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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to feed kids my "special" bolognese?

83 replies

SunSoakedStone · 13/03/2012 09:52

Had friends over last night so made what I thought to be an inoffensive bolognese.

When my friend discovered I used Wine in the recipe she went MAD, saying how harmful it was to DCs.

Ended up giving her DDs cheese on toast, which is fine, she can feed them how she likes. But is she right- is it harmful?

I would ask DS but he has a hangover and won't speak to me Wink (joke! before anyone starts!)

OP posts:
choppychopster · 13/03/2012 10:15

Cheers ripsishere. I'm also now worrying about demands for a kebab with extra chilli sauce after a session on the stew. Grin

Happenstance · 13/03/2012 10:16

well i'm making Bolognase for tea and now i fancy putting some red in it thanks OP, sounds yummy :)

YouChangeWithTheWeather · 13/03/2012 10:17

You say the alcohol burns off... weeeeelll, my Christmas cake was fairly moist shall we say and the kids' breath certainly stunk of Amaretto for a while after

But in the spag bol case, giving them cheese on toast is just daft.

FredFredGeorge · 13/03/2012 10:18

Well... alcohol doesn't actually boil off that easily. Research here suggests that simmering a bolognaise for 15 minutes would only get rid of around half the alcohol content.

However, there's absolutely nothing wrong with giving a child the tiny amount of alcohol that remains, so yes your friend is bonkers and YANBU.

squeakytoy · 13/03/2012 10:27

You would not get rid of all the alchohol, but it certainly wouldnt be enough to do any harm at all.

Cakes on the other hand would have a higher alcohol content as the alcohol goes into the cake after cooking and does not evaporate in the same way.

BellaVita · 13/03/2012 10:30

Oh ffs she is completely mad.

I always use wine in mine and the boys are now 15 and 12 and they are perfectly fine. Even if I was having guests with children I would not change my recipe,

The alcohol would have burnt off during cooking.

BellaVita · 13/03/2012 10:30

and I simmer mine for around 3 hours!

sassymcnassy · 13/03/2012 10:32

yeah but who simmers a bolognese for only 15 mins? and you're only talking a splash anyway.

Tee2072 · 13/03/2012 10:33

Agree with everyone saying not all the alcohol burns off. My mom can't have any alcohol due to health issues and she was advised by her GP to not even cook with it.

But your friend is also a loon. Hardly enough in a whole bolognaise to fret about, unless you put 2 or 3 bottles in it!

entropygirl · 13/03/2012 10:34

Ha! you think you have it bad...I only just won back the rights to drink 0% alcohol beer while breast feeding...coz you know its not absolutely zero blah blah blah...

tis true that only about half of alcohol is lost during the cooking of spag bol but even in neat it would still be a small amount once shared around....

less dangerous than the high salt content in cheese no doubt

catgirl1976 · 13/03/2012 10:35

won back the right from whom entropy?

was this a law in a different country?

Mrsjay · 13/03/2012 10:39

Unless you put the wine in sippy cups for the children Grin the wine in food doesnt have any alcohol in it . shes a bit loony and obviously doesnt know about cooking ,

Pseudo341 · 13/03/2012 10:43

Who did you need permission from entropy? if it was your DH I assume he wasn't drinking it either, he might have breathed on the baby.

Your friend is a nutter, and very rude, I wouldn't invite her back.

winnybella · 13/03/2012 10:48

entropy- you can BF and drink (moderately), you know.

winnybella · 13/03/2012 10:49

Oh, and OP: your friend is a loon. Very rude as well.

pigletmania · 13/03/2012 10:52

My goodness what a loon. If that were the case I would be charged with child abuse as I regularly use wine and beer in cooking, gives it that extra flavour. Alcohol is burned in cooking thus harmless.

pigletmania · 13/03/2012 10:54

I simmer my cooking for about and hour or 2 so alcohol most definitely is burned off.

catgirl1976 · 13/03/2012 10:55

I put half a bottle in mine and cook it for two hours.

Its delicious

CappyHunt · 13/03/2012 10:59

I drink the wine and give the DC Breezers with straws instead.

Beanbagz · 13/03/2012 11:02

OMG I cooked lamb casserole on Sunday and that had over ½ a bottle of red wine in it. Fed it to my DCs (10 & 7). How bad does that make me???

Original poster
SunSoakedStone · 13/03/2012 11:03

Yes we had this discussion too. I'm SunSoakedStone and I'm a bolognese-eating breastfeeder...

OP posts:
sandyballs · 13/03/2012 11:06

What an absolute nutter and very very rude.

My kids love my Bailey's Tiramisu and as it's not even cooked, they must get a lot of the alcohol. There are far more seirous things to worry about.

squoosh · 13/03/2012 11:09

Well I think YABU.

Everyone knows you put white wine in Bolognese and not red. It's more authentic doncha know. The red wine is for guzzling whilst cooking the Ragu.

And FYI, you really have got to drop that friend, she sounds like a loon but not a fun one. An anti-fun loon.

Iheartpasties · 13/03/2012 11:12

Well you wont be inviting her around again, I'm sure.

ByTheWay1 · 13/03/2012 11:13

Mmm the spag bol would still have some alcohol in it and some people are genetically unable to have alcohol at all.

My father's brother and his wife both carried some gene or other and both their kids are unable to tolerate ANY alcohol....

I know it is unlikely in this case - but calling someone a lunatic for preventing access to a controlled substance is slightly unfair..... I take it the friend and the OP's kids are over the age of 5..... (it is illegal in this country to supply alcohol to any person under 5 years old - even in the home)