Dehydrating – Food Prepared with Alcohol

[Steve .]

I have a American Harvest dehydrator and the instruction book reads "Do not dehydrate foods that have been prepared with or marinated with alcohol."

Wondering if this is some sort of bacteria issue or if it damages the unit.

Also is there some non-alcohol substitute for red cooking wine? I have a Pizzaiola recipe that calls for wine.

[Steve .]

bump

[Brian James]

My guess is that they're concerned about fire.

[Jim Cook]

Maybe the manufacturers are strict puritans, opposed to alcohol in any of its forms?

Actually, I think I support the fire hazard theory. Alcohol would tend to vaporize fairly easy. I suppose that the fumes around an electric, heat-generating motor might be remotely dangerous. One for MythBusters, I suppose.

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

Sadly sounds like a "fear of being sued" :-(

[Steve .]

So has anybody dehydrated food that has been prepared with alcohol where the alcohol has been cooked off? I wouldn't think it would be a problem.

[Laurie Ann March]

I dehydrate foods cooked with wine all the time. Usually these are foods that have been stewed with the alcohol in the pot for an hour or more (prior to dehydration). What I am drying would never light. I've never had an issue. Then again this is wine based cooking and not something stronger like a 151 proof rum or something like that. Perhaps the blanket statement was for the company's protection in case some did something happen. I guess in theory something with enough alcohol could potentially become a dehydrator flambe.

One way you could avoid this is to try and light the meal (do this on the stove and make sure you do it safely) and see if it flambes… if it does let the alcohol burn off before drying it.

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