Cooking with beer is as simple as using wine or stock. In Belgium and Britain, where little wine is produced, beer is often used for cooking. When braising with beer, think about balancing its bitterness with fat, salt and something sweet like caramelized onions or carrots. It really doesn’t matter which beer you use—as long as it is bitter.

— Jennifer McLagan, from Bitter: A Taste of the World’s Most Dangerous Flavor, with Recipes, Ten Speed Press, September 2014