Many of us have cooked with
alcohol, whether wine or straight alcohol for flaming dishes.
There is a persistent myth that cooking removes the alcohol
making it safe for alcoholics and children.
However, it is
difficult to remove alcohol from food by cooking. Setting fire
to alcohol in the pan actually reduces the total alcohol
percentage by only 25%. In other words, when you add a cup of
brandy to a pan and set it alight, once the flames go out you
still have the equivalent of 3/4 of cup of brandy left behind
with the alcohol intact. If you want to reduce the alcohol to
five percent you need to cook for 2.5 hours.
Information comes from the
'Modernist Cuisine Book 1 History and Fundamentals'. The full six
volume set contains 2,438 pages, which detail the history of
cuisine and explain the science of cooking. The team comprises
scientists, research, and development chefs.