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One Ingredient, Many Ways: Beer

By Leah Koenig

Beer tastes great swigged out of a bottle in the back of a dimly lit bar. It is delicious pumped from a keg, sloshed in front of the TV while watching the big game, sipped while waiting for the grill to heat up, or nestled next to you in a pile of white sand on the beach. But beer's many distinct varieties, from hoppy pale ales to caramel-scented ambers and dark, textured stouts, also make it a fantastic cooking ingredient. Like wine, adding a splash of beer to a tomato sauce adds a complex layer of flavor. But a brew's carbonated bubbles can also help tenderize meat, making beer a secret ingredient to a good marinade or long-simmering meat stew. Those same airy bubbles add lift to baked goods and batters, which explains why recipes for deep-fried fish and onion rings often include a splash of crisp lager in the batter. Keep reading »

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