Is alcohol appropriate for use in food?

I do not think that it is appropriate to use alcoholic beverages in food preparation, especially if they are being served to children. That may be influenced by the fact that I do not think drinking alcohol is appropriate. What do you think?

did you know the alcohol gets cooked out of it?

I think it is okay
since I was little my mom put a little wine ine my speghetti sauce when she made it herself

hahah yes! once cooked it won't get you drunk or anything silly.

why dont you think it's appropriate?

people used to give their babies a little brandy to calm them down, and they didn't get screwed up over it. Not that I am encouraging that! But yes, it's true that the alcohol gets cooked out, but I thought that was only when you flambed something...

yes...I don't use it often but I do make one of the best Rum Cakes EVER...lol...Also Beer Brauts...are yummy.

The alcohol does get cooked out as stated above, leaving only the taste of the drink.
It's used as a flavouring agent and as a chef, I use it quite often, but as a Buddhist, I do not drink - so does that make me hypocritical? I don't think so, considering that by the time the food is ready to be eaten, there is no alcohol in it.

Yes. Even if you don't agree with ingesting alcohol, in most cases where it is used in cooking it is evaporated away.

Besides flavouring alcohol has unique chemical qualities. For example it penetrates and tenderises meat relatively quickly. What was a shoe sole can become a lovely stew if left to marinate.

Alcohol was often used to preserve soft fruits in the past as they go off very quickly in the summer heat. (How much jam cooking and drying can you do in a day?) The taste has stayed with us. If you use brandy sozzled cherries to make a clafouti the flavour will be gorgeous, but all the alcohol will be gone by the time it leaves the oven.

I use vodka to extract the maximum flavour out of saffron when cooking and this works very well.

Further, because vodka evaporates so well using it cold instead of ice water in short crust pastry produces a really flakey crust.

Alcohol in batter for deep fried things makes it lighter and bubblier too.

Alcohol is a naturally occurring substance for us to use or abuse. I tend to stick with the everything in moderation theory and that it's bad form to be drunk as opposed to having a drink.

I hope your general disapproval of alcohol doesn't run to cover medicinal uses too. It's still a fiercesome disinfectant.