Whether you’re a beer lover or not, you’ve probably heard of the term “beer belly.” This refers to the weight a person gains when they’re a little too enthusiastic about drinking beer. The calories it contains turn into fat and can manifest around a person’s waist area.
But today, we’re giving beer belly an entirely different meaning. From now on, think of it as filling your belly with delicious food made with beer.
Cooking With Beer
Just like wine, you probably match different kinds of beer with food. But, if you want to take it to the next level, you can make beer a part of the ingredients of the food you cook. With its different flavors, whether it’s sweet, nutty, or malty, beer can make even the simplest dishes stand out.
Worried about getting drunk or serving beer-infused food to those who can’t consume alcohol? Don’t be. The alcohol content in beer varies, but there’s normally around 4 to 6 percent alcohol by volume. When exposed to heat, boiled, or simmered, most of the alcohol in your beer-infused dish evaporates. So, you can still serve flavorful dishes safely.
Here are five delightfully delicious ways you can cook using beer.
1. Lighten the batter
You already know how well beer, as a drink, goes with fried, oily foods. But, you can take this fried food pairing by using beer in your batter. Create crispy onion rings, deep-fried fish bites, or tasty tempura with a light and airy batter. All you have to do is replace seltzer water with lager or IPA.
2. Soup and stew with brew
Don’t have wine or stock to make soup with? Use beer instead. When you use beer for soups and stews, the brewed drink adds a rich and earthy flavor to the dish, making it seem like it’s been simmering for hours. Just in time for winter, dark and rich porter makes for a hearty beef stew. For a lighter soup, with ingredients such as seafood or chicken, you can use your favorite wheat beer.
3. Baking with beer
Guinness bread or cake, anyone? Beer and baking powder provide natural yeast to bread, helping baked goods rise.
Since different beers have different notes, you can experiment with what to use for which baked delicacy. For example, dark stouts bring out the richness of chocolate cakes. For lighter baked goods or those with fruits as ingredients, IPA made from galaxy hops makes for a fruity, complementary taste.
4. Marinade in beer
Want a flavorful and tender steak for dinner? How about smoky, tender meat for that weekend barbecue you’re planning? You need a great marinade for these recipes. If you need to infuse meat with earthy, smoky flavor and make it tender for that melt-in-your-mouth dining experience, use beer in the marinade.
The enzymes in beer help break down tough meat fibers. What’s more, beer also helps caramelize the outside of seared meats. So if you soak the meat in beer brine before cooking, you’ll get tender and flavorful cuts.
Ready to infuse your food with booze? Crack a cold one and start cooking with beer today.
