Does White wine vinegar have alcohol in it?
First, let me state on the record that your question is very black and white. The world of science (inclusive of cooking) is way grayer. I’ll answer in summary and then explain myself. The scientific/technical answer is “Yes, alcohol is present, but it is in very small quantities.” The layman’s answer is “No.” You shouldn’t worry about it–you should cook with vinegar! There is simply too little to consider worrying about, even if you are worrying for religious reasons. Here is the technical reasons alcohol will ALWAYS be in vinegar: White wine vinegar is made by oxidizing the alcohol in white wine to acetic acid. From a chemical perspective, there is probably is a little alcohol, but only a little (far less beer), left over from the reaction. It’s impossible to remove completely because of the alcohol’s azeotropic properties in water and because of the equilibrium between alcohol and acetic acid. Let’s start with the equilibrium: alcohol + oxygen —-> acetic acid (relatively faster)
