So school is about to start here in lovely, coastal California at CalPoly(2 days and counting). I am excited to learn lots of fun and interesting things to share with you all(all ~ 3 of you that read my blog). :)
This quarter I am taking two Nutrition courses: Child & Maternal Nutrition and Nutrition in Aging. Basically that should cover everyone except for middle age men~I don't think many of you(middle aged men) read my blog anyways and generally you(middle aged men) still have unfairly fast metabolisms, so perhaps you won't be at a loss.
Until the quarter commences and you start seeing Nutrition through the life cycle posts: here is one for all audiences(read ages)!
BROWNING
So why do grilled vegetables taste better than steamed? And why do fried potatoes taste better than boiled ones? And why do you prefer grilled chicken to a poached bird? Let me tell you... the secret is in the browning.
We encounter browning in many different forms. The crust of your bread is browned, the outer edge of your french fry is browned, your coffee beans are browned, maple syrup is even browned; and believe it or not dried & condensed milk is even browned! Browning that beef strip in your stroganauf before slow simmering it for an hour not only helps it to be tender, but oooooohhhh boy- it makes it yummy.
Maillard browning is a nonezymatic browning(enzymatic browning is what happens to your bananas as they ripen~or what doesn't happen to your guacamole because you prohibit it with lime juice). Maillard reactions are more like carmelization. Carmelization(also a browning method) is a decomposition of sugars. Maillard browning occurs when you combine an amino acid with a reducing sugar(in the presence of heat) and they get it on! This process of getting it on makes your food yummy!
How to get a good Maillard reaction: high temperature, intermediate moisture levels and alkaline conditions.
Why low moisture you ask? Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius or 212 degrees Fahrenheit. A Maillard reaction happens at 154 degrees C and 310 degrees F. If too much moisture is involved then food will cook more quickly because of the heat released when water transitions from liquid phase to vapor/gas phase(which takes place at the boiling point). Since the boiling point is much lower than the temperature Maillard reactions occur, the food will be done by the time you get a chance to brown it.
While a Maillard reaction isn't the only chemical reaction contributing to browning in meat and other foods, it is the most abundant reaction.
Browning contributes to smell, texture, visual appeal, and most importantly flavor in cooked food. I think we can all agree that the afore mentioned aspects are important to a well-rounded and enjoyable food experience. Even still, taste is the most important!
Does a Maillard browning reaction alone affect the quality of flavor in a cooked item? No, and I cannot pretend otherwise. For instance, in order to effectively brown your food while cooking at such high temperatures you often need to protect food from burning... we like to do this in America with butter, or more recently fad-u-lous(read fabulous... but it is a food fad): EVOO(extra virgin olive oil- thanks Rachel Ray). Of course fat makes food taste good, so that helps the taste buds out... but not generally our waistlines. So what are we to do?
So here is my suggestion. Ready?
Okay... now are you ready?
In the instance of your steamed vegetables: lightly pan fry them, even just for a minute in a light amount of oil before you finish by steam cooking them them... or do it at the end. Do it at some point in the cooking process... because it will end up tasting better. Remember high heat! Low moisture! So on second thought... do it at the beginning.
And yes that picture of beer means that beer also takes part in the Maillard browning reactions. That picture was for bubba.
Alright well... I bid you adieu until I have more interesting things to share.
God Bless and eat yummily.
~C
