Cooking Alcohol Burn-off Calculator

When alcohol is added during cooking, heat causes it to evaporate — but contrary to popular belief, not all of it burns off. The amount remaining depends on the cooking method, cooking time, and whether the dish is covered.

Formula (USDA retention data): Alcohol Remaining (%) = Retention Factor × Initial Alcohol Content Alcohol Remaining (g) = Volume of Alcohol (ml) × ABV × 0.789 (density) × Retention Factor

USDA retention factors by cooking method and time:

• Flambéed (ignited briefly) — 75% retained
• Simmered uncovered, 15 minutes — 40% retained
• Simmered uncovered, 30 minutes — 35% retained
• Simmered uncovered, 1 hour — 25% retained
• Simmered uncovered, 2 hours — 10% retained
• Baked in sauce, 1 hour — 25% retained
• Baked, 2.5 hours — 5% retained
• Overnight marinated, not cooked — 100% retained

What each variable means:

• ABV — Alcohol By Volume, the percentage of alcohol in the beverage. Wine ≈ 12–14%, beer ≈ 4–6%, spirits ≈ 35–45%.
• 0.789 — the density of ethanol in g/ml, used to convert volume to mass.
• Retention Factor — the fraction of original alcohol that survives the cooking process.

Worked example: You add ½ cup (120 ml) of red wine (13% ABV) to a pasta sauce and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Initial alcohol = 120 ml × 0.13 = 15.6 ml of ethanol After 30-min simmer, retention = 35% Remaining alcohol = 15.6 × 0.35 = 5.5 ml (in the full batch — tiny per serving)

Reference: wine alcohol in cooking Most recipes using wine as a flavor agent contain well under 1 g of alcohol per serving after cooking — negligible for most adults, but relevant for those avoiding alcohol entirely (recovering alcoholics, children, certain medications). For zero-alcohol cooking, substitute grape juice, pomegranate juice, or dealcoholized wine.