No, not all alcohol evaporates during cooking (and better substitutes)

These liqueurs add many nuances to our recipes, such as acidity, sweetness, or changes in the texture of the food. To learn how to successfully replace alcohol in your recipes, you must first identify its function and look for substitutes that can perform the same function in your dish.

How much alcohol actually evaporates when cooking?

Depending on the type of preparation carried out, the amount of alcohol that evaporates from the dish will change:

• Flambéing: this technique, which consists of setting a preparation on fire after adding an alcoholic beverage, only eliminates 25% of the alcohol content.
• Baking: in 25 minutes of baking, approximately 55% of the alcohol is eliminated.
• Simmer over low heat. Depending on how long you cook the stew, you'll be able to eliminate more alcohol. In two and a half hours, you can evaporate up to 95% of the alcohol. However, even if you cook it longer, some will still remain.

The best wine substitutes in cooking

From beef cheeks in red wine, clams in white wine, chorizo ​​in cider or even a dessert of pears in red wine, this drink is used in a wide variety of recipes.

• To replace red wine, you can mix a glass of grape juice or must with one or two tablespoons of vinegar to counteract the sweetness and add a touch of acidity. You can also combine beef broth with a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. It's perfect for meat recipes like ragù or stew.
• As for the white wine, you can try mixing a cup of vegetable broth with a tablespoon of lemon juice or white wine vinegar. If you don't have broth, you can also use water.

The trick to replacing stronger liquors without losing flavor

• Cognac or brandy: these liquors provide a touch of wood and nuts that can be imitated with meat broth and sherry vinegar.
• Rum, for its part, provides a sweetness and an intense color that can be achieved by dissolving a tablespoon of brown sugar in a glass of water.
• Vodka: Clear, neutral spirits like vodka aren't used for their flavor, but rather to enhance aromas or alter textures, as in the classic pasta alla vodka. In this case, you could substitute it with water and a splash of lemon juice, since the lemon's acidity balances the cream's richness and enhances the tomato flavor. In dough recipes where vodka is used to make them crispier, you can replace it with the same amount of very cold white vinegar.

More and more non-alcoholic or "0.0" beverage options are appearing on the market that almost perfectly mimic the taste and could be an ideal option for your alcohol-free recipes.