Why You Should Be Cooking With Vodka

If you make cocktails often, keeping some vodka on hand is important. And for the summer, an easy vodka-spiked watermelon is sure to please an adults-only crowd. But even if you're not a big fan of vodka, there's a lot more you can do with it than make drinks. Cooking with vodka is a great way to take your dishes to the next level, and you can use vodka in sweet and savory dishes.

You might already be familiar with using vodka in pasta sauce, and there are a few reasons why vodka sauce is so popular and has stood the test of time. Though the vodka is part of the appeal, there's also the balance of spice and cheese. 

But there's a lot more you can do when cooking with vodka. For example, PopSugar recommends putting a bit of vodka in your pastries and even in your soup instead of cooking wine.

Since recipes usually only call for a small amount of vodka, you're not likely to taste it in your food. You also won't get drunk or tipsy from eating it cooked in your dinner. So then, what's the appeal of adding vodka to a pie crust or a pasta sauce? 

Putting vodka in your dishes isn't just a gimmick. According to Allrecipes, when water comes in contact with wheat, gluten is formed, so the dough that results is thicker. But for the perfect flaky pie crust, vodka is important because you're able to add more liquid to the dough and work with it without creating gluten and making a tough crust. In the case of pasta sauces, vodka can make the sauce creamier and more aromatic, according to Greatist.

Need more ideas to get started? Try this 5-Ingredient Penne Alla Vodka recipe.