Vodka Sauce

[RonC]

Not being an expert of vodkas but liking vodka sauce of my pasta, I've relied on my local booze merchant for recommendations. He always steers me to the inexpensive stuff (aka "cheap"). We're always pleased with the results, but what's your experience? Does a more expensive vodka have much impact once it's made into a tomato-based sauce?

Thanks,

Sidecar Ron

[WhiteTruffleGirl]

The purpose of vodka in a vodka sauce is to bring out flavor components that are sensitive to alcohol (but not necessarily sensitive to other liquids). The alcohol by and large burns off, and leaves (at least IMO) no vodka flavor. You should not waste expensive vodka in this kind of sauce.

[annachan]

I second that. I remember watching a cooking show on PBS, Lydia's Italian Kitchen I think, and this sauce was made. Lydia mentioned that you can't taste the vodka at the end.

Here's my recommendation:

If you don't drink Vodka at home, then get a cheap bottle of vodka for cooking. Trader Joe has some very reasonably priced ones.

If you do drink Vodka (only non-flavored ones) at home, then buy what you drink and use that in the sauce, if your situation is like mine. I have Absolute at home and use that in cooking when it's call for. It works for me because I don't drink Vodka often and don't use it often in cooking. One open bottle would last me for more than a year at my house.

If you drink a lot or use a lot of Vodka at home, then get the good stuff for drinking and the cheap stuff for cooking.

[RonC]

Thanks Friends for the replies. Being pretty much a vino and Hacker Pshorr beer guy here, guess I'll stick with the cheap stuff for sauces (cheaper than Absolute).

[kangarool]

Is Vodka sauce for pasta merely a decent tomato sauce/napoli (I think it's called Napoli in the US... or maybe Marinara? I can never remember), adding a bit of vodka and cream? Is there any more to it than that? I had it just once... I'm also curious if you would find Vodka sauce with any frequency in Italy, or if it is more of an American interpretation of Italian. Does anyone know?

[RonC]

Kangarool, that's essentially it. We add some Parmesan cheese too.

Sidecar Ron

[WhiteTruffleGirl]

Kangarool,

The version of vodka sauce I make is so friggin' easy, but so good, it's a standard for me when I'm feeling too lazy to cook. Saute some shallots, add garlic and saute some more. Add chopped whole canned tomatoes that have been lightly drained (I prefer Muir Glen), vodka and crushed red pepper. Saute to reduce for about 10 minutes, reduce heat and add cream. Let simmer (on low) for a few minutes more, and you're done. I do it frequently with shrimp or chicken (sauteing and removing before I start my shallots). Serve over a hearty pasta like penne.

[RonC]

WTG, Right on! Isn't it a tasty fast meal? We, too, tend to use penne and prefer Muir Glen -- hey, it's even and easy pasta to eat.

Sidecar Ron

[canucklehead]

Kangarool,

The version of vodka sauce I make is so friggin' easy, but so good, it's a standard for me when I'm feeling too lazy to cook.  Saute some shallots, add garlic and saute some more.  Add chopped whole canned tomatoes that have been lightly drained (I prefer Muir Glen), vodka and crushed red pepper.  Saute to reduce for about 10 minutes, reduce heat and add cream.  Let simmer (on low) for a few minutes more, and you're done.  I do it frequently with shrimp or chicken (sauteing and removing before I start my shallots).  Serve over a hearty pasta like penne.

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As noted upthread - vodka should be tasteless so if you cook it out for 10 mins then all the alcohol is gone. Now cream and tomato is an excellent sauce on their own. Does the vodka actually make any difference then? Can you taste the difference somehow?

I've noticed Nigella Lawson adds the vodka at the very last second in her recipe (I mean basically splashing it on the tossed pasta). This seems to make more sense to me - I mean why use vodka if you don't get all of the side benefits also?

Edited July 26, 2005 by canucklehead (log)

[slkinsey]

The purpose of vodka in a vodka sauce is to bring out flavor components that are sensitive to alcohol (but not necessarily sensitive to other liquids).

This is a standard explanation for why we add things like vodka and wine to foods, but turns out to not be true. It is true that certain substances are only (or better) soluble in water or in alcohol. However, a solution of water and alcohol does not have the same chemical properties as pure water or pure alcohol. More to the point, it does not follow that an alcohol-soluble substance will necessarily be soluble in a water-alcohol solution.

This is explained in some detail by Robert Wolke in his new book, What Einstein Told His Cook 2: The Sequel: Further Adventures in Kitchen Science. He did an experiment where he took annatto seeds, which are coated in an alcohol- and oil-soluble but water-insoluble yellow-orange pigment, and attempted to infuse the seeds into test tubes of water, 13% abv white wine, 40% abv vodka and 95% pure ethyl alcohol. He would judge the amount of potential flavor extraction by observing the change in the color of the liquid. After several days, the water and wine showed zero color change, the vodka was a very mild yellow and the 95% ethyl alcohol was intensely yellow. This, he concluded, demonstrates that the liquid must be at least 40% abv to dissolve even a minimal amount of an alcohol-soluble/water-insoluble compound. He also points out that these concentrations never happen in cooking anyway: adding half a cup of vodka to a quart of sauce yields a solution that is only 5% abv.

Does a more expensive vodka have much impact once it's made into a tomato-based sauce?

Expensive vodkas are usually differentiated from less expensive vodkas on the basis of having less flavor, the idea being that the flavor components in the less expensive brands are "off flavors." (It's actually a little more complicated than that . . . the big secret of the vodka industry is that they are allowed to "add back" minute amounts of things like glycerin and citrus oils after the vodka is rectified, but I digress.) In the context of a vodka sauce, it's clear that you don't want to use total rotgut that might bring medicinal flavors to the dish, but there is plenty of inexpensive vodka of quality to be found. I'll put up Luksusowa against any "super premium" vodka costing three times as much. And, of course. Smirnoff was recently judged best in the NY Times.

As noted upthread - vodka should be tasteless so if you cook it out for 10 mins then all the alcohol is gone.  Now cream and tomato is an excellent sauce on their own.  Does the vodka actually make any difference then?  Can you taste the difference somehow?

The vodka will make a difference, yes. This is not because the alcohol extracts alcohol-soluble/water-insoluble flavor components, but rather because the alcohol reacts with the acids and oxidizing substances in the sauce to create esters and aldehydes.

I've noticed Nigella Lawson adds the vodka at the very last second in her recipe (I mean basically splashing it on the tossed pasta).

This makes some sense if you like the strong flavor of alcohol in the dish. Whether you want that will depend on the dish. Penne alla vodka is often a very rich sauce and can perhaps benefit from being "cut" by plentiful unevaporated alcohol. Of course, the alcohol never boils off completely no matter what.

[k43]

Ultra-cheap vodka is said to become high-class stuff when put through a Brita water filter several times. See this link.