Det är ju en viss skillnad att prata om ren alkohol och alkoholhaltiga drycker. Keller ger ingen vetenskaplig förklaring till sitt påstående. McGee skriver dock att alkohol i små doser kan förhöja smaken, medan högre doser kan påverka maten negativt.
Citerar fritt från "On Food & Cooking" och "The French Laundry":
Citat:
The alcohol itself also provides a third kind of liquid-in addition to water and oil-into which flavor and color molecules can be extracted and dissolved, as well as reactive molecules that can combine with other substances in the food to generate new aromas and greater depth of flavor.
While large amounts of alcohol tend to trap other volatile molecules in the food, small traces boost their volatility and so intensify aroma.
Alcohol has it's own pungent, slightly medicinal qualities, and these qualities can be heightened and become harsh in hot foods. Cooks may therefore simmer or boil sauces for some time to evaporate off as much alcohol as possible
-Harold Mcgee
Citat:
If you're marinating anything with alcohol, cook the alcohol off first. Alcohol doesn't tenderize, cooking tenderizes. Alcohol in a marinade in effect cooks the exterior of the meat, preventing the meat from fully absorbing the flavors in the marinade. Raw alcohol in itself doesn't do anything good to meat.
-Thomas Keller
