It all depends, There's a couple of different ways to look at it...What do you think about it?

~~~Cheers~~~

Numerous articles state that unless the meal is cooked for over 2.5 hours, there is still an alcohol content so for me, you are still ingesting alcohol. I believe that you either use alcohol or you don't, so I believe that you are not sober if you use alcohol in meals that haven't been cooked for 2.5 hours.
Otherwise, I may as well drop some rum in my cornflakes this morning, where do we draw the line?

You draw the line where YOU feel comfortable.

Some people don't allow others to drink alcohol in their home. Some don't go the restaurants that serve alcohol. Some don't attend weddings, parties, etc if they suspect alcohol will be served. Some people don't take part in the Sacrament of Communion in both species.

I have been been relieved on the obsession for alcohol. I don't fight it, neither do I avoid temptation. I have been placed in a position of neutrality - safe and protected. The problem has been removed. I am neither cocky not am I afraid. That has been my experience.

That being said, I put beer in my BBQ sauce, rum in my bread pudding, and cook with wine. Never in the past 17 years have I the urge to drink alcohol as a result or put rum in my cornflakes. This is all the result of having a spiritual experience and a psychic change as the result of working the 12 Steps of AA.

HC (sober since 07/04/2004)

The only thing I cooked with alcohol (wine) is button mushrooms. The sauté has butter and toward the end of cooking when the lid comes off the flame definitely uses up any alcohol left. However I haven't done this dish since there's not wine hanging around anymore. Personally I wouldn't be opposed, even though I am careful not to let any in my body and won't even drink kombucha.
The thing is though I would never buy it just to cook a dish. I would have to have the mushrooms and be cooking when someone brought the wine into the kitchen.... For the last four years I have been using high quality olive oil and rich vegetable stock and it's pretty delicious.
I agree with you, it's not a good choice, no matter what the science says about burn off.

For me personally, I believe that if you cook with alcohol, you are still drinking in one form or another as it doesn't completely cook off, so there is still an alcohol content.

I had no idea that people in AA were cooking with alcohol, so this has been good for me to hear other peoples perceptions of this, I respect you all, and think this brings up some good points for discussion.

Being 1 1/2 years sober, I could not even contemplate using alcohol in my cooking, for me personally, I would start to justify, well if I use it in cooking what's the harm in a little bit, and before I knew it, would be back to drinking.

Again, this is just me expressing my thoughts, and am enjoying hearing the different points of view.

And I completely agree, it is about where YOU feel comfortable :) - I just don't choose to cook with alcohol, but people have to do what's right for them.

I just wrote yoou a big long pm but lost it in cyberspace after I got timed out and forgot to save it. Here is what little I remember oif it:

I once bought a prepackaged meal at the grocery store, took it home and cooked it after I read the label how to do so. I did not realize it had been cooked with wine. So I asked my Higher Power what to do....I got an answer. I cooked it and ate it. I did not taste any alcohol.

I do not purposely seek out foods cooked in alcohol but accidents happen.
I always follow my heart when I am indecisive about things I am not use to and my Higher Power has never let me down.

~~~Peace~~~

right on Bobolino xxx

I should probably not even tune in. But I understand that if you cook with wine all alcohol is gone.

Stop worrying about it. Just do what is good for you.

hey food for thought right? I will say the amount of wine that went into the meal I cooked was less than the bottle which is smaller than my thumb....I am not craving alcohol and when I go to some restaurants I get the whiskey chicken or bourbon steaks....

the mention of sacramental wine too was made....some people drink that at their church....I do not go to a church that uses real wine....

now if I poured brandy in my cornflakes I would be concerned...or booze in my milk same thing....because the amount used is not used for anything but the high that comes from the booze....cooking with booze ads a different flavor to some things....

it is a great discussion to have at 1 1/2 yrs sober because if you did not discuss it you would not be enlightened by other views of this....

my view is my own....if I drink things today to catch a buzz I have left the sobriety....but cooking with something that is not meant for any other reason than food flavoring to me is a non issue....if I were doing it three meals a day I might be off my rocker in few weeks but nope....no chasing a buzz for me...

CarlyJ, the alcohol content is only removed if you cook the food for 2.5 hours, otherwise it is still in there, healthy debate is good for everyone, and it makes for a discussion which gives us an opportunity to pause & consider !

Not worried about it at all, just wanting to discuss & see what others think, I am early in sobriety & hadn't even considered cooking with alcohol, and thought that's what everyone else was doing, so now I know, you don't know what you don't know !

People consume alcohol without even knowing it. Anything with yeast in it will have small amounts of alcohol.

Take a look at the science:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxqAGbJ3bSA&ab_channel=AdamRagusea

Enjoy!

If the vodka sauce is on the menu at a restaurant I pass because the smell and then taste get my brain ready for that disconnect feeling booze used to offer. It’s just now I know I will go off the chain drinking if I open “Pandora’s Box”. I don’t want to get that little in my system and then CRAVE and OBSESS for more

the way I see it is that my body really likes the Effect produced by alcohol. That is what I’m addicted to, not the physical liquid.

Also the other issue is jealousy. Other people cook with alcohol and I can’t... I have a strong opinion, it’s a core defect I have to wish everyone else would do what I want...


90 percent of the world doesn’t crave more when they have a little. Me I would

So the way for me is to just err on the side of none and that way I’m safe

Besides... truth be told when I used to make a Italian dinner the WHOLE point is I could drink wine , and use some to cook , and then when the bottle was empty it was ok because ... it was “used to cook with”

Really I was in the kitchen and could fill and refill without people noticing ...