The Maillard reaction is crucial to much cookery, in particular the browning of meat prior to cooking stews such as beef bourguignon. This reaction is described science of cooking:
The Maillard reaction is a chemical reaction between an amino acid and a reducing sugar, usually requiring the addition of heat. Like caramelization, it is a form of non-enzymatic browning. The reactive carbonyl group of the sugar interacts with the nucleophilic amino group of the amino acid, and interesting but poorly characterized odor and flavor molecules result. This process accelerates in an alkaline environment because the amino groups do not neutralize. This reaction is the basis of the flavoring industry, since the type of amino acid determines the resulting flavor.
Maillard reactions generally only begin to occur above 285°F (140°C).
Reading this, my first thought is can I just do this once on mass, and add a bit each time I would otherwise brown the meat before making for example beef bourguignon. This seems like it would be a large time saver, as I could cook the meat from frozen as it usually starts that way. I would not mind some reduction in quality of flavour, but would of course not want anything that was potentially harmful.
My thought was to get some hydrolyzed vegetable protein, some glucose, some beef fat, perhaps some baking soda to get the right pH. Heat that up to the appropriate temperature for the appropriate time, then cool it down and perhaps store it in an ice cube tray in the freezer. One could then add an appropriate amount a stew relatively easily, saving time at the point of food preparation.
Would some such a procedure make the Maillard reaction occur? Would the result added to meat that was boiled from raw without browning be anywhere near the flavour achieved by browning the meat with a flour coating? Would the result be safe for human consumption?
