Is it permissible to pursue a career in pastry and baking, if it might involve using alcohol while learning in class?

Question

It's long been my dream to be a pastry chef. I haven't told my parents yet, but I recently told my older brother. He respected my interests, but he doesn't completely welcome the idea.

He pointed out that pastry includes working with alcohol (certain recipes ask for a dash of wine etc). I am fully aware of this, but of course, I do not intend to use alcoholic substances in any form if ever I decide to pursue a career in pastry and baking.

So my exact question is: is it possible to pursue pastry, even though I will sometimes have to use alcohol while learning in class? (Whenever possible, I will certainly use a substitute ingredient)

Answer 1

I was looking into this just last month. I was very passionate about the idea, after a few months of baking large parts of the day. The more I investigated studying at a school, the more I learned how virtually impossible it was going to be to find a halal solution. Not only do they use alcohol, but you have to also ensure you don't use utensils that have touched haram (they will often have cooked pig with it, أستغفر الله).

My sincere advice as a brother in faith would be to leave the idea for now. When you consider the fitna out there and the consequences this could have on your hereafter, it's simply not worth the risk. I'd encourage you to persue a path of seeking religious knowledge to strengthen and protect your imam.

May Allah help you make the best decision for your din.

Answer 2

Verse Surah Al-Baqarah has:

They ask you about wine and gambling. Say, "In them is great sin and [yet, some] benefit for people. But their sin is greater than their benefit." And they ask you what they should spend. Say, "The excess [beyond needs]." Thus Allah makes clear to you the verses [of revelation] that you might give thought.

One should ask what is the sin here, and what is also the benefit; the sin is intoxication where one loses ones faculty for judgement; and addiction where one has lost self-control. The benefits are medicinal - its used in certain medical preparations.

I hadn't known that its used in pastry cooking; but its not used there to make one intoxicated but to help in the making of pastry - it benefits it; and it certainly isn't a danger to you or to anyone else.

Having said all this, I can understand your hesitation & unease because of the symbolic power of alcohol has in Islamic culture; but one must use some thought here; and I expect in the future situations like this will be much more easily understood.

Answer 3

Alcohol in food has been a very discussed subject. Many scholars prohobit it but personally I don't consider alcohol in food being "Alcohol" because the amount of food you need to eat to get drunk is by far more that what your stomach can support. So if you eat a small amount of that food you won't be drunk, if you eat a lot of it you won't be drunk either. I don't see how this can be considered alcohol anymore. And for your concerns about using or touching alcohol, you use it for healing your wounds when you get cut so...