Like its all just a maillard reaction right? just to differing degrees
In: Chemistry
No, it isn’t all just the Maillard reaction.
The Maillard reaction in the terms of browning food happens as a chemical reaction between amino acids when there’s is enough heat energy to drive it.
When things start to burn, it’s no longer the Maillard reaction, it’s now a pyrolysis reaction. Which is essentially the heat causing the molecules themselves to start to break down into smaller parts.
This is the same reaction that happens when you burn a piece of wood, heat + fuel + Oxygen produces CO2 gas, water vapor, and leaves behind blackened remains that either are not fully oxidized (not fully burned) or are the remnants of what can’t be burned.
Yep pretty much.
If you continue to broil that tuna melt in the oven, eventually you end up with a lump of carbon baked onto your roasting pan, same as if you had left it in the oven to bake not broil for an hour.
Im sure you could think of browning the top of a brulee or a toasted cheese as “burning… but with finesse” to just carmelize stuff not carbonize it.
Latest Answers