Using Vodka in Recipes

Other than making vodka pasta sauce, and a darn good martini with my favorite garlic stuffed olives, I have not thought of using vodka in recipes, until I happened across a blog which talked about it. The most interesting comment was this one, "Vodka Can Help Meats Absorb Your Marinade and Become Even Tastier
Adding vodka to your favorite sauces produces tasty results, but sometimes we’re in the mood for something smokier and even more savory. When that craving hits, try using vodka in your marinade for your steak, chicken, fish, and so much more. The acidity of vodka will help the meat soak up the flavors of your marinade, leaving your favorite dishes even more mouth-watering." Another was using vodka in pastry, as it said vodka will make the dough fluffier and more tender. In fact, I have never even run across the topic nor seen anything of it on cooking shows. I use a lot of wine, vinegar, vermouth, even some rum in my cooking. How about you, anything you do with vodka in your recipes?

[Jenise]

Vodka in pie dough is an idea that's been around awhile because of the way alcohol evaporates, I believe, and it's considered "tasteless" so the obvious choice. I have to put that in quotes though because to me, it's not tasteless, it's a flavor and aroma I absolutely abhor, having painfully observed it too often as a child on the breath of someone in my family. There is no vodka in my home and never will be.

As for it having acidity, never occurred to me. Does it? Why would I marinate a steak in it when I have wine or vermouth or, for that matter, pineapple juice. Now THERE'S acidity.

I like the flavor of that famous pasta sauce, I will admit; but hey, for all that vodka is the famous ingredient, the herbaceousness of gin does an even better job.

I've been known to put a shot or two of bourbon into somethine 'barbecue', but otherwise I guess I just don't cook with high-powered alcohol.

"I've been known to put a shot or two of bourbon into somethine 'barbecue', but otherwise I guess I just don't cook with high-powered alcohol."
Have you tried the Fireball Whiskey with cinnamon? I bought it to use in a marinade one time and I liked it. Funny thing, when that first became available in our local neighborhood market, they had to put it under lock an key...someone was stealing it. I see now it is on the shelf and they carry a lot of it. so it must me popular. Yet, it sits on my self. Need to play with it sometime and see what I can do with it.

Just found this, and I am going to try
very soon.
ireball Whiskey Sauce
Recipe Type: Barbecue Sauce
Author: Heather Blake
A sweet hot barbecue sauce perfect for grilled chicken or pork. Or pulled chicken or pork.
Ingredients
Olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2-3 jalapeno peppers, diced
4 garlic cloves, chopped
3 cups ketchup
1/2 cup honey
1 cup Fireball Whiskey
2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
3 tbs apple cider vinegar
1 1/12 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
Instructions
Coat a large sauce pan with olive oil and heat to medium. Add the onions, jalapeno peppers and garlic. Saute for 5 minutes or so or until the vegetables become softened.
Add the ketchup, honey, whiskey, Worcestershire, vinegar, salt and pepper. Stir well and turn the heat to low.
Simmer for 1/2 hour and remove from heat.

Pure ethanol is slightly alkaline (pH 7.3; pH 7 = neutral). Vodka generally has a pH in the 6-7 range--slightly acidic but not enough to have any culinary impact in a marinade.

More flavorful spirits such as brandy, rum, and gin are used in cooking to impart their intrinsic flavors to the dish. But the whole point of vodka is that it hardly has any flavor of its own. In the amounts added to dishes, the alcohol in any added spirits usually cooks off before the dish is finished. So I can't see the point of adding vodka.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

Pure ethanol is slightly alkaline (pH 7.3; pH 7 = neutral). Vodka generally has a pH in the 6-7 range--slightly acidic but not enough to have any culinary impact in a marinade.

-Paul W.

Thanks, Paul. It's what I presumed then. And yes re intrinsic flavors.

Karen, never heard of that stuff. But then I don't go into flavored hooch. A peanut butter whiskey is currently popular in my neighborhood, especially if you have the energy to make a peanut butter whiskey and chocolate milk shake for dinner party desserts.

That Fireball recipe you posted is right up your alley.

Vodka in pie dough is an idea that's been around awhile because of the way alcohol evaporates, I believe, and it's considered "tasteless" so the obvious choice.

The point is that you need to add some liquid to the dough to make it pliable and alcohol does not activate gluten as much as water. So you add vodka and form your dough-butter crumble into a pastry with less chance of it becoming tough. (Yes, the alcohol evaporates but so would the water it replaces.)

Thanks, Jeff. The gluten activation issue makes sense.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

(Yes, the alcohol evaporates but so would the water it replaces.)

That I understood, but IIRC the article I read about it (America's Test Kitchen maybe?) suggested that the alcohol evaporates faster and that's what makes this type of crust flakier/more tender. Not so?

I don't think the speed was relevant. The big issue is gluten.

Jeff, who's that intriguing guy at back in photo in latest Chambers St email blast?
The only recent recipes I've used that called for vodka were for gravlax. I assume the vodka helps macerate the dill etc? I think one time I used bisongrass vodka (all I had, 20 years old, we don't drink hard liquor) and once I skipped.

[Jenise]

I don't think the speed was relevant. The big issue is gluten.

And apparently vinegar does the same thing.

Jeff, who's that intriguing guy at back in photo in latest Chambers St email blast?

Gosh, I didn't even look at it when it went by!

I don't think the speed was relevant. The big issue is gluten.

And apparently vinegar does the same thing.

Not everyone thinks so: https://www.myrecipes.com/community/vodka-vinegar-pie-crust