Hello!

This is a dumb question but I make a yum cottage pie and it ha half a cup of wine in it. I believe any alcohol evaporates during the cooking process but would you give it to baby or better to make a separate one?


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  • My opinion I think it’s perfectly safe to give to your child/children.


  • The alcohol goes away if baked… but not sure ld feed it to bub just in case.


  • I think alcohol when cooked loses its alcohol content, although I am unsure if it cooks out completely. You could try cooking with non alcoholic wine if it’s the flavour you are looking for.


  • as long as the alchol is actually cooked out its fine, i would be more worried about salt content of cooking for bub as stocks and seasoning really exceed baby daily needs


  • Personally I wouldn’t and would separate before adding wine.


  • If it is fully evaporated it shouldn’t pose a problem.


  • I would make a seperate batch just to be on the safe side!


  • I’d make a separate one and dry and wean myself off the alcohol. While the alcohol does evaporate you are left with sugars that you really really don’t need. And so is the child who consumes the item. So it is the sugars that I see are the problem. We get far too much anyway without more. Try herbs like oregano that have an antioxidant boost that will do positive god to the child (and you) rather than harm. For the sake of a slightly different flavour it is well worth giving your body good food.


  • Hey Mom1501… I read somewhere that it can take up to 8 times, of trying and rejecting a food for a baby to develop the taste for it.
    I’d persevere if it’s a family staple, like it is in our house, just let him try and refuse in his own time :)


  • I have never adjusted my cooking where alcohol is concerned- as you said, my understanding is that all of the alcohol evaporates anyway… I am, however, really strict on foods that DONT have the alcohol cooked out, like Rum Balls, Tiramisu, and my Mum’s Trifle (half a bottle of sweet sherry in two trifles!!!)
    My kids are banned from any of those naughty treats until 18 it’s not worth the risk to their brain development IMO :)
    (…and I can tell you that my now-18yo daughter was VERY EXCITED to get my mini Christmas puddings- soaked in port- in her Christmas stocking last year!!)


  • Just make sure you have cooked it long enough that the alcohol has evaporated!


  • alchol content disapears when cooking and as you are only using small quantitity to whole mixture cannot see that it will be harmful to any of you including your child. It sounds delicious love shepherds pie delicious cold weather food. But if concerned leave it out


  • Oh no! MoM 1501- he did not like it! Good on you for trying anyway. :)


  • How old is the child? Cooking with wine boils off the alcohol and just leaves the aromatic flavours. So there should be no harm in sharing a cottage pie with your child. It wont turn your child into an alcoholic in later life either.


  • Some wine uses a filtration technique that leaves it containing egg, dairy or traces of either, just food for thought if cooking for those with allergies. The evaporation takes care of the alcohol part I believe.


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