If you’re aiming to bring a burst of flavor to your chicken or steak, a marinade made with vodka might be worth considering. Clear liquors such as vodka pair remarkably well with poultry and seafood, lending them additional intricacy. However, it’s recommended to use that vodka bottle sparingly.

While it’s partially a myth that vodka tenderizes (unless you’re employing the bottle like Martha Stewart to bash your meat), the alcohol might impact the overall quality of the meat. Specifically, alcohol can lead to less tender meat if misused. The liquor stops other flavors from permeating the meat. Similarly, the texture might suffer if you use too much alcohol. This can make the proteins in the meat to denature, resulting in a less satisfying piece of meat.

For this reason, you should likely avoid immersing meat in the marinade for an extensive period before cooking. Instead, think about incorporating vodka into your recipe in a more restrained manner. Your meat will gain a lot from this approach.

Further reading: The Ultimate Vodka Brands, Ranked

Consider using vodka in your cooking process, not as part of your marinades, but by adding a dash to your pan before cooking your meat. Applied this way, the vodka doesn’t tamper with the taste and texture but instead bolsters caramelization and flavor. Another approach would be pouring vodka directly on sizzling meat.

This technique not only limits the duration of alcohol exposure on the meat but also accentuates the flavor profile with a vodka accent. Allow the vodka to entirely evaporate from the meat surfaces before adding any other seasoning, sauces, or marinades. This may take a few moments depending on your meat cut, ensuring your additional flavors do not just rest on the surface but seep into the meat.

Remember to practice safety when cooking with vodka as it is flammable. Understand that different vodka proofs have varying burn durations, so it’s crucial to know the kind of vodka you are using. For instance, 80-proof vodka tends to have a shorter burn time compared to higher-proof types which may burn for longer periods.

One of the exquisite ways to implement vodka in your culinary style is through creating a separate sauce that complements your meat. Vodka sauce, loved in Italian-American cookery, is a tomato-centric sauce with a blend of tomatoes, heavy cream, seasoning, and vodka. The vodka and tomatoes bestow the sauce with a pleasant sweet-tart taste that matches perfectly with the creamy texture of the heavy cream.

Just as clear liquors such as vodka are typically best paired with white meat, vodka sauce also works well with poultry and seafood like shrimp. You can also pair it with Italian sausage, which works especially well when served with pasta. Think of vodka sauce as a flavor enhancer. The truth is you can use liquors like vodka in various ways in the kitchen, but you should reconsider using them to marinate your meats. Sometimes, it’s better to just keep the two ingredients separate.

Read the original article on Daily Meal.