Does Alcohol Cook Off In A Slow Cooker? The Answer May Throw You For A Loop

A slow cooker is a handy kitchen gadget, especially for those "set and forget" meals that future you will be grateful for. Simply combine the ingredients for a chunky split pea soup into the slow cooker in the morning, and you'll have a warm and comforting meal waiting for you at the end of the day. Or, you can wake up to the aromas of an autumnal serving of steel-cut oats thanks to your pre-planning the night before. With so many possibilities, you might want to experiment with other recipes, some of which call for a generous splash of a boozy ingredient. In that case, is the slow cooker up for the task to properly cook a recipe dish that includes alcohol? Cutting to the chase, cooking with alcohol is one of many mistakes you can make when using a slow cooker, and here's why.

A slow cooker does its culinary magic with its lid on, so the alcohol that would have otherwise evaporated condenses back into the mix. What you're likely to be left with is a dish with a distinct taste of alcohol, which could very well compromise your faculties once consumed. Not allowing the alcohol to cook off is a recipe for disaster, and one of the cardinal mistakes when cooking with wine, according to chef Alex Guarnaschelli, so a slow cooker might not be the recommended choice. That doesn't mean there's no room for alcohol in a slow cooker dish if the recipe calls for adding the alcohol at the end of the cooking process, though, or parts of the cooking that require booze happen separately on the stovetop before being added to the slow cooker.

There is a science behind why cooking with alcohol is cherished in the gastronomic realm. It works as a flavor-enhancer by interacting with volatile flavor compounds, which assists our sense of smell to detect otherwise subtle notes, elevating the experience of every spoonful. From spirits that can put a sophisticated spin on a savory sauce, wines that infuse robust flavors into hearty stews, and even liqueurs to work into decadent desserts, alcohol can work wonders in the kitchen when used properly. As we've established, it's essential to ensure that the alcohol is sufficiently cooked off so you can savor the depths of added flavor to your meal without the buzz, and it takes a certain amount of time for alcohol to cook off in your food. The longer it's cooked, the more of the alcohol that evaporates, but keep in mind that there will still be some residual amounts of alcohol present.

For a successful slow cooker recipe that requires the added layer of complex flavor from your choice of alcohol, like red wine in rich stews or braised proteins, you can add the wine to the open cooker, allow the alcohol to cook off while thoroughly stirring to combine all the ingredients before popping the lid back on to complete the cooking process. Alternatively, if your slow cooker has a sauté function, take advantage of that to cook off the splash of spirit like in a luscious vodka sauce. Or, if you don't mind the extra dish to wash, cook down the alcohol along with other vegetables in a separate pan before adding it to the slow cooker.