Chef Forum banner

Using Bitters for Cooking

2K views 15 replies 6 participants last post by  morning glory 
#1 ·
Has anyone ever used bitters, the kind for making cocktails, in food?

I thought about putting this in my experimentation thread, but I wanted to see if anyone had tried it before. It sounds like an interesting idea. I used to make a kick ass marinade before I had to go gluten free. It uses beer along with mustard, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and rosemary. Sounds weird, but it's so good. I'm wondering about replacing the beer with dash of bitters, a bit of molasses, and maybe a little more vinegar.
 
#5 ·
Not sure unfortunately. I've been tested for celiac, but the test was inconclusive (apparently positive but not positive enough for a diagnosis?!). I'm still hoping it's just leaky gut, because soy sauce didn't bother me years ago, but now I am very sensitive.

There are some really great gluten free beers out there. It's a true shame they're sidelined because I've had sorghum beers that were as fruity as cider and really a treat.
 
#9 ·
Actually, the only thing I've had sustained success with is kombucha. Which is expensive and silly, to me. I've tried a strict LG diet, probiotics, bitters (they're a digestive aid, relevance!), enzymes, and various combinations of the above. It's probably a combination of avoiding gluten and maybe something to do with promoting a proper upper GI tract environment? Believe me, I'm eager for a sustainable solution. At least fermented tea is cheaper and more effective for me than fancy supplements. As soon as I get my own place again I want to try making it.

I've used Angostura Bitters in puréed swede (rutabaga) which may sound odd but it works really well. There is also something I do with sweet potato, bitters, rosemary and chilli.

This thread has made me think I should use it more often!
Bitter rutabaga does sound werid! I'll have to try it. A noticeable amount or just a dash??
 
#11 ·
After hearing about the rutabaga I decided to try an amber ale with parsnip, one reason being swede and parsnip I typically add nothing to, so figured what worked for one would work for the other. Well I don't know what I'd think of bitters in swede, but don't think I'll repeat the parsnip experiment, even though I'm sure I over did it with the ale.
 
#13 ·
Used it for the boiling liquid, 6oz for 1.5 pounds. It was too much, but hard for me to imagine the taste doing anything good for my parsnips personally. From that perspective, I've never added anything to swede except the little evo it's cooked in, and only rarely butter S+P for parsnip. These veggies just stand on their own so well, swede with its mild sweetness and flavor, and parsnip with its tingly characteristic and powerful sweetness. I do want to try beer for a chicken marinade/sauce.

Had you similar feelings as mine about swede before, and how exactly did it affect it for you?
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top