Why Browned Meat Tastes Better
How the Maillard reaction makes not only meat, but also bread and coffee (among other foods) taste so much better
What do steak, toast, roasted coffee, and beer all have in common? They all undergo the Maillard reaction!
If you’re a meat-lover like I am, then you probably know that meat always tastes better when seared until it develops a beautiful brown crust. From hamburgers and steak to chicken breast to seafood, browning the surface is essential to creating a deliciously mouthwatering meat dish. Even braised meats or stew meat are typically seared first to impart additional flavor to the dish.
Surprisingly, the same process that causes seared meat to taste so delicious is also responsible for turning bread into toast, and for giving roasted coffee its distinctive flavor. The incredible chemical reaction that imparts all of these amazing flavors is called the Maillard reaction. It’s named after Louis Camille Maillard, the French scientist who was the first person to study this reaction. Pretty much any food you can think of that has that je ne sais quoi “roasted” or “charred” flavor to it, such as caramel or browned butter, owes much of its flavor to the Maillard reaction.
