Why use alcohol when cooking your recipes? The best reason is flavor. Wonderful, delicious flavor, but it's not the only reason.
Many recipes that promise taste delight can make that promise because alcohol is an essential component. What happens is a chemical reaction with other ingredients to balance and bring out the flavors.
Alcohol causes many "foods" to release flavors that cannot be experienced without the interaction that alcohol provides. Beer, for example, contains yeast which leavens breads and batters. Some alcoholic beverages help break down tough fibers, such as with marinades. Other dishes use alcoholic content to provide entertainment, such as flambes and flaming dishes.
But... but... but, I don't drink, and I don't want "booze" in my food. For those who object to adding alcohol, rest assured that the "alcohol" itself, usually burns off. Only the flavor is left. For reference, here's a U.S. Department of Agriculture chart for alcohol burn off, as well as an outline of alcohol cooking substitutions.
Adding alcohol has other uses, too. Wine, for example, lowers the boiling point of cheese in fondue to help prevent curdling. Take leavened foods that call for beer; there is no adequate substitute. You would need to choose another recipe that calls for another leaven such as yeast, baking powder or baking soda.
For marinades, acidic fruits might do the trick for a substitute. For flaming dishes and flambes, you're out of luck if you don't use alcohol. Nothing else works quite the same. For flavoring alone, you often have a number of substitution options, like an extract.
The finest extracts with the most intense flavors are alcohol-based, particularly vanilla. Yum! Fermentation intensifies and concentrates fruit essence into liqueurs, cordials, brandies and wines.
Many foods you already consume are distilled into potent liquors. The reason, of course, is taste that appeals to your palate. Fragrance plays into the scenario, as well. The bouquet warms up the senses and makes the tongue eager with expectation.
Use good judgment when substituting alcohol in recipes. Sweet recipes require different substitutions than savory. Amounts also make a difference. You wouldn't want to use a quarter cup of almond extract to replace the same amount of Amaretto liqueur. The finished recipe will not be how the original cook intended, but it should still be tasty.
Look at the main ingredients of your recipe. Usually the main liquid ingredient can be extended to cover a small amount of required alcoholic ingredient. If the amount is less than a tablespoon, it can probably be omitted although flavor will be lost.
Tips When Using Alcohol in Recipes
Extracts, flavorings and syrups make good substitutes for flavor-based liquors and liqueurs. They need to be diluted.
Use non-alcoholic wines over cooking wine or sherry. Whatever you use in your recipe should be drinkable. Plus, most cooking wines and sherries are loaded with sodium, which detracts from flavor and adds a salty flavor to food.
To help burn off more alcohol and reduce potential injuries when using it for flamed dishes, be sure to warm the liquor before adding to the hot (the food must also be hot!), and use a long match or lighter to ignite it.
Always tilt the pan away from you when igniting. The liquor should be added at very last possible moment and lit as quickly as possible to avoid the liquor soaking into the food. Let the alcohol burn off enough so the flavor does not overpower the dish.