Cooking for Geeks

Chapter 4. Time and Temperature: Cooking’s Primary Variables

EVER SINCE CAVEMEN FIRST SET UP CAMPFIRES AND STARTED ROASTING THEIR KILL, MANKIND HAS ENJOYED A WHOLE NEW SET OF FLAVORS IN FOOD. Cooking is the application of heat to ingredients to transform them via chemical and physical reactions that improve flavor, reduce chances of foodborne illness, and increase nutritional value.

From a culinary perspective, the more interesting and enjoyable changes are brought about when compounds in food undergo the following chemical reactions:

Protein denaturation

The native form of a protein is the three-dimensional shape (conformation) assumed by the protein that is required for normal functioning. If this structure is disrupted (typically by heat or acid), the protein is said to be denatured. Changes in the shapes of proteins also alter their taste and texture.

Different proteins denature at different temperatures; most proteins in food denature in the range of 120–160°F / 49–71°C. Egg whites, for example, begin to denature at 141°F / 61°C and turn white because the shape of the denatured protein is no longer transparent to visible light. In meat, the protein myosin begins to denature around 122°F / 50°C; another protein, actin, begins to denature around 150°F / 65.5°C. Most people prefer meat cooked such that myosin is denatured while keeping the actin native.

Maillard reaction

A Maillard reaction is a browning reaction that gives foods an aromatic and mouth-watering aroma. Usually triggered ...