I had some cranberries and blueberries that were past their prime, so to preserve them I made them into a liqueur. However I'm not much of an alcohol drinker, so I was thinking of using this liqueur for cooking. How does one use fruit liqueur in cooking? Will there be a noticeable taste difference from using the juice of these fruits once the alcohol has evaporated?
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2You could always use it in ways that aren't actually "cooked". For example, you can soak berries in it and use it as a filling for cakes/cupcakes.– CatijaMay 5, 2015 at 19:07
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2The alcohol won't evaporate. The idea that alcohol added to cooked dishes is imprecise, I don't have the table at hand for evaporation percentage vs time but at least half of it stays forever.– rumtscho ♦May 5, 2015 at 22:43
1 Answer
Sorry rumtscho that is incorrect. Alcohol will completely evaporate, what does stay "forever" is the flavor the spirit will impart but chemically ethyl is evaporative, to test my posit try wiping some rubbing or high proof vodka on a glass surface and you can actually watch it evaporate. The "How" depends on the recipe in e.g., deserts usually @ the end or in a finishing sauce. You could also make a chutney or in a marinade.
Cheers!
EDG
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5Actually I'm afraid you're incorrect. The idea that alcohol completely evaporates during anything but relatively long cooking is a myth, as shown by this study: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1556354, summarised here: whatscookingamerica.net/Q-A/AlcoholCooking.htm. Even a 2.5 hour braise will leave around 5% of the alcohol behind; flambeeing will leave 75%. May 7, 2015 at 14:52