On Food and Cooking

Both caramelization and Maillard browning
proceed at a rapid rate only at relatively high
temperatures. Caramelization in table sugar
becomes noticeable at around 330ºF/165ºC,
Maillard browning perhaps 100ºF/50ºC below
that. Large amounts of energy are required to
force the initial molecular interactions. The
practical consequence of this is that most
foods brown only on the outside and during
the application of dry heat. The temperature
of water can’t rise above 212ºF/100ºC until it
is vaporized (unless it’s under high pressure
in a pressure cooker). So foods that are
cooked in hot water or steamed, and the moist
interiors of meats and vegetables, will never
exceed 212ºF. But the outer surfaces of foods
cooked in oil or in an oven quickly dehydrate
and reach the temperature of their
surroundings, perhaps 300 to 500ºF/159–
260ºC. So it is that foods cooked by “moist”
techniques — boiling, steaming, braising —
are generally pale and mild compared to the