Cooking with Alcohol
Does alcohol really cook off?
Alcohol added to a recipe may cook off, but it depends on how long you cook it. The USDA prepared the following table of alcohol content in cooked foods. It provides some very interesting information. You can compare your recipe directions to the table to determine how much alcohol is left.
Cooking with Alcohol Retention Chart
| Preparation Method | Percent Retained |
|---|---|
| No heat applied, immediate consumption | 100% |
| Alcohol added to boiling liquid & removed from heat | 85% |
| Flamed | 75% |
| No heat; stored overnight | 70% |
| Baked, 25 minutes, alcohol not stirred into mixture | 45% |
| Baked/simmered, alcohol stirred into mixture: | |
| 15 minutes | 40% |
| 30 minutes | 35% |
| 1 hour | 25% |
| 1.5 hours | 20% |
| 2 hours | 10% |
| 2.5 hours | 5% |