Browned food is tasty food. Just think about it: Would you prefer a steamed chicken breast or one that has been seared in a skillet? Even if they are seasoned exactly the same, the seared chicken will be more flavorful than the steamed one because how food is cooked impacts flavor, too.
Our senses have two chemical processes to thank for browned, better tasting food: the Maillard reaction and caramelization. “In Maillard, sugars … interact with the amino acids of proteins, creating a cascade of new flavors and aroma compounds, with several hundred possibilities,” staff writer Becky Krystal wrote on the process, which kicks into gear at about 300 degrees. Caramelization starts to happen around 340 degrees (it varies depending on the type of sugar) and similarly creates new compounds, but only involves the breakdown of sugar molecules. These processes can’t take place in moist cooking methods because the liquid will not go above the boiling point of 212 degrees, making Maillard hard to achieve and caramelization impossible.
Therefore, moisture is the enemy of browning. So for more flavorful dishes, cooks should do all they can to get rid of as much moisture as possible. Here’s what you need to know.
Source link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2023/04/21/how-to-brown-food-flavor/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wp_lifestyle