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Question about alcohol/carbonated stuff

Shiranui117

Shiranui117

Pronounced Shee-ra-noo-ee
Premium Member
So I know that, according to Mormon doctrine, alcohol and carbonated drinks are forbidden. What I'm curious about is, what about things like beer bread or using soda in a deep-fry breading? Are those things allowed because the alcohol/carbonation is cooked out of the actual food?
 
J

Jane.Doe

Active Member
Shiranui117 said:
So I know that, according to Mormon doctrine, alcohol and carbonated drinks are forbidden. What I'm curious about is, what about things like beer bread or using soda in a deep-fry breading? Are those things allowed because the alcohol/carbonation is cooked out of the actual food?
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The Mormon Dietary rules come from a passage of scripture called the Word of Wisdom. It forbids tea, coffee, tobacco, and alchohol. It also encourages healthy lifestyle.

This scripture does not forbid anything about soda, though many LDS avoid it simply because it's unhealthy. Achohol in cooking is more of a grey area, one to be taken to the Lord in prayer. Myself and most LDS I know tend to be of the opinion of just passing on achohol cooked food.
 
Katzpur

Katzpur

Not your average Mormon
Shiranui117 said:
So I know that, according to Mormon doctrine, alcohol and carbonated drinks are forbidden. What I'm curious about is, what about things like beer bread or using soda in a deep-fry breading? Are those things allowed because the alcohol/carbonation is cooked out of the actual food?
Click to expand...
Carbonated drinks are not forbidden. As a matter of fact, the Church doesn't even forbid caffeine, and a lot of Mormons drink Coke and Pepsi products. I hardly go a day without at least one Diet Coke. What is forbidden is coffee and tea. Most Mormons used to be of the opinion that it was because of the caffeine, but apparently there's more to it than that. Don't ask me to explain that one; that's just how it is. ;) Alcohol and tobacco are also forbidden. I have personally cooked with wine on a number of occasions and with beer once. Like Jane.Doe explained, it's a matter of conscience. She is not comfortable using wine to cook, but I am.
 
silvermoon383

silvermoon383

Well-Known Member
I've never cooked with wine or beer myself simply because I've never used any recipie that included it, but I'm not opposed to it. Bourbon chicken is one of my favorites to get at a Chinese restaurant.
 
DeepShadow

DeepShadow

White Crow
What the others have said about carbonation and caffeine is correct. I personally generally avoid caffeine, except for extreme situations where I need to stay awake. For example, I did a cross-country trek with my brother, taking turns driving, and used caffeine to drive all night while he slept. At work, I sometimes take a few sips of caffeinated soda after lunch to avoid the sleepiness that comes with my carbs being off (I'm pre-diabetic). Because I avoid caffeine the majority of the time, I'm very sensitive to it. I can easily nurse a single soda for two weeks or more for work purposes--a few sips is all I need. And if I have a hypoglycemic headache (Pre-D, see above) I have to be careful to take Excedrine before 2PM or I could be up all night. I've had panic attacks from a single caffeinated soda because I'm so sensitive, so...yeah, I generally avoid it.

Regarding cooking with wine or other things, I don't see it as a violation of the Word of Wisdom in terms of the explicit covenant we have made with God. It's in the same category as the caffeine thing above, where you have to be accountable to yourself. If there is a risk of the behavior becoming habit-forming, I would avoid it. I don't see any such risk with wine, but there might be with other things. Tiramisu, as I understand, is made with coffee, and I would personally avoid it for the reasons I state above.
 
Sapiens

Sapiens

Polymathematician
I had been told (by a self-identified Mormon patient who was on the same ward when I had surgery and noted that he was not drinking his soup (chicken broth in a mug) that he was "forbidden" hot drinks. Is that true in any of the divisions of Mormon?
 
J

Jane.Doe

Active Member
Sapiens said:
I had been told (by a self-identified Mormon patient who was on the same ward when I had surgery and noted that he was not drinking his soup (chicken broth in a mug) that he was "forbidden" hot drinks.
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Your patient was misunderstanding Mormon doctrine. I assure you Mormons eat soup (clam chowder is one of my favorite foods).

Sapiens said:
Is that true in any of the divisions of Mormon?
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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (nicknamed "Mormon") is one church, with a very consistent doctrine throughout the globe.

Now, there are much smaller churches which have broken away from that, but I don't think that's what you're talking about....
 
dianaiad

dianaiad

Well-Known Member
Katzpur said:
Yuck! I totally hate the taste of coffee, whether it be in candy, ice cream, or anything else.
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Indeed. I think that Mormons have the best of coffee. We get to enjoy the SMELL (which is heavenly) but don't have to deal with the taste, (which is awful).
 
dianaiad

dianaiad

Well-Known Member
Shiranui117 said:
So I know that, according to Mormon doctrine, alcohol and carbonated drinks are forbidden. What I'm curious about is, what about things like beer bread or using soda in a deep-fry breading? Are those things allowed because the alcohol/carbonation is cooked out of the actual food?
Click to expand...

The Word of Wisdom was given to us as 'health advice,' and not as a commandment. Indeed, most of the Word of Wisdom is still looked at in that way (or we wouldn't be cooking hamburgers at Pioneer Day celebrations, for instance). However, back when Brigham Young was dealing with the disaster of Joseph Smith's death, the Extermination Order and our expulsion from the USA and the morale problems, he considered several ways to get us to...I don't know...form a single identity again? Be a 'peculiar people?"

Whether from revelation or not, the specific parts of the Word of Wisdom that we, as Latter-day saints, adhere to became a sort of covenant with the Lord. WE promised, as part of our baptismal promises, to avoid 'hot drinks' (defined as coffee and tea), alcohol and tobacco. Avoiding these things have absolutely nothing at all to do with whatever health benefits are involved...in fact, it looks like the occasional glass of wine, coffee and tea are actually good for you, though nobody has found a good use for tobacco as far as I know.

What they ARE, are promises that we make; they make us a bit different from everybody else; we do these things BECAUSE WE PROMISED. Because we are Mormon. Because that's who we are. It's not about the coffee, or the tea, or the booze, or the cigarettes. It's about our promise.

How we handle things like this is up to us, individually. Personally, I have no problem with cooking with wine or beer, or making 'beer bread.' (though how something that smells...and tastes...like it should be poured back into the horse can make such good bread I'll NEVER understand). The cooking/baking process destroys the alcohol, and 'alcohol' is what we promised to refrain from. I have no problem with the alcohol we might find in medications, either, since we understand exceptions for medical reasons. I will not, however, drink decaffeinated coffee or tea, since I didn't promise to abstain from caffeine. I promised to refrain from coffee and tea.

At least, after many years of attempting to figure this stuff out, that's what I think. Many other Mormons have different approaches to this issue, and I'm not going to argue with them about it, or tell them they are wrong; we all have to answer for living according to our own beliefs, not anybody else's.
 
Katzpur

Katzpur

Not your average Mormon
dianaiad said:
Indeed. I think that Mormons have the best of coffee. We get to enjoy the SMELL (which is heavenly) but don't have to deal with the taste, (which is awful).
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You know what? I can't even stand the smell! Now the smell of wine... that's a different matter entirely. Every time I'm in a restaurant where I can smell wine, my mouth starts to water.
 
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