What is the difference between caramelization and the Maillard reaction?
Caramelization may sometimes cause browning in the same foods in which the Maillard reaction occurs, but the two processes are distinct. They are both promoted by heating, but the Maillard reaction involves amino acids, whereas caramelization is the pyrolysis of certain sugars.
Is caramel a Maillard reaction?
Caramels are the chewy candies you are familiar with. They’re made by cooking sugar, cream, corn syrup, and butter to 245° F. Their brown color comes from a reaction between the sugar and the protein in the cream. This reaction is called the Maillard reaction, after the French scientist who discovered it.
What is a Maillard reaction in cooking?
The Maillard reaction is a form of non-enzymatic browning that occurs in foods when proteins and/or amino acids chemically react with carbohydrates of reducing sugars. Applying heat during cooking accelerates and continues this intricate process, which elevates the taste, aromas, and appearance of food.
Is caramelization or the Maillard reaction in effect when cooking onions?
As onions cook, they release their moisture and cells begin to break down, causing them to soften. Sugars are released and as they heat up, both caramelization and a common chemical reaction in food occurs, called a Maillard reaction or Maillard browning.
Why does sugar turn into caramel?
Caramelizing Sugar. When high heat is applied to sugar it begins to discompose and become a liquid. When sugar is heated even further it begins to turn darker in color and tastes nuttier in flavor. This process is called caramelization and is the basic process used to start many candy recipes and dessert sauces.
Is caramelized sugar the same as caramel?
Caramel is simply sugar that has been cooked until it browns. These are the delicious flavors and aromas of caramelized sugar. The caramelization process begins around 320°F, when crystalline sugar melts into clear molten sugar. At 340-350°F, the color changes to light straw or pale caramel brown.
What happens when you fry onions?
When onions are being cooked, the heat from the pan raises the temperature within the cells of the onion. This reaction of breaking down larger sugars into single sugar molecules is what causes sautéed or caramelized onions to brown and develop a sweeter flavor.
Can you boil onions instead of frying?
Onions are cooked both to be eaten on their own and to be added to other dishes. Onions may require sweating, sautéing, or caramelizing before they are added to other foods. They can also be boiled, fried, baked, deep-fried, and grilled alone or together with other foods.