The Reaction That Connects Your Kitchen To the Cosmos

The Maillard Reaction is what makes food delicious, and it does it, to paraphrase AP Dhillon, by making your food like Brown Munde. As long as there is water in your pan, the temperature stays below 100C, but once surface water evaporates (or you are deep frying in hot oil), the temperatures starts rising, and magic happens. Up to a point! Quick Maillard Reaction Cheatsheet Temperature range: 140 to 170C 1. Increase surface area of food in contact with hot pan 2. Reduce surface moisture (drying ahead, adding salt etc) 3. Increasing pH (adding alkaline agents like baking soda) 4. Trust your nose. Once you smell acrid, you have overdone it. 5. Gravies are more delicious if you Maillard-brown the main ingredients ahead of time (think Tandoori chicken in a Butter chicken gravy)

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