On Food and Cooking

base liquid for brewing beer, a water extract
of barley malt that contains reactive sugars
and amino acids from the germinated grains,
deepens in color and flavor with several hours
of boiling. Watery meat or chicken stock will
do the same as it’s boiled down to make a
concentrated demiglace. Persimmon pudding
turns nearly black thanks to its combination of
reactive glucose, alkaline baking soda, and
hours of cooking; balsamic vinegar turns
nearly black over the course of years!

Some    of  the Flavors Produced    by

Caramelization  and Maillard    Browning

Caramelization

330ºF/165ºC and

above

Maillard    Reactions

250ºF/120ºC and

above

Sweet   (sucrose,   other

sugars)

Savory  (peptides,

amino   acids)

Sour    (acetic acid) Floral    (oxazoles)