Alcohol in Food

Breizier
Breizier Posts: 221 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I used half a bottle of wine in my coq au vin.

Given that alcohol evaporates or is burned off during cooking, how do I calculate these calories?

Replies

  • ktekc
    ktekc Posts: 879 Member
    not sure how to answer your question but ive heard not as much burns off as we have been told. If anyone has an answer id be curious to know too. . because of . . .reasons. . lol
  • CorneliusPhoton
    CorneliusPhoton Posts: 965 Member
    I would take the safe route and assume that most of the calories are still there. By the time you portion it all out, it's probably negligible anyway.
  • MelaniaTrump
    MelaniaTrump Posts: 2,694 Member
    edited July 2016
    I found this answer in: https://www.caloriecount.com/forums/recipes/happens-alcohol-calories-cook-wine
    ... your math is close, but ethanol doesn't have the same density as water (100mL of ethanol ≠ 100g of ethanol). The density of ethanol is 0.789g/mL.
    so, 100mL of wine which is 10% alcohol by volume has 10mL of ethanol.
    10mL EtOH x 0.789g/mL = 7.89g EtOH
    7.89g EtOH x 7Cal/g = 55 Calories in 100mL of wine
    That equates to 130 Calories of alcohol in a cup of wine (213 Calories total)
    Now, if you simmer the wine for 30 minutes and have 35% remaining, then you have burned off 65% of the alcohol. This means that you burn off 6.5mL of ethanol for every 100mL of wine.
    6.5mL EtOH x 0.789g/mL = 5.1g EtOH
    5.1g EtOH x 7Cal/g = 36 Calories burned off from 100 mL of wine (54 Cal left).
    That equates to 85 Calories burned off from a cup of wine, leaving behind 128 Calories for you to consume.
  • tiptoethruthetulips
    tiptoethruthetulips Posts: 3,371 Member
    Alcohol has 7 calories per gram. I too understand that not as much alcohol is cooked off in the majority of cooking, but that does depend on the temperature and duration of cooking.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,093 Member
    MelaniaTrump wrote: »
    I found this answer in: https://www.caloriecount.com/forums/recipes/happens-alcohol-calories-cook-wine
    ... your math is close, but ethanol doesn't have the same density as water (100mL of ethanol ≠ 100g of ethanol). The density of ethanol is 0.789g/mL.
    so, 100mL of wine which is 10% alcohol by volume has 10mL of ethanol.
    10mL EtOH x 0.789g/mL = 7.89g EtOH
    7.89g EtOH x 7Cal/g = 55 Calories in 100mL of wine
    That equates to 130 Calories of alcohol in a cup of wine (213 Calories total)
    Now, if you simmer the wine for 30 minutes and have 35% remaining, then you have burned off 65% of the alcohol. This means that you burn off 6.5mL of ethanol for every 100mL of wine.
    6.5mL EtOH x 0.789g/mL = 5.1g EtOH
    5.1g EtOH x 7Cal/g = 36 Calories burned off from 100 mL of wine (54 Cal left).
    That equates to 85 Calories burned off from a cup of wine, leaving behind 128 Calories for you to consume.

    You are basing this on the false assumption that the amount of ethanol in the liquid lost during simmering is proportional to the amount of ethanol in the wine to start with. If that were the case, distilling would not work.
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
    I'd just log it along with my other weighed raw ingredients, add it to the recipe builder, and log as normal. It doesn't need to be so complicated, and if you overestimate, it won't hurt.
  • Breizier
    Breizier Posts: 221 Member
    Thanks all. I guess the most accurate thing to do is just drink my wine and forget the cooking.

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