How does the cooking method impact so much on the actual taste of the food?

Question

Obviously I’m not talking about what you add during the different preparations, but just about the way you cook something.

Like boiling VS roasting broccoli. Boiled broccoli smells and tastes like death and despair, but the second you roast them they’re absolutely delicious.

Or eggs, hard boiled eggs taste completely different from when they are cooked in a pan.

Or again meat, roasted meat is completely different from boiled meat even if you add little to no other ingredients during the cooking process.

In: Other

Answer 1

The sear is everything! I can’t comment much on the science behind it, but direct contact with metal or open fire will cause the outer surface to caramelize and sear, result in different flavors. If you wanna get a good sear, you need less liquid on the surface of the food, so always pat down your meats!