Have you ever encountered a recipe that requires you to use alcoholic drinks to complete the meal? Whether you’re underaged or simply not in the mood for anything boozy, sometimes such recipes can come as such a hassle. However, did you know that there are quite several alternatives that you can use instead of liquor? To give you a better idea, we provided you with some non-alcoholic alternatives that you can use for cooking instead of liquor.
Why Is Alcohol Used in Cooking?
Before we head on to the non-alcoholic alternatives to liquor, let us first go over why alcohol is used for cooking. Using alcohol in cooking revolves around the idea that it can improve its overall taste if used properly. Alcohol is believed to bond with both fats and water molecules that allow it to elevate your dish’s flavor and aroma. Besides that, alcohol can also be used to uniquely season and enhance your favorite meat recipes’ flavor. So instead of using the best ladles for your kitchen to scoop up a cup of hard-hitting punch, you would pour alcohol over your dinner to make it taste and smell better.
Non-Alcoholic Alternatives for Cooking
As mentioned earlier, there are several reasons as to why you couldn’t or wouldn’t use alcohol when cooking your meal. However, certain recipes may require the taste of alcohol to achieve the best possible flavors. Some recipes might specifically need red wine, white wine, rice wine, or other alcoholic beverages in their recipes. Taking this into consideration, here are some non-alcoholic drinks that you can use as a substitute for the following liquor:
For White Wine
- Lemon juice diluted with equal amounts of water
- White grape juice added with a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar
- White wine vinegar
- Chicken or vegetable stock
For Red Wine
- Chicken, beef, or vegetable stock added with a tablespoon of vinegar for extra flavor
- Grape juice
- Pomegranate juice
- Cranberry juice
- Red wine vinegar
For Rice Wine
- Apple juice
- White grape juice added with a tablespoon of lemon juice
You can use non-alcoholic extracts of the exact type in the supermarket for the following liquors. Regardless, here are some alternatives that you can make using food items commonly found in most pantries.
For Bourbon – Per 2 Tablespoons
- Use 1 ½ to 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract.
For Brandy – Per 2 Tablespoons
- Use ½ to 1 teaspoon of raspberry extract.
- 2 tablespoons of water mixed with white grape juice or apple juice.
For Rum – Per 2 Tablespoons
- Use 2 tablespoons of white grape juice, apple juice, or pineapple juice.
- Use ½ to 1 teaspoon of almond or vanilla extract.
For Vodka – Per 2 Tablespoons
- Use 2 tablespoons of water, white grape juice, or apple cider added with a touch of lime juice.
Conclusion
Considering that not everyone can consume liquor whenever they want, having recipes that require the use of alcohol can be a bit troublesome. Luckily, there are several easy homemade non-alcoholic alternatives that you can use to substitute for liquor for cooking. Hopefully, this article was able to provide you with enough information as to how you can make it. Learn more about healthy alternatives here!