If good vodka has no flavor, and alcohol evaporates with heat?

Question

Why are there recipes for "penne ala Vodka"? What is the point, exactly? Wouldn't it taste exactly the same without the vodka?

Answer 1

You're right. Vodka by definition is a neutral spirit, which has boiling point of 83 F. If you get your sauce above the required 140 degrees for short length of time the alcohol is gone . Should any alcohol remain , the sauce needs to be cooked longer because the taste of raw alcohol is not a desirable flavor.
Vodka has no other flavor components so there is nothing else to contribute to the taste of the food.
I would guess that if a blind taste test was done ,even well educated palates such as mine would not be able to pick up the vodka. So why use it?
BTW David- If you check the recipe for penne ala vodka you will notice that there is no deglazing involved nor any aromatic flavor extraction which would require the use of alcohol.

Answer 2

Sometimes it is all in the name, like in "Jack Daniels" this or that.

Not all the alcohol evaporates before any of the water. You can't actually separate alcohol and water perfectly, even in a distillation column, without doing some serious tricks (a third solvent, freezing, etc). The longer it cooks, the less alcohol there is, the less water there is, and the lower "proof" the mixture is.

Any alcholic drink can be used to extract flavors from foods or herbs to get them into a sauce, for instance. Many flavors are oils or resins that don't dissolve much at all in water but do in alcohol.

Such as a port wine reduction sauce. The alcohol is boiled away. And while red wines obviously contribute lots of flavor, the alcohol component also extracts flavors from the glaze on the pan.

So something that is pretty much just alcohol like vodka will have most of its effects through 1) that alcohol that remains (and may be keeping flavors in solution in a sauce) and 2) transferring flavors from pan glaze, whole herbs, etc.

If you want to go cheaper, given the very slight taste that vodka has, you could use a smaller volume of Everclear.

Answer 3

Adding the vodka does not really add any flavor, but using the alcohol does actually serve a purpose. Various flavors in foods can be brought out and made taste better by adding differant ingredients to them. Some flavors are brought out by just adding water, others are brought out by oils and other flavors are brought out only in the presence of alcohol. So adding vodka doesn't really add flavor, but it accentuates hidden flavors.

Answer 4

Excellant point, and I have been saying the same for years. My mother in law had mada Penne ala vodka, and did not cook off the alcohol. My son at the time was about 8 years old, he thought it was great then he took a nap.

Answer 5

The vodka can soak in and give it just a dash of different flavor. (Also, all of the alcohol will not evaporate off, it will leave some behind.)

Answer 6

Welllll, you'd certainly think so. Your question makes good sense. Usually there is an essence from the beverage after evaporation has occured. I just don't think I would waste my good vodka on this recipe. Make a mojito instead.
Cheers!

Answer 7

absolutely not, it is used as a flavoring in which it lives on in food, the alcohol does not for it evaporates

Answer 8

annoying Spirits won't break like Wine does (for occasion) as quickly as opened. you could save spirits open (yet sealed with cap of direction) for an prolonged quantity of time. Even longer interior the freezer the place 80 evidence stuff won't freeze. Saves the ice and the dilution of your drink of determination.

Answer 9

Why do you think Vodka is added (or drunk) for taste?