Pulled it off again!
So why do well-browned and caramelized foods taste so good, and why do so many cooks not take advantage of them? I’m not certain about the answer to the second question, but I suspect that it involves a combination of lack of experience or knowledge; that “chicken” factor – safer underdone than overdone, even if the result is not as tasty. The only other factor I can think of is the outdated (at least it should be outdated) notion that pale food is somehow more refined and elegant than food that’s earthy brown.
The answer to the first question is easy, though chemically complex. According to Harold McGee, author of On Food and Cooking, the Science and Lore of the Kitchen, a reference book regarded as indispensable by food professionals and serious amateurs, “Caramelization is the name given to the chemical reactions that occur when any sugar [there are many different kinds of sugars, among them sucrose, glucose, lactose and fructose] is heated to the point that its molecules begin to break apart. This destruction triggers a remarkable cascade of chemical creation. From a single kind of molecule in the form of a colorless, odorless, simply sweet crystal, the cook generates hundreds of new and different [flavor and color] compounds.”
Though the terms “browned” and “caramelized” are often used to describe the colors and flavors of bread crusts, chocolate, coffee beans, dark beers and roasted meats, the proper scientific term is the Maillard reaction (named after the French scientist who first analyzed and described it in 1910). All these foods have some sugars, but they’re not a primary ingredient. As with the simpler caramelization process, heat breaks down and regroups the food’s molecular structure. Says McGee, “Again, a brown coloration and full intense flavor result. [But] Maillard flavors are more complex and meaty than caramelized flavors, because the involvement of the amino acids to the mix . . . produces new families of molecules and new aromatic dimensions. Maillard products have a range of qualities, from leafy and floral to earthy and meaty.”
So there you have it. The scientific explanations are interesting, but all any cook or diner needs to remember is that brown really is beautiful – and tastier.
Contact Julianne Glatz at realcuisine.jg@gmail.com.
