the alcoholic content to
cook off.  And, I don't know about you, but even before I joined
my current church and chose to obey the dietary restrictions, I
certainly had no desire to drink fermented iced tea!

I'm not telling people to not use alcoholic additions to their
food, but I am really offended at the attitude you all seem to
have against people like me who have valid reasons for not
wanting to add alcoholic beverages to the food we eat.  The
initial recipe was described as something that was quickly deep
fried, and there was doubt that the alcohol would burn off
completely. I felt that was a valid concern to people like me. 
Is it because my refusal to use those beverages in my cooking
comes from a religious restriction that is the problem?  What if
I were a recovering alcoholic?  I know many recovering alcoholics
who avoid foods with added alcohol because the flavor can trigger
a craving in them. Is that a more acceptable reason for not
desiring to consume alcohol "enhanced" foods?

There are a lot of period recipes out there that can be prepared
substituting other liquid for the booze, beer and wine in them
that still taste great.  Okay, so it won't be perfectly period if
you are looking at an *exact* reproduction of a primary source
recipe... but a GOOD cook will find logical, good tasting ways to
make that adaptation.


The attitude I perceive from you and the other people on this
list, who appear to be astonished that some people don't choose
to use alcohol in their cooking, implies that our choices are not
made with forethought and consideration, but merely are the
inarticulate whinings of people who are merely spoilsports and
only capable of following blindly the words of some authoritarian
figure.  I made my decision to avoid alcohol not only in drink
but in my food with full knowledge of what I was doing.  With a
family history of severe alcoholism to back up my religious
beliefs, I don't want to risk what alcohol ingestion could do to
me and my family.  

I certainly would appreciate it if the dietary choices of persons
like myself were not scorned in this forum.

Bernadette