Welcome to Fact or Fiction, a new online column in which we dive into the truth behind some well-accepted foodie wives’ tales – and reveal whether they’re fact or fiction. All alcohol burns off when cooking Fiction: While professionals can’t agree on whether all the alcohol truly burns off when boiling or simmering a sauce, most studies have shown that at least some alcohol remains in food after cooking. Alcohol has a lower boiling point than water, so it’s commonly assumed that the alcohol will begin to evaporate before the water does. This much is true. However, even after boiling or simmering a sauce, some alcohol can still remain – the amount, though, can differ. It all depends on how long you cook it, at what temperature and the concentration of the cooking method.
According to a 2003 study by the USDA, the amount of alcohol remaining in food after it’s cooked can range greatly – from 5 percent to 85 percent. The most affective method of removing alcohol from a sauce, according to the study, is to bake or simmer it for several hours. The least affective? Adding it to a boiling liquid, quickly flambéing it and then removing it from the heat.
This article appears in Aug 1-31, 2010.