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Aside from being a popular soft drink brand, Coke (or any other brand of cola), can be used as a "secret" ingredient for enhancing various dishes. Cooking with cola is a good activity for lazy Sunday afternoons and it's a great way to use up flat cola.

This article has various tried and tested cooking tips for using cola but these are by no means exhaustive; once you're using cola for cooking, you'll undoubtedly find many more ways to enjoy adding it to your food!

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  1. 1

    Purchase your favorite cola. Make sure you have enough for the meal and some left over to have an enjoyable drink too.

  2. 2

    Select a recipe from the many suggested below. Or, choose a handful and throw a cola-inspired dinner party!

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There are several great ways to prepare meat with cola.

  1. 1

    Barbecue with cola. Soak what ever meat you are going to cook on the grill in cola. An hour or two would be nice but even for a few minutes will be beneficial. Cook low and slow. During the cooking process often moisten the meat by brushing or spraying on cola. A delicious coating will build up over time.

  2. 2

    Cook chicken with cola.

    • Marinate whole chicken or chicken wings in cola for 3 to 4 hours along with salt and pepper. You can poke holes into the chicken flesh with a skewer, to allow the cola to penetrate it more easily.
    • Cook on slow heat for about 30 minutes. This will result in a very soft and delicate meat.

  3. 3

    Cook beef brisket with cola.

    • Add mushrooms, pearl onions, and cola to the beef brisket. If wishes, also add chili sauce, garlic, and pepper.
    • Bake in the oven for around 3 hours or until the beef gets tender.

  4. 4

    Cook ribs with cola.

    • Cook the ribs in cola, brown sugar, and garlic for 6 hours at 275ºF/135ºC. The cola will break down the connective tissue on the ribs. Then, remove them from the cola and bake at 350ºF/180ºC for 10 to 15 minutes, for succulent ribs.[1]

  5. 5

    Brine a ham using cola. It works well and tastes great. Nigella Lawson's recipe for ham in cola is a good choice.[2] You can also baste the ham simply using cola and place it in the oven.

  6. 6

    Mix 12oz. of coke with your favorite BBQ sauce in a pot to cover your links. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30minutes. Remove and enjoy.

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  1. 1

    Improve the barbecue sauce with cola. Mix cola along with your choice of barbecue sauce, in 50:50 ratio. This will enhance the taste of the original sauce. If you'd rather make barbecue sauce from scratch using cola, try this recipe:[3]

    • Gently cook 1 chopped onion and 2 chopped cloves of garlic in 2 tablespoons of butter until soft.
    • Add 2 cups of catsup, 6 ounces of cola, 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon of mustard, and 2 tablespoons of vinegar.
    • Simmer for one hour or until the mixture has thickened.

  2. 2

    Make a marinade with cola. Add the cola to the beef marinade along with whatever else you're planning to use as marinade (such as salt, pepper, garlic, and herbs). Just be careful when cooking, as the cola contains sugar and will cause the outside of the marinated meat to darken and crisp faster than the inside.[4]

    • See also How to make Coca Cola marinade for a specific recipe.

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  1. 1

    Add around 50 ml (1.69 fl oz) of cola to the pasta and any tomato-based sauce.

  2. 2

    Let this simmer for 10 minutes. Serve.

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  1. 1

    In a baking dish, place potatoes or beans. Add around 2 cans of cola, tomato sauce, onion rings, and bacon.

  2. 2

    Bake this for 40 minutes to 1 hour at 243ºF/200ºC.

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  1. 1

    Melt butter in a pan, then add finely chopped onions.

  2. 2

    Sauté the onions until they become transparent. Be careful that they do not turn brown.

  3. 3

    Add vegetable, chicken or meat broth and a can of cola.

  4. 4

    Let the soup simmer for 25 - 30 minutes.

  5. 5

    Serve with Parmesan cheese.

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  1. 1

    Improve the flavor of any dip with cola. Simply add a few teaspoons of cola to any of your favorite dips for that extra sweetness and zing.

  2. 2

    Make a coca cola ice cream float . Put the cola in the glass first or else the cola will all turn to foam. For a deluxe float first start with half a tall glass with Coke, then ice cream, then a splash of cola on tip to create a foam topping.

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A lot of cocktails and other bar drinks are made using cola. But you can also add cola to a few other drinks in the home.

  1. 1

    Make a tea using cola and herbs:

    • Combine ginger, basil leaves, pepper and cola in a pot.
    • Boil this for 10 minutes.
    • Enjoy this drink any time of the day.

  2. 2

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Cola can be slipped into a number of baked products for an enhanced flavor. Here are just a few suggestions:

  1. 1

    Make a Christmas plum cake using cola. Soak the nuts, seeds and orange or lemon peel ingredients in cola, instead of soaking them in wine. Add around 200 ml (6.76 fl oz) of cola to the batter instead of eggs, if you prefer an eggless cake.

  2. 2

    Make a cola cake.

    • Make cola cake frosting:[5] Combine a third of a cup margarine or butter with 1/2 a cup of cola, 1/3 of a cup cocoa, 1 box of powdered sugar and 1 cup of nuts. Spread this frosting over a hot cake that has been left in the pan.

  3. 3

    Soak dried fruit in cola to be used in any cake, cookie, or other baking recipe. This softens up the fruit nicely and readies it for use.

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  • If you're a real devotee of Coke, check out Coke's own recipe book called Classic Cooking with Coca-Cola. Many of the recipes in this book come from Elizabeth Candler Graham, the great-great-granddaughter of the founder of the Coca-Cola Company.

  • Try using cola in a range of your favorite recipes. You'll discover new ways of making use of it and finding your own secret specialties.

  • Most meat cooked in cola will benefit from becoming more tender.

  • Flat cola has many uses in cooking. In fact, you can use flat cola in many of the recipes above, such as the cake, the brisket, or for a marinade. So if the cola is flat, don't throw it out – cook with it!

  • Diet cola drinks will also work but be sure that nobody is allergic to the sugar substitute ingredients before using.

  • Cola is good making beef jerky because it breaks down the meat and makes it tender.

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  • Consume cola in moderation. It is full of sugar and unless it has had the caffeine removed, it also has caffeine. It is not a healthy part of your diet but should be considered an occasional treat.

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