Cooking with Wine?

Question

I love to cook - is it safe for me to eat foods and sauces with wine in them during pregnancy?

Answer 1

Yes it is. Alcohol evaporates with the heat of cooking. When you cook wine, the alcohol leaves and all that you are left with is the flavor. If you are cooking a think sauce, such as a marinara, then cook the wine in a side pan for a short period of time under a very low temp, then add it to the sauce. Never use more than 4 oz if you are pregnant, and make sure that you are using a fan over your stove so that the fumes are not lingering above the food. If you do not have a vent over your stove, then avoid cooking wine for a time.

Answer 2

Yes, as long as you are not dumping a whole bottle of wine in. Besides, most of the alcohol cooks off, but just leaves the flavor.

Answer 3

Not a problem. Since the alcohol burns off quickly during cooking there shouldn't be anything to worry about. Besides, you are getting such a small amount, that it wouldn't do you, or your baby, any harm. As long as you don't pour yourself a glass or two while cooking....lol, (just joking, by the way)

Answer 4

When you cook with wine or alcohol, the actual alcohol cooks out rather quickly, so you have nothing to worry about. Congratulations on the pregnancy, and happy cooking!

Answer 5

If the sauces have been heat through you should not have a problem. The alcohol in the wine dissipates when it is heated. Be safe though and avoid any alcohol.

Answer 6

Most doctors will tell you an occasional glass of wine is okay, but generally when you cook with it the alcohol evaporates and leaves the flavors behind.

Answer 7

Yes of course...the alchol cooks out of the food. Besides, one glass of wine even with dinner is not going to hurt you or your baby. As long as you do it in moderation...like once every other week. I had a glass a month, and my son is very happy and healthy.

Good luck and congratulations on your pregnancy.

Answer 8

yes when cooking w/wine the alcohol burns off

Answer 9

The alcohol burns off and the taste remains. There is no reason you can;'t cook with wine.

Answer 10

1 Yes, it's safe.

2 No, not because alcohol burns off.

"The conventional wisdom accepted by just about everyone in the food world is that all the alcohol you add to a dish evaporates or dissipates during cooking. It’s wrong. In fact, you have to cook something for a good three hours to really eradicate all traces of alcohol."

http://www.ochef.com/165.htm

"Is there a safe or acceptable level of alcohol consumption for pregnant women?

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists recently conducted a large study including 400,000 American women, all of whom had consumed alcohol during pregnancy. Not a single case of fetal alcohol syndrome occurred and no adverse effects on children were found when consumption was under 8.5 drinks per week. 3

A recent review of research studies found that fetal alcohol syndrome only occurs among alcoholics. The evidence is clear that there is no apparent risk to a child when the pregnant woman consumes no more than one drink per day. 4"

http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/FetalAlcoholSyndrome.html

See also "Wine and Pregnancy – Lies That Women Are Told"

http://dovercanyon.typepad.com/women_wine_critics_board/2006/01/wine_and_pregna.html

&

http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1360-0443.1991.tb01873.x

"There is a strong ideological and political movement in the USA to convince pregnant women not to drink any alcohol. An examination of the research literature on the results of drinking during pregnancy does not provide any evidence that light drinking is harmful to the foetus."