On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 1160

thicken (center) As cooking continues and the temperature approaches the boil, the granules swell even more and leak starch chains into the liquid (right) It’s at this stage that the sauce reaches its maximum thickness Cooling, Further Thickening, and Congealing Once the starch in a sauce has gelated, its amylose has leaked out, and the cook judges the sauce to be properly cooked, he stops the cooking, and the temperature of the sauce begins to fall As the mixture cools down, the water and starch molecules move with less and less energy, and at a certain point the force of the temporary bonds among them begins to hold the molecules together longer than they are kept apart by random collisions Gradually, the longer amylose molecules form stable bonds among themselves, the kind of bonds that held them together in the granule initially Water molecules settle in the pockets between starch chains As a result, the liquid mixture gets progressively thicker If the amylose molecules are concentrated enough, and the temperature falls far enough, the liquid mixture congeals into a solid gel, just as a gelatin solution settles into a jelly (Bushy amylopectin molecules take much longer to bond to each other, so low-amylose starches are slow to congeal.) This is the way in which pie fillings, puddings, and similar solid but moist starch concoctions are made Judge Sauce Consistency at Serving Temperatures It’s important for the cook to anticipate this cooling and thickening We create and evaluate most sauces on the stove at high temperatures, around 200ºF/93ºC, but when they’re poured in a thin layer onto food and served, they immediately begin to cool and thicken However thick a sauce is in the pan, it’s going to be thicker when the diner actually tastes it, and it may even congeal on the plate So sauces should be thinner at the ...progressively thicker If the amylose molecules are concentrated enough, and the temperature falls far enough, the liquid mixture congeals into a solid gel, just as a gelatin solution settles into a jelly (Bushy... amylopectin molecules take much longer to bond to each other, so low-amylose starches are slow to congeal.) This is the way in which pie fillings, puddings, and similar solid but moist starch concoctions are made... 200ºF/93ºC, but when they’re poured in a thin layer onto food and served, they immediately begin to cool and thicken However thick a sauce is in the pan, it’s going to be thicker when the diner actually tastes it, and it may even congeal on