SC - Alcohol in cooking

[Philip & Susan Troy]

Chris Stanifer wrote:
> 
> Alcohol evaporates at a lower temperature than water,
> so if the liquid ingredients are brought to a boil,
> almost all of the alcohol will be driven off as
> alcohol vapor.

One problem with this model, and probably the salient point and source
of confusion, is that alcohol _begins to_ evaporate at a lower
temperature than water _begins to_ evaporate, so simply reaching the
boiling point of water won't remove all of it. There are a huge number
of variables, including relative humidity, altitude/air pressure, etc.

Another consideration is that there are a great number of reasons why
we, as cooks, might want to feel responsible (as in willing/able to act,
not necessarily at fault or culpable) for the alcohol content, perceived
or otherwise, of our product. There's not only the comparatively minor
legal aspect (the wine in the bruet isn't sending drivers out drunk,
normally), but there's also the fact that there is a fairly broad range
of interpretation for persons with addictions of various types. For
some,  a few molecules can offset years of cold-turkey. For others, even
a taste of alcohol-free, synthetic rum flavoring can trigger the
vestiges of a psychological addiction. Just as an example, I have a
friend who hasn't had any alcohol in any kind of concentration in
something like three years, and he became upset at his mother-in-law
(admittedly one of the "How can a few drops hurt you?" school) not for
putting flamed brandy in the dessert, but for _telling _ him about it...
. He was apparently fine until he found out what he was eating. 

Yes, these are all problems for which the victim has to be primarily
responsible for preventing, but we need to be aware of the possibilities
for problems so we know _how_ to warn people, and when, if we're of a
mind to do so.

Adamantius, stealth cook recovering from New Year's marathon 
- -- 
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com