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Plato said, "He was a wise man who invented beer." Perhaps the wiser man decided to cook with it. Lagers, porters and ales enhance flavors, tenderize meats and even offer a few health benefits.

"Beer is not a bad thing," said east Cobb resident B.J. Corpening, owner and chef of Bread of Life Personal Chef Services. She graduated from Chattahoochee Technical Culinary Institute in 2003, and occasionally cooks with what's known as the world's oldest beverage.

"Beer was often used for cooking and drinking because it was safer than milk and water in the middle ages," said Corpening.

While its no longer necessary to substitute beer for water - although, what a great way to conserve water - studies on beer prove the liquid bread might be good for you.

Texas Southwestern Medical Center released a study that said moderate beer drinking, one to two glasses a day, reduces the risk of coronary heart disease by 30 to 40 percent, and decreases the risk of a stroke by 20 percent.

Beer contains the same amount of antioxidants as red wine, and four to five times the amount in white wine. When experimenting with beer in the kitchen, Corpening said think of each variety of beer like a variety of wine.

"Stouts and porters tend to be stronger flavors, much like a robust red wine. There is a lot of flavor," she said.

Heavy sauces, barbeque sauces, stews and beef marinades are perfect for dark beers, such as Guinness. Pilsners, ales and white beers are comparable to white wines, and should be used for sauces in chicken and fish dishes.

After choosing your favorite beer and recipe, make sure it's flat before you toss it into a recipe that doesn't cook for very long. "If you open a can and put it in a cooking sauce, it's going to foam up. It will lose its liquid. Pour it in a glass and wait for it to go flat, though that might be hard for some people to do," said Corpening, laughing.

In soups, stews and chili, which can simmer for hours, Corpening said the beer doesn't have to be flat. "I sometimes put beer in my collard greens and let it really cook," she said.

Beer is an excellent choice for marinades, since its tenderizing properties soften tough cuts. Breads and batters benefit from the leavening agents in yeast, which causes the batter to puff up.

Corpening also noted that alcohol never really "cooks out" of food. Even if a dish bakes for two and half hours, 5 percent of the alcohol remains. Flamed alcohol retains 75 percent of its alcohol content.

"When I cook, I always ask the customer if they are comfortable with alcohol in their food, because there are substitutions," she said.

"There is a recipe for every type of alcohol and every person who likes to drink it. It's a personal thing," she said.

cknight@mdjonline.com

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