Having a background in cooking in professional kitchens and so forth i understand that when we cook with alcohol most or all of the booz is cooked out during preparation.. but somehow I still won’t eat anything that has a white wine sauce or bourbon glaze and so forth.. also I’m uncertain about dressings containing ingredients such as red and white wine vinegar and also desserts such as tirimissu where the booz isn’t cooked out at all.. any thoughts on if eating boozy food is considered cheating.. the line is very fuzzy I believe.
That is a very fuzzy line. Are you eating it or drinking it for the effect (to alter the way you feel, to get drunk?) These are things I think about. Most importantly, I don’t want to taste the alcohol or simulated flavor. If it’s not cooked out, that definitely a no go for me. It’s the same reason why I don’t use mouthwash with alcohol in it, I look for nonalcoholic vanilla for baking, I won’t cross into na beer, and so forth. This is my personal preference.
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It’s a big surprise sometimes. I was went to a cake and tea with family a while ago and was caught off-guard by a brandy ball. It was pretty strong! I thought it was just a little chocolate ball.
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That’s why I don’t consider that type of situation a lapse because you didn’t knowingly eat something with alcohol in it. There was an incident with my Grandfather (who had been sober 38 years) a long time ago when we got a dessert to share…a raspberry something…and we had to send it back because it had liquors in it and it didn’t represent that on the menu.
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I agree, but it sure can trigger one.
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Absolutely. I’ve had it happen. Sometimes it’s not advertised and that’s frustrating
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Robin brings up a good point. I would never eat a brandy soaked cake or such but a pasta sauce or fondue with wine in for flavour doesn’t bother me. I guess I would have to understand it’s purpose. In desserts it’s mostly for making it potent but in main dishes it is just s flavouring…like cinnamon or hot peppers might be. A pasta dish would never trigger me but a cake might.
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I watched this a while ago. I followed SciShow on fb before I deactivated it. Really eye opening.
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Also, I don’t find red wine vinegar triggering. I use it in cooking occasionally. But you can usually sub in a different vinegar (such as rice vinegar) and have a comparable result. I used to make my risotto with a bit of white wine but now I just use extra veggie broth. Most recipes will have an alternative you can use. It’s all personal preference. I love Kahlua cake but I know I won’t ever eat it again because it would be triggering.
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@Steve92 I’ll still eat it, but it has to be prepared for me. A fun hobby of mine was cooking “with wine.” Maybe it needed a tablespoon, maybe it needed 3/4 of a cup, it didn’t matter, because that wine bottle was empty by the time I finished that damn recipe.
I would say the recipes that included beer/wine/liquor were my faves. I’d finish off just about anything. Good topic.
I don’t have issues with wine and such in food but I am a firm believer in avoiding our own triggers rather than using universal rules, like me needing to avoid kombucha!
Do what you need to do and stay focused on giving yourself your best shot at staying sober.
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If the taste or smell of alcohol in food doesn’t trigger you, i think you’re ok.
I’m a foodie and I refuse to avoid trying a dish because it may have alcohol in it. Food doesn’t trigger me. When I go out to dinner with friends in jealous they have a nice glass of wine with their meal and I’m having iced tea. But the pasta sauce or dessert doesn’t push me over the edge…if I caved (I haven’t yet) it would be the bottle of wine or round of after dinner shots everyone else is partaking in that would do it for me.
I think it depends on each individual’s needs. Eating food with booze in it isn’t a relapse to me, because I won’t get intoxicated from that trace alcohol.
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