Ask the experts: Cooking with alcohol

Q: "I’ve heard alcohol is ‘burnt off’ during cooking. Does this mean it’s safe for me to eat recipes with alcohol in them when I’m pregnant?"

Registered nutritionist Claire Turnbull responds:

“When alcohol is used in food, the amount that remains in the final dish depends on the type of drink used, and the temperature and duration of cooking. It’s difficult to be precise about the amount of alcohol that remains, but a rough estimate is 25–75 per cent when cooking a dish for under an hour. To avoid alcohol completely, try some of the following tips.”

Zero-proof swaps

Consider these flavour-boosting substitutes for alcohol in recipes.

• Replace white wine with: apple juice, grape juice, stock.
• Replace red wine with: grape juice with a splash of red wine vinegar, beef stock.
• Replace brandy or fruit liqueur with: apple, orange or cranberry juice.
• Replace beer with: ginger ale or stock.