Beer Batter Substitutions

Hey everyone. I had a question about the beer batter; I don't consume alcohol and was wondering if there's something that could replace at least the vodka? Beer in a batter is no big deal but I really want to make some fish and chips, I also really don't want to buy any vodka/beer, haha. Any recommendations?

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prince_of_porcelain

I would expect that the alcohol will all cook off from the frying process. Not sure how you'd feel about that, but in my opinion, there wouldn't be any actual consumption of the alcohol. That still requires a purchase though. As far as a substitute, I don't really know offhand. You want something that will evaporate very readily to produce a crispy crust. Water should work, it would just take longer to crisp, therefore cooking the fish more than you'd probably like. I could see making a water infused with whatever flavors you'd like for your batter and carbonating it in a siphon to substitute for the beer, but the higher proof stuff would be harder to sub for. Or, you could just leave out the vodka for a first attempt and see how it goes. Just my thoughts, haven't actually tried it.

Jack_Mayer_85396

@Parker - @Brian stole my thoughts ... I know that "cooking off the alcohol" doesn't entirely eliminate the alcohol, but in conversations with a very good friend who is a 20+ yr recovering alcoholic, he was fine with a Madiera sauce I made. I asked him ahead of time and gave him a general synopsis of the science (he's very science savvy) and was relieved that he could eat it.

Brendan_Lee_56950

I actually think the purpose of the alcohol is to provide hydration while not contributing to gluten formation so the batter stays very tender and crisp.

Sumit__65166

@ParkerCook lowenbrau makes alcohol free beer. i've seen it at few places in sydney but never had any. i had lowenbrau beer once but didn't like it, and franziskaner and schofferhofer are the only beer i would drink.

Brendan_Lee_56950

franziskaner is pretty tasty for how cheap it is, I've been known to have a few.

Matthew_Snyder_68770

In support of what @Brendan Lee posted

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/07/dining/07curious.html?_r=2&ref=dining&oref=slogin&

"The key to the Fat Duck batter is the alcohol, which does a couple of very useful things. It dissolves some of the gluten proteins in the wheat flour, so no elastic network forms and the crust doesn’t get tough. (You’ll notice when you combine the ingredients that the mix becomes mushy rather than sticky.) Alcohol also reduces the amount of water that the starch granules can absorb, and boils off faster than water, so the batter dries out, crisps and browns quickly, before the delicate fish inside overcooks. The crispness lasts through the meal, and revives well the next day in a hot oven." -- Harold McGee

Brendan_Lee_56950

Nice, this is like at work, I make a claim and an intern looks up the reference for me! Thanks.

ParkerCook_66639

It looks like I'm S.O.L. on this one guys, haha. Thanks for your time!

Matthew_Snyder_68770

Well, the alcohol will cook off (not all, but something like high 90s percent). That would mean the amount of alcohol actually being consumed is pretty small. I can understand if you have objections to using alcohol, but the finished product won't really have much - if any - noticeable amounts.