Does Wine Evaporate in Cooking?

Karen, is it really true that when you use wine in cooking, all the alcohol evaporates?

Most of the alcohol will, but only if the dish is cooked for a couple of hours, like a stew.  About a decade ago, the U.S.D.A. conducted research on this issue.  Their findings showed clearly that the longer something is cooked, the less alcohol remained.  In the experiment, 85% of alcohol remained after wine was added to a boiling liquid and then the pot was removed from the heat.  If the food was baked or simmered 15 minutes, about 40 percent of the alcohol remained.  After one hour, only 25 percent remained; and after 2 2 hours, just 5 percent.   Keep in mind that wine does not have a huge amount of alcohol to begin with (generally 12 to 15 percent) so for most people, the final amount of alcohol in their portion of a dish is rarely a problem.

— Karen

Want to add a comment, insight, clarification?  Subscribers can post it on the Education Forum.