F / 154°C: Maillard Reactions Become Noticeable

The Food Lab

Or that raw lima beans contain sugar-cyanide complexes that can shut down your respiratory system? If you want to know which vegetables were available at the court of Richard II, why fish is white, or the chemical composition of a saturated fat, then this is the book for you. Practical information, like how to tell stale eggs from fresh, is liberally sprinkled amid the science and anecdotes. Even if you don’t cook and only rarely eat, this is a fascinating book. In cooking, radiant heat methods are the only ones in which the energy being applied to the food can be either reflected or absorbed by the food. You can use this reflective property to redirect energy away from parts of something you’re cooking.

  • Fresh sage or other aromatic herbs can be julienned and tossed in at the end as well.
  • Yotam Ottolenghi, the accomplished chef and

F / 154°C: Maillard Reactions Become Noticeable

Cooking

There are tremendous nutritional benefits to having a year-round supply of fresh fruits and vegetables. At the same time, the diet rich in fruits and vegetables is the leading cause of foodborne illness in North America because they’re fresh, and anything that touches them has the potential to contaminate. So how do you balance the potential for risk against the potential benefits? Be aware of the risks and put in place safety programs, beginning on the farm. Oxygen—are necessary for some types of bacteria to multiply. Oil creates an anaerobic environment, but by itself doesn’t provide any moisture for bacteria to grow.

Fry the crackling until it is completely puffed and there are no dark spots of unexpanded cracker dough. Remove the puffed cracklings from the oil and drain on a paper-towel-lined tray. Cooking also breaks down pectin, and as a kitchen chemistry experiment, you can capture the pectin …