On Food and Cooking

3 ideas

1. Protein denaturation and coagulation sets eggs

   Egg proteins are folded chains held in shape by weak bonds; heat, acid, salt, or mechanical agitation unfolds them, exposing sites that bond to neighboring proteins into a continuous network that traps water and turns liquid to solid. Different egg proteins unfold at different temperatures (roughly 62°C for some white proteins, 65–70°C for yolk, 80°C for ovalbumin), so precise temperature control determines texture. Overheating tightens the network so far that it squeezes out water, producing rubbery whites and curdled custards.

2. Maillard reaction creates browned flavor

   When sugars and amino acids are heated together, typically above about 115–150°C, they react to form hundreds of new aromatic compounds and brown pigments, producing the savory, roasted flavor of seared meat, bread crust, and toasted nuts. Alkalinity speeds the reaction and acidity slows it, which is why a pinch of baking soda deepens browning.

3. Gluten network and trapped gas raise bread

   Wheat's glutenin and gliadin proteins, hydrated and kneaded, link into an elastic, extensible gluten network. Yeast ferments sugars into carbon dioxide and alcohol, and the gluten traps that gas in expanding bubbles. Oven heat then enlarges the bubbles, sets the proteins, and gelates the starch, fixing the risen structure as crumb.

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