This site uses only a few technical cookies necessary for its operation. By continuing to browse, you accept their use.
To find out more...
To find out more...
Maillard reactions
This subject cropped up recently in a discussion with my three charming nieces; do you know what Maillard reactions are?
With a name like that, they could well be some principle in mechanics, but in fact the term applies to something much closer to all of us: it's what gives food more flavour cooked than when raw!
With a name like that, they could well be some principle in mechanics, but in fact the term applies to something much closer to all of us: it's what gives food more flavour cooked than when raw!
39 K 4/5 (23 reviews)
Last modified on: January 28th 2015
Maillard reactions
How does it work? Ah, well – that's not so simple! These are complex physiochemical reactions explained by a 19th century French chemist, Louis-Camille Maillard, with a superb moustache. Basically (and I'm simplifying drastically here) when one cooks certain foods, various brown compounds form, sugars in particular, which add flavour and sometimes a “crust” like that around well-roasted meat.
You might think that there is nothing revolutionary in that, and that you already knew it: cooked meat has more flavour than raw meat! Of course that's true, but it took the good Monsieur Maillard to describe and explain the phenomenon.
In fact Maillard reactions crop up everywhere in cooking, and affect much of what we eat and drink.
- When the crust on a baked loaf is crisp and brown - that's them!
- When beer is brown (or amber-coloured) - there they are again!
- When coffee is dark after roasting and reveals its flavour
- When chocolate develops its delicious aromas after “cooking" the cocoa butter
- When the roast in the oven is covered with a fine and very tasty crust
- When the skin on fried chicken turns crispy
- When a dish just gets better and lightly browned on reheating
- You use your toaster
etc., etc.
If they are present, it's an excellent thing. It means that it's good, it's tasty, it has that great “properly cooked” flavour that I've already mentioned, and this is particularly true of cooking meat.
The consequence of all this is that we should try to encourage these reactions as far as possible. A simple example: when frying meat in a pan, it is better not to use a non-stick pan, so that the meat can stick on the bottom a little and the famous crust has a chance to form more effectively and more quickly. Unfortunately this can also stick well.
You might think that there is nothing revolutionary in that, and that you already knew it: cooked meat has more flavour than raw meat! Of course that's true, but it took the good Monsieur Maillard to describe and explain the phenomenon.
In fact Maillard reactions crop up everywhere in cooking, and affect much of what we eat and drink.
- When the crust on a baked loaf is crisp and brown - that's them!
- When beer is brown (or amber-coloured) - there they are again!
- When coffee is dark after roasting and reveals its flavour
- When chocolate develops its delicious aromas after “cooking" the cocoa butter
- When the roast in the oven is covered with a fine and very tasty crust
- When the skin on fried chicken turns crispy
- When a dish just gets better and lightly browned on reheating
- You use your toaster
etc., etc.
If they are present, it's an excellent thing. It means that it's good, it's tasty, it has that great “properly cooked” flavour that I've already mentioned, and this is particularly true of cooking meat.
The consequence of all this is that we should try to encourage these reactions as far as possible. A simple example: when frying meat in a pan, it is better not to use a non-stick pan, so that the meat can stick on the bottom a little and the famous crust has a chance to form more effectively and more quickly. Unfortunately this can also stick well.
A final note on the subject – sheer genius – that I heard from the English chef Heston Blumenthal: if you cook meat in a non-stick pan, you can brown it beautifully in spite of this by turning the meat every 15 seconds throughout the cooking time. This needs to be done with tongs and not with a fork to avoid piercing the meat. It's a bit of a bind, but the result is remarkable!
PS : This also explains why those who enjoy steak tartare (which personally I find inedible, but each to his own…) are obliged to mix all manner of strong condiments with their raw meat: onion, herbs, sauces, egg yolk, etc., to give it some flavour. The same meat cooked would only need a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and voila!” … But at this point I'm just teasing my sister Isabelle, a real chip off the old block, who adores it just like her father!
Lasts posts
A tablet holder
Perhaps you too cook by consulting your recipe on a tablet or phone, and putting it down on your worktop? It's practical, but not the best solution. Here's a look at how you can make an inexpensive, almost universal stand.March 14th 20266455
Pre-calibrated pastry dough
When making pie dough (shortbread, shortcrust, sweet...), it's always a good idea to make a lot at once, and then divide it into pieces, which you can freeze. I've already pointed out the mistake not to make, which is to form a ball before freezing. It's difficult to roll out afterwards because...March 9th 20269035
Butter vs. grease
We often read in a recipe where a pastry is put into a mould that, just before pouring, the mould should be buttered or greased. But what's the difference between these 2 terms?December 1st 20252,9755
Getting out of the fridge early
Very often when you're cooking, you need to take food or preparations out of the fridge, to use them in the recipe in progress. There's nothing tricky about this: you just take them out of the fridge and use them, usually immediately, in the recipe. But is this really a good method?November 24th 20251,9365
Who's making the croissants?
When you look at a bakery from the outside, you naturally think that in the bakery, the bakers make the bread, and in the laboratory, the pastry chefs make the cakes. It's very often like that, with each of these professions having quite different ways of working, but sometimes there's also one...November 23th 20251,756
Other pages you may also like
How to break eggs properly?
It is a very common gesture in pastry, bakery and of course cooking: breaking eggs to incorporate them into a recipe. You have eggs (which professionals call "shell eggs" to differentiate them from liquid eggs in cartons or cans), and you must break them to incorporate the contents into your...June 26th 202116 K4.8
How to zest a fruit?
You will have no doubt noticed that many recipes call for the zest of citrus fruit. The zest is that outer layer of the skin which adds so much flavour to a dish. There are many different ways to peel off the zest and various tools are available. Here is a summary of the “dos and don'ts” of...November 5th 201348 K3.8
Perpetual stock
It's something you have probably have done yourself: cooked or pre-cooked vegetables before adding them to a recipe. This is almost always done the same way: peel the chosen vegetables (carrots, for example), cut them up, boil them in salted water (using a tablespoon or so of coarse salt per litre),...November 22th 201632 K5
A few tips for effective kneading at home
When you have to knead dough for bread or some other recipe, you may well use a food processor or the type of machine known as a stand mixer. The best-known brands are Kenwood and KitchenAid. They are useful tools, but here are a few tips to help you get the best out of them.June 23th 2021286 K 23.8
Egg yolks and caster sugar
We often come across recipes where we need to mix egg yolks with caster sugar. This would appear to be a very ordinary and simple thing to do but, be warned, these two ingredients can behave oddly together.February 15th 201884 K 24.3
Post a comment or question
Follow this page
If you are interested in this page, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the page is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.