Using beer in the kitchen

Beer is a refreshing beverage that can make any social setting even better. While everyone knows it as a drink, you can do more with beer in the kitchen. You can use beer as an ingredient for baking and cooking recipes in several ways.

Baking

When working with alcohol, bakers ordinarily reach for spirits, but beer offers more range. As an ingredient, beer can bring flavors like citrus, coriander, pepper, vanilla, and caramel.

Beer is carbonated, so it can help with leavening baked goods. It can give extra lift and tender texture to your breads and cakes.

The simplest type of beer to bake with are the porters and stouts. That’s because the brew technique with dark, roasted malt, which compliments cocoa and coffee flavor notes.

Amber and brown ales’ low bitterness and nutty flavor with slight caramel work well with cookies, sweet sauces, and pies. 

Paler brews such as lagers and Witbiers with coriander and citrus flavor notes work well with cakes that have similar flavors.

Beer is acidic, so it can curdle low-fat ingredients; naturally, it works better with full-fat dairy. When you bake with beer, it would be best if it’s freshly opened and at room temperature. You’ll also need to release some of the carbonation, so pour it out and let it sit for 5 minutes before using it in the recipe. Serve the beer dessert while they are fresh; the flavor of the beer can change it over time.

Cooking

Beer adds a deep, earthy flavor to savory dishes like chili, soup, and stew. Its applicable in cooking techniques like braising, deglazing, sauces, marinating, battering, and simmering.

You can replace fizzy seltzer water in a batter with light beer, like a Lager. The results are a light, airy batter for your fried fish, onion rings, or shrimp.

You can replace stock or wine with stout or ale for a hearty beef stew or lamb shanks. Lighter dishes like seafood or chicken work well with wheat beer.

Food that uses beer as an ingredient is safe for kids too. Beer is low in alcohol content, and the alcohol evaporates during cooking or baking. Nobody will get a buzz from your beer cuisine.

Beer is flavorful and versatile. You can unlock new flavors and texture to your meals when you use beer in the kitchen. For a range of beers you can use in food and drink, visit Stormhouse Brewing.