Urgent. Cooking for recovering alcoholic. Substitute for white wine please!

[Reallyimeanreally2022]

Fright in middle of cooking a Ragu with pork and veal (it’s a blonde Ragu ie no tomato’s and uses milk)

Recipe call for 500 ml of white wine

What’s a brilliant substitute for this kind of meaty pasta sauce

Thanks so much

I'm astonished that anyone would start cooking a recipe for someone with very specific and serious dietary requirements without bothering to read it first.

Apple juice or stock. Don't use alcohol free wine!

There is tomato purée in bolognese

I'm Italian

Alcohol doesn't burn off. Most of it does because to start with it has a lower boiling point than water, but at a certain point it forms a scientific thing with the water and adopts the same boiling point. If there is any moisture at all there will be some alcohol.

@cultkid

There is tomato purée in bolognese

I'm Italian

This is my favourite post, missing every single point of the OP

It fucking annoyed me and I rarely swear

It's a blonde ragu; there is no tomato in it, that is the point!

@cultkid

She is not making bolognese. Can you not read?
It is a blonde ragu. There is no tomato. Has fuck all to do with you being Italian.

@cultkid
It's in the first sentence of her OP.

OP, you have not been rude or aggressive at all. Am horrified at some of the replies on this thread. If people have no experience of alcoholics in recovery and have no idea how to cook without alcohol then what the hell are they doing commenting on this thread?

Alcohol does not burn off completely, even if cooked for a very long time. Can't believe people still spout that nonsense. Not to mention the taste will still remain. People in recovery don't need to taste even a tiny bit of the substance they are addicted to.

Hope your food turns out great!

Sparkling water

See this is what I don’t understand.

We ALL rush into cooking stuff and realise halfway this or that won’t fit.

But the OP - has - fiercely, boldly, specifically and even aggressively - declared how promise bound she is to the no alcohol point, how very important and critical this particular aspect is and how absolutely red line ish this matter is.

So here’s the thing: since THIS is such a red line, and since promises have been made - does it result follow logic that OP wouldn’t check THIS exact thing in her recipe?

That’s the bit that doesn’t make sense.

It’s like if I make it my life’s mission to cool gluten free, and I make promises to my guests to cook gluten free - would I not then check my recipe to see it’s gluten free?

But the OP - has - fiercely, boldly, specifically and even aggressively - declared how promise bound she is to the no alcohol point, how very important and critical this particular aspect is and how absolutely red line ish this matter is. So here’s the thing: since THIS is such a red line, and since promises have been made - does it result follow logic that OP wouldn’t check THIS exact thing in her recipe?

These were my thoughts exactly! So she either promised the couple beforehand there wouldn't be any alcohol in which case it's just fucking bonkers to decide on a ragu that uses half a bottle of wine. Or she began cooking and suddenly realised her mistake and got in touch with the wife to find out more details. As a result of the conversation she promised to find an alcohol free substitute, but it still doesn't explain the overt hostility and copious outing details on this thread.

I think OP is more the theatric type and saving all this up as a good story someday ("Can you believe that time I nearly added half a bottle of wine while cooking for XYZ, har har omg"). Your example mentions gluten and there is no chance in hell anyone could "accidentally" pick a recipe that calls for half a loaf of bread when hosting a coeliac friend.

I'd just use 500ml of water. Maybe diluted chicken stock. Or Um Bongo

Can anyone help ? I’m just cooking steak and chips for my vegetarian friend and OMG IVE JUST REALISED HALFWAY THROUGH COOKING THE CHIPS THAT THERES MEAT IN THE STEAK!!! Can anyone recommend a meat free alternatively super quick? Oh and anyone who tried to help you can all get to fuck in advance !!

Yeah, I totally agree, if you are cooking for someone and so determined to cook for recovering alcoholics so there is no way you can use any alcohol in the ingredients, first thing you would do is check recipe, and avoid anything which include alcohol. Not the ones which need more than a half the bottle of wine. I think this is wind up. No one can be so clueless and aggressive at the same time.

You need these Just Add Wine sachets. They’re amazing and yes alcohol free. Used to get them in my Gousto box but found them in Sainsbury’s. Also comes in white wine. Tesco also make alcohol free wine stock pots.

Stock with a bit of apple cider vinegar

Only chance to update to day before leaving for work…. The benefit of socialising with absolutely no alcohol all night!

It was a success. A cook, I am NOT! And certainly not with meat. But extra stock and some balsamic vinegar worked very well. Thought i would have leftovers for the children tonight - but none left, which speaks volumes!

Thank you for the suggestions. Have a good days

Not a good cook, but have balsamic vinegar handy to substitute the ingredients at last minute? It's either you are making it up, or winding people up.

@Megistotherium

Not a good cook, but have balsamic vinegar handy to substitute the ingredients at last minute? It's either you are making it up, or winding people up.

I live on salads. Would be bereft without my beloved balsamic vinegar!

Fair enough.

@SweetBabyCheeses99

You need these Just Add Wine sachets. They’re amazing and yes alcohol free. Used to get them in my Gousto box but found them in Sainsbury’s. Also comes in white wine. Tesco also make alcohol free wine stock pots.

See note from OP about taste triggers. I can’t imagine these would be suitable under the circumstances.

OP - Good to hear that the meal was a success!