After two months of discussing baking, we’re moving on! (At least we will be after this column.)  Last month, I wrote about the building blocks of baking, and the role each ingredient plays in achieving the desired result.

This month, we’re talking about browning, which does play a role in baking, but not JUST baking. Browning is so important, it even has a special name: the Maillard Reaction.

In addition to adding a nice color to the crust of baked bread, browning is also involved in improving the texture, taste and scent of cooked foods. Think of cooked onions that turn a light brown color or a seared steak that sizzles in a cast iron pan. In both cases, the foods change their texture and taste dramatically by browning.

Here’s what you need to know: 

-The Maillard Reaction is different from simple caramelization. Caramelization involves the breakdown of sugars once the liquid released by the food has been absorbed. The Maillard Reaction is similar but describes a complex reaction between sugars and proteins in the presence of heat. It’s as simple as the darkening of your toast and as complex as the searing of a steak. 

-The Maillard Reaction works better in an alkaline (a.k.a. more basic) environment. If you remember from last month, I mentioned this when I wrote about baking soda. Excess baking soda, as in what’s left over after the acid in the recipe has been neutralized, aids in browning, both in time and amount. However, too much baking soda will result in an unpleasant taste, so don’t go overboard! For example, according to “The Food Lab” by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt (a book that should be in every amateur chef’s kitchen), adding one-quarter teaspoon of baking soda to a pound of onions is just enough to shorten the cooking time and improve the texture when making French Onion Soup. 

-Browning only occurs at high temperatures, such as 300 degrees and above, which is why boiled foods (212 degrees) won’t brown. Dehydration of a bread, forming a crust in the oven at 350 degrees or grilling a burger at about 300 degrees will result in browning. 

-The Maillard Reaction adds flavor to foods. It can make your meat taste ‘meatier’ and even gives coffee beans their intense aroma when roasted. Often, these flavors and scents are described as malty, roasted, umami and burnt. 

All this talk of searing meat has me wishing the grill were out! Soon friends, soon.