Yes, because the alcohol evaporates from the heat of cooking. Therefore, a child is not getting any alcohol in their systems.
Alcohol does generally cook out in long or high heat dishes but I would take care with things like rum cake, etc. Making one from a recipe I got here at Hp I assumed the rum would all cook out but upon tasting it, along with my company (we all really loved it!) had to wonder if indeed all the rum was cooked out. I did a search about it and found out that it can take as long as two and one-half hours to cook out all alcohol and that flamed brandy can leave 75% of the alcohol! Not only children to be concerned with but going against medications, it is a subject to consider seriously as I have been doing too with Christmas nearing and planning more rum cakes.
I agree about the rum cake. How interesting that it takes 2 1/2 hours to cook out all the alcohol. I really appreciate your thorough answer!
All rum cakes are not created equal. Some are actually basted in rum after they have been baked. Similarly, my own fruitcake recipe is only for those over 21 years old! It gets basted for a month! No dry fruitcake here! ;-)
I also agree about the Rum cake. A girlfriend of mine for my 22nd birthday made me one. She put far to much rum in it. It was really soggy and I didn't care to eat much of it. I had certainly felt its effects.
DzyMsLizzy, I also love fruit cake and rum cake soaked in liquor. There's nothing worse than dry cake! : )
Yes because the cooking clears the alcohol; also, the last time I looked it was only illegal to give alcohol to children under 5 in the UK, I don't know of the legal position in other countries.
Wow, that's interesting information! The U.S. is stricter on their liquor laws.
That is only on last info, I think it has to do with the administration of medicine and is not leave for parents to give kids a slug of whiskey, etc.
While it is true that the alcohol cooks out of any dish, there is also another, fancy-looking, yet easy way to add that flavor. If you are cooking things like stews, where you are pre-browning the meat, you can also add the flavor of the wine or hard liquor at this stage by flaming it.
Simply remove the grease/oils from the pan, so they do not catch fire, and then, in a large metal soup ladle, pre-heat the liquor over a low flame, then, light the liquor itself aflame with a match, and pour the burning alcohol over the meat.
Stir continually to distribute, until the flame dies out, and you have added a unique flavor without adding alcoholic content.
When doing this, be sure to have short sleeves, or roll up your sleeves, and keep long hair tied back, just as a safety precaution. Also, have the pot lid handy just in case you need to quickly smother the flames. It is unlikely you will have a problem, but prepared is better than not.
That's awesome I want to try this. Seared in alcohol that would be a treat.
I really appreciate the safety tips. That's a great method to add unique flavor to a dish.
Lizzy - you are full of surprises! Stay clear of the flames. I would rather watch you prepare the meal and add this special flavor.
Contrary to popular belief, the alcohol does not all evaporate from dishes during cooking. For baked or simmered ones, about a quarter of it remains after an hour, less than a tenth after two and a half hours. It never all comes out.
As a practical matter, you do not need to worry about it. The small amount of alcohol remaining in a cooked dish is not harmful, and it is unlikely social services will come kicking in your door to arrest you and haul your children off to an institution. Of course, as authoritarian as the government is growing you never know, but I have not heard of it happening.
Very interesting that the alcohol doesn't cook out completely. Thanks!
Thank you for that link. You're right. Even cooking for 2.5 hours leaves 5% alcohol. I have some friends who avoid alcohol completely, so this is a good statistic to know. I really appreciate it!
The serving size portion may make a difference, too. For a child who eats very little (some say like a bird) the amount of alcohol would likely be negligible.
Even if the alcohol didn't completely cook out of the food, I can't imagine how much of the dish a child would have to eat in order to be affected. Especially if this food was only cooked occasionally!
Alcohol has been given to children in varying doses over the centuries. In medicines, tonics, food, and even as beverages. Humanity still exists, so I think the chances of a dash of wine in your sautee hurting a child would be extremely slim.
Heck, back in the early days, (Mayflower era and before), kids were routinely served beer. Back then, beer was actually a way of preserving grains; it was like "liquid bread."
And, they obviously survived or we wouldn't exist! ;-)
This is a valid point. Small amounts in infrequent doses aren't harmful to children.
don't see why not. The heat of cooking will evaporate any residual alcohol and you will be left with only the taste. Of course it also depends on the person and the depth of their psycological dependancy.
True, it might not be a good idea for some guests.
Like others have said, the alcohol will evaporate if cooked long enough and or hot enough. Just wanted to add that fondue will still be slightly alcoholic when you serve it, so if you are trying to avoid having kids ingest any alcohol, don't serve that (unless you used a substitute liquid). But as Sharkeye11 says, small amounts given infrequently are harmless to healthy children. No worse than cold and allergy medicine.
That makes sense. Fondue isn't heated enough to evaporate the alcohol. Thank you.
Yes and i don't see any thing wrong with it, well unless someone tells them either way parent's choice. LOL
Hi Vespawoolf!
I think you might want to consult with your pediatrician who knows your child's medical history. Just FYI...my children grew up on food that was prepared with wine more often than beer, but I have used beer on occasion. When I asked the pediatrician about it, he said it was fine because the alcohol cooks out. The only think you might want to consider is chemical sensitivity. Wine has sodium nitrate added in addition to the naturally occurring nitrates, and some people (not just children) can be sensitive to that. I found this out the hard way with myself and my son...we seem to have trouble with certain types of wine.
Good luck and HAPPY COOKING!!
Great answer! i hadn't considered the nitrate issue and you're right, a lot of people are sensitive to it. I think the advice of a pediatrician would definitely put my mind at ease. Thank you!
If the content is not too much, then it is fine.
In strict religion, there are many prohibitions in some food and drink intakes.
So you better check pastor before eating something.
While 100% of the alcohol may not evaporate from the food that your are cooking with beer or wine, unless the child has a special medical condition, or is taking a medication that could possibly interact with the remaining alcohol, a small amount of the food should be okay. A high amount of alcohol in a particular food should probably be avoided. Any uncertainty should be cleared up by contacting your pharmacist or physician.
Hi Vespawoolf,
Firstly it depends on whether they like the taste or not. The alcohol will usually burn off, if cooked at a high enough temperature.
Secondly it depends on local cultural and religious considerations.
Some people believe that alcohol is bad for human consumption.
There is no evidence to suggest that alcohol is detrimental to health especially when used in cooking.
So the answer is yes. Children can eat food cooked with beer or wine and even spirits.
Thank you for your very thorough answer. We've missed seeing you around!
i do steam chicken with chinese wine- just 1 tsp. My kids love the taste eventhough they could hardly taste the differences. It is ok, they don't go tipsy after eating the chicken.
They sure can. If cooked properly the alcohol will be gone and you will be left with the flavor of whatever you used. I have served Beer Can Chicken for years at church pot-lucks, though I get a lot of looks, everyone loved it and not one person staggered out of the church. Beware of Rum Frosting though, without cooking it the alcohol will remain and you can get tipsy if you eat enough, or lick the spoon too much.
I like cooking pasta with white wine. My small sister enjoys it
by sri 13 years ago
Is it ok to have beer or wine when you are recovering from a bone fracture?a friend of mine had a leg fracture in feb this year and is gradually recovering from it. we have an occasion to celebrate and we are planning for some alcohol in the party, is it ok for him?
by Amanda 11 years ago
How do you feel about Chuck E. Cheese's serving beer?Is it inappropriate for a children's play place to serve alcohol? Or is it a genius way of getting more adults to bring their kids? Is Chuck E. Cheese a restaurant like any other or should it be more "innocent"?
by mfavorite 13 years ago
there was a recipe for bbq ribs cooked in beer in the oven on low heat, is it still available?
by davidkaluge 15 months ago
We have heard about the miracle where Jesus turned water to wine. People seem not to understand the type of wine that was made. Some said it was alcohol while some claim it was non-alcohol like fruit wine. I think a knowledge of the wine invoke at that time can give us an idea. Those that oppose...
by Stacie L 9 years ago
Do you think fast food restaurants should also sell liquor?Taco bell will test selling booze in selected stores. Will you be more attracted to these establishments and buy their food if liquor is offered?
by staynegative 14 years ago
So I am curious to see how other people use alcoholic beverages in their cooking. Do you bake with it (for cakes, sweets etc) or do you use it in everyday cooking? Feel free to share your recipes and ideas!Fiz x
Copyright © 2025 The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers on this website. HubPages® is a registered trademark of The Arena Platform, Inc. Other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners. The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers to this website may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website.
Copyright © 2025 Maven Media Brands, LLC and respective owners.
As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.
For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy
Show DetailsNecessary | |
---|---|
HubPages Device ID | This is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons. |
Login | This is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service. |
Google Recaptcha | This is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy) |
Akismet | This is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy) |
HubPages Google Analytics | This is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy) |
HubPages Traffic Pixel | This is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized. |
Amazon Web Services | This is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy) |
Cloudflare | This is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy) |
Google Hosted Libraries | Javascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy) |
Features | |
---|---|
Google Custom Search | This is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy) |
Google Maps | Some articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy) |
Google Charts | This is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy) |
Google AdSense Host API | This service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy) |
Google YouTube | Some articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy) |
Vimeo | Some articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy) |
Paypal | This is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy) |
Facebook Login | You can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy) |
Maven | This supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy) |
Marketing | |
---|---|
Google AdSense | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Google DoubleClick | Google provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Index Exchange | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Sovrn | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Facebook Ads | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Amazon Unified Ad Marketplace | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
AppNexus | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Openx | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Rubicon Project | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
TripleLift | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Say Media | We partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy) |
Remarketing Pixels | We may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites. |
Conversion Tracking Pixels | We may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service. |
Statistics | |
---|---|
Author Google Analytics | This is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy) |
Comscore | ComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy) |
Amazon Tracking Pixel | Some articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy) |
Clicksco | This is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy) |