“Charred food always draws you in more, whets your appetite,”

January 24, 2017 11:35 AM

Charred, Browned, Blackened: The Dark Lure of Burned Food [The New York Times] “From the blackened avocados at Nix to the lamb heart ashes at Aska, burned and charred foods may seem like just another fad sweeping through pyrotechnically inclined restaurants. But burning, a technique that can involve a surprising amount of shading and subtlety, has deep roots in many cuisines. A great kazandibi, the Turkish milk pudding, requires a totally scorched bottom to fulfill its delicious potential, the milk pushed to the same shade as a fire-licked marshmallow. Any dessert that relies on a touch of burned sugar, from flan to crème brûlée, will go limp and lifeless if that caramel is cooked too lightly. And there are few primal delights like the burned ends of a barbecued brisket, crisp-edged and fierce with smoke.”
posted by Fizz (67 comments total)

I'm really puzzled by people who get annoyed when the rice gets "burned" at the bottom of the pot. Dude, that's the best part! Yummy crunchy toasty ricey goodness!
posted by holborne at 11:44 AM on January 24, 2017 [9 favorites]

There's an ice cream place about a half hour's drive down the road here that had a burned sugar flavoured ice cream for a while. It was a pale, pale brown and an interesting flavour, I'll give it that. I was reminded of green tea ice cream: it's not a typical sweet ice cream, but it's kind of refreshing as a change.
posted by Quindar Beep at 11:44 AM on January 24, 2017 [1 favorite]

The one or two burnt Cheeze-it in every box are the best part. One day I discovered they actually sell whole boxes of burnt Cheeze-its but it just wasn't the same. They were no longer special.

When I grill hot dogs, I burn the shit out of them. Gotta get the "skin"nice and black. I enjoy the burnt edges of lasagna as well.

I don't understand people who like burnt marshmallows and if you like your steak well done, well, you're just a terrible person, is all.
posted by bondcliff at 11:49 AM on January 24, 2017 [5 favorites]

I will say that the moment I knew that I liked Tyrion Lannister was when he called out for "bacon, burnt black."

There's a man who understands what bacon is supposed to be. Which is burnt black.
posted by Navelgazer at 11:52 AM on January 24, 2017 [9 favorites]

One day I discovered they actually sell whole boxes of burnt Cheeze-its but it just wasn't the same. They were no longer special.

Holy shit. I had no idea this existed until right this second. You have just changed my life.
posted by holborne at 11:54 AM on January 24, 2017 [4 favorites]

Holy shit. I had no idea this existed until right this second. You have just changed my life.

They're called Extra Toasty, but I'm tellin' ya, they're not the same.
posted by bondcliff at 11:55 AM on January 24, 2017 [2 favorites]

There's a big difference between "well-browned" and "burnt", and somewhere along that continuum my interest drops off when food turns bitter. I like properly browned food, but I don't know what to think about this topic because they keep using words that to me mean "bitter and ruined" rather than "well-cooked".
posted by Greg_Ace at 11:56 AM on January 24, 2017 [4 favorites]

*contemplates placing regular Cheeze-its in the oven and burning them myself*
posted by Fizz at 11:56 AM on January 24, 2017 [2 favorites]

For instance, the main picture at the top of that article show food that I'd say is beginning to veer toward "bitter", but I wouldn't call it "burned".
posted by Greg_Ace at 11:57 AM on January 24, 2017

“When I’m pulling something from the salamander, someone is always walking by saying, ‘Uh-oh, somebody burned something!’

For those, like me, who didn't know, apparently a salamander is an industrial grade broiler/toaster.

So no amphibian salamanders were hurt in the creation of the article.
posted by Kabanos at 12:00 PM on January 24, 2017 [1 favorite]

They're called Extra Toasty, but I'm tellin' ya, they're not the same.

That was my thinking about the burned ice cream. My immediate reaction to almost any good food is EAT ALL THE FOOD. But with this it was "I like this, but I don't want a lot of it".

It's like scotch, or black jelly beans, or medicine.
posted by Quindar Beep at 12:02 PM on January 24, 2017 [1 favorite]

I'm a devotee of the Extra Toasty Cheeze-its and I blanch at your heresy, bondcliff. They are The Best.
posted by fiercecupcake at 12:03 PM on January 24, 2017 [2 favorites]

"You just pulled that from the salamander" is now my go-to euphemism for anything,
posted by Quindar Beep at 12:05 PM on January 24, 2017 [4 favorites]

this article is Extremely Up My Alley

bacon should be so burned it snaps in half when you touch it and marshmallows need to be completely on fire before theyre toasted to an acceptable level
posted by burgerrr at 12:06 PM on January 24, 2017 [3 favorites]

I will fight you, fiercecupcake.

Perhaps I should try them again. I think it's the contrast, after eating approximately six lbs of Cheeze-its (my personal serving size) and getting one or two burnt ones that make them so enjoyable. Without that contrast, they weren't as good. It wasn't that they were bad, they were still Cheeze-its, and Cheeze-its are the best thing ever, it was that they were no longer special.

I have given this a lot of thought.
posted by bondcliff at 12:08 PM on January 24, 2017 [3 favorites]

Creme brulee and marshmallows that have actually caught fire and are blackened are... two things that are on the same spectrum, I guess, in that fire is involved in making them. As far as taste goes, though? Different planets. The maillard reaction makes things delicious. If you're going to burn your hot dogs until they're charred remains, why not just save yourself the trouble and eat the charcoal straight out of the bag?
posted by Mayor West at 12:12 PM on January 24, 2017 [3 favorites]

Burning things is hip now eh? Say hello to the uncomplicated soups of my childhood, renowned chef.
posted by the uncomplicated soups of my childhood at 12:17 PM on January 24, 2017 [12 favorites]

You need to change your name to "the scorched soups of my childhood", then.
posted by Greg_Ace at 12:19 PM on January 24, 2017 [4 favorites]

Ashes? People are eating ashes? Willingly?
posted by jonmc at 12:24 PM on January 24, 2017 [1 favorite]

why not just save yourself the trouble and eat the charcoal straight out of the bag?

Well because a lot of us use propane grills, not charcoal
posted by holborne at 12:24 PM on January 24, 2017 [3 favorites]

Meanwhile I heard on NPR that toasty potatoes are rank with carcinogens. Potatoes must be served rare.
posted by njohnson23 at 12:25 PM on January 24, 2017

If you're going to burn your hot dogs until they're charred remains, why not just save yourself the trouble and eat the charcoal straight out of the bag?

Because charcoal isn't fortified with hooves and sphincters. Adoy.
posted by bondcliff at 12:27 PM on January 24, 2017 [3 favorites]

Ashes? People are eating ashes? Willingly?

That's the thing; the article keeps bandying words like "charred" and "scorched" around, but they're clearly talking about "toasted" or "deeply browned" which is not at all the same thing.
posted by Greg_Ace at 12:29 PM on January 24, 2017 [3 favorites]

Meanwhile I heard on NPR that toasty potatoes are rank with carcinogens. Potatoes must be served rare

It's toasty anything really. Even toast.
posted by Mei's lost sandal at 12:29 PM on January 24, 2017 [3 favorites]

So, there's this guy, Francis Mallman who's book Seven Fires: Grilling the Argentine Way completely changed my life as an avid griller and barbecuer. It really is phenomenal and having a burnt flavor is as much a part of his recipes as the ingredients or anything else. The ones that truly opened my eyes were a pie dessert with burnt plums and another savory dish with burnt carrots and goat cheese. Simply incredible.
posted by ssmith at 12:32 PM on January 24, 2017 [3 favorites]

Wet blanket time.
posted by Mei's lost sandal at 12:32 PM on January 24, 2017

Ashes? People are eating ashes? Willingly?

Not just any old ashes! Ashes of a beating lamb's heart burnt on an altar in sacrifice to Baal.
That's how we do it anyway.
Maybe I should read the article.
posted by Floydd at 12:33 PM on January 24, 2017 [5 favorites]

The guacamole recipe I love calls for charring the peppers and tomatillos before grinding them in the molcajete; it really isn't possible to have it any other way after trying it.
posted by Mei's lost sandal at 12:35 PM on January 24, 2017

That's how we do it anyway.
Maybe I should read the article.

Nahh, at this point you'll just be disappointed.
posted by Greg_Ace at 12:38 PM on January 24, 2017 [1 favorite]

Black burnt salmon skin.
With just a bit of the salmon fat left puddled on the top side.
Salmon meat totally optional.
posted by Kabanos at 12:41 PM on January 24, 2017 [4 favorites]

Ugh. Even medium-brown toast is too burned for me. Just a teeny change of color and that's it, please.

Ah, foodie fads...
posted by Melismata at 12:43 PM on January 24, 2017

Slightly annoyed that they've conflated burnt sugar essence and browning. I've made black cake, and trust me, those two are not the same thing. Browning is fairly lightly flavored, and put in things like gravy or applied directly to meat. It's a liquid.

Burnt sugar essence, on the other hand, which I wound up needing to mail-order, is a substance closely resembling tar in color, texture, and speed of flow, except that if you hold it up to the light you can see that it's actually a very deep red-brown, not black. You have to melt it around the top to open the jar if you got even a drop on the lip while pouring it last time, which you did, because it does not pour easy. If you stick a finger in it, your finger will be stained red-brown for the rest of the day, even if scrubbed. It tastes like-- okay, imagine eating a charcoal briquette, but without any signal from your stomach or tastebuds that this might be a bad idea. It tastes strangely... good for you. And the ghost of sweetness is hanging around somewhere, not quite in the foretaste, not quite in the aftertaste, but you can tell this product came from sugar.

Burnt sugar essence is for black cake, where it produces a depth of flavor that is kind of like molasses multiplied by chocolate times coffee. You might be able to use it drop by drop in some kinds of sauce, for large batches, but even a drop in a standard meat dish would mean you would taste absolutely nothing else. I also suspect that in sufficiently rainless climates you could use it as mortar.

I still have like half a jar, but at least it never goes bad.
posted by Rush-That-Speaks at 12:48 PM on January 24, 2017 [19 favorites]

Wet blanket time.
posted by Mei's lost sandal at 3:32 PM on January 24 [+] [!]

AHHHHMYGADD Mommmmm is that you, have you followed me here too :(

Because my mother's name is also Mei, and she is also a wet blanket, in that our email correspondence ever since the dawn of our family getting online has consisted almost entirely of her sending me multiple articles weekly from Yahoo Health and USA Today and NPR about the carcinogenic effects of every type of burned food you could possibly imagine, and my deleting them with a big sigh and no other comment. I have never replied to a single one of these, and yet they keep arriving in my inbox after a long weekend, like mushrooms after a rain. We knew my husband had finally been accepted as Family when he started getting them too.
posted by sestaaak at 12:49 PM on January 24, 2017 [10 favorites]

I would not make a good mom. I'm kind of in the camp that believes most everything is carcinogenic, but the problem comes when our defenses lapse, not when we get exposed to something bad (Not Science).
posted by Mei's lost sandal at 12:57 PM on January 24, 2017

Today I have discovered that some people like to eat burnt food.
posted by Automocar at 1:02 PM on January 24, 2017 [2 favorites]

There's a big difference between "well-browned" and "burnt"

Just the nine comments before the semantics derail, then ;)

(Tyrion liking bacon burned felt hugely, almost wrongly American for the generally old-europe vibes of Got, no? Y'all really love it crispy)
posted by ominous_paws at 1:10 PM on January 24, 2017 [1 favorite]

when the rice gets "burned" at the bottom of the pot. Dude, that's the best part!

Indeed. It even has a name: pegao (pegado, stuck).
posted by uncleozzy at 1:11 PM on January 24, 2017 [1 favorite]

The trick to the boxes of Extra Toasty Cheez-Its is to do what my mom and I do: we then search the boxes for the MOST toasty and send each other pictures of them. Bliss.
posted by headspace at 1:13 PM on January 24, 2017 [8 favorites]

Just the nine comments before the semantics derail, then ;)

I generally don't think of myself as overly-picky about language, but I sometimes find myself a little annoyed at sloppy or inaccurate usage. There are situations where accuracy and precision can matter.

Besides, y'all and your dried-out bacon and carbonized marshmallows are creeping me the hell out. :)
posted by Greg_Ace at 1:30 PM on January 24, 2017

Not burned, but Massimo Bottura serves The Crunchy Part of Lasagna in lovely Modena.
posted by BWA at 1:30 PM on January 24, 2017 [1 favorite]

The first time I made a thanksgiving turkey using the Cooks Illustrated method of cooking the bird upside-down (and rotating it to both sides throughout the cook time, finishing breast-up), I burnt all the veggies that I had scattered in the bottom of the roasting pan. I mean, they were burnt to all hell, so I left the roasting pan far away from the guests in the kitchen hoping to hide my shame.

By the end of the night there was a crowd of people, standing around the roasting pan picking the burned veggies off the bottom and eating them with gusto. I tried some, and maybe it was because they had been basted in poultry fat, but they were DELICIOUS.

Ever since then the trick has been trying to find just the right amount of water to add to the roasting pan so that the veggies still get nicely charred but not completely. Too much and they're just mushy, too little and they really do turn almost to ash, plus they stick so hard to the pan they won't come off, and smoke up the kitchen.

Marshmallows should be roasted slowly over the fire so the center gets well melted, THEN capped off by sticking them in the flame so they catch on fire. If you catch them on fire right away, the center stays cold and lumpy and often gets left behind when you try to pull it off.
posted by misskaz at 1:32 PM on January 24, 2017 [4 favorites]

"The darker the colour of the toast, the more acrylamide is present." (sorry)
posted by oulipian at 1:35 PM on January 24, 2017 [1 favorite]

Ever since then the trick has been trying to find just the right amount of water

- Have you tried tossing the veggies in a little olive oil (or other oil, or bacon or chicken fat) before adding them to the roasting pan?

- Also, try using a (cheap) dry white wine instead of water. Not only does it add flavor to the veggies, it smells HEAVENLY while it's cooking.
posted by Greg_Ace at 1:45 PM on January 24, 2017 [1 favorite]

(Tyrion liking bacon burned felt hugely, almost wrongly American for the generally old-europe vibes of Got, no? Y'all really love it crispy)

I think, more pertinently to the character, it's good hangover food.
posted by Navelgazer at 1:49 PM on January 24, 2017

I don't understand people who like burnt marshmallows and if you like your steak well done, well, you're just a terrible person, is all.

Wait a minute, a steak with a deliciously charred surface and a well-done steak have nothing to do with one another. It's easy to get well-done without any charring whatsoever (and if that's what you like, I won't call you a terrible person, but you and I are very different creatures).
posted by treepour at 1:51 PM on January 24, 2017 [7 favorites]

When it comes to non-mashed potatoes, fries especially, is there anyone who does not prefer them crispy? Browned or not, a limp fry is just unappetizing. McD's, who does better then average on their fry crispiness, fails on 90 percent of their hashbrowns, though. Is the oil not hot enough in morning or what?
posted by soelo at 1:51 PM on January 24, 2017

David Spiegelhalter, professor for the public understanding of risk at Cambridge University, said he was not sure the advice was appropriate.

He said: "Even adults with the highest consumption of acrylamide would need to consume 160 times as much to reach a level that might cause increased tumours in mice.

"The FSA provide no estimate of the current harm caused by acrylamide, nor the benefit from any reduction due to people following their advice."

From oulipian's linked article. It's buried way in there, but essentially, "this chemical in high enough doses can cause cancer. It can be created by burning foods. However, burning foods doesn't create those harmful doses, so basically we're scare-mongering."
posted by explosion at 1:55 PM on January 24, 2017 [10 favorites]

I just accidentally blackened one side of my grilled cheese sandwich for lunch, and my wife quoted the NPR piece, but I ate it anyway.

Some of those pictures on NYT were definitely not 'browned'.
posted by MtDewd at 2:01 PM on January 24, 2017

Thank you, explosion. My wife thinks any sufficiently-toasted food is bad for you, and that article isn't helping things.
posted by Rash at 2:08 PM on January 24, 2017 [1 favorite]

bacon should be so burned it snaps in half when you touch it and marshmallows need to be completely on fire before theyre toasted to an acceptable level

Yassssssssssss. Bacon that can bend is not bacon. It is pre-bacon. It is a squirming piglet. Put it back on the heat until it's done.

MAN COOK MEAT WITH FIRE. KILL IT DED WITH FIRE YUS
posted by delfin at 2:16 PM on January 24, 2017 [4 favorites]

The missus makes an amazing home-made Chex mix and, when cooking is done, there are always these burnt clumps of cereal and the flavoring mix she uses. Those are my favorite ones. Savory, garlic-y bits of awesome.
posted by Thorzdad at 2:21 PM on January 24, 2017 [3 favorites]

Indeed. It even has a name: pegao (pegado, stuck).

Also, Tahdig.
posted by mudpuppie at 2:24 PM on January 24, 2017 [4 favorites]

yesss tadig!! i was kinda surprised there was no mention of it in the article but maybe it doesn't qualify as burnt enough. it's one of my favorite foods and super easy to make at home if you get the proper rice cooker
posted by burgerrr at 2:27 PM on January 24, 2017

BURNED POPCORN. Oh man, so good. When it is just sliiiiightly gray, amazing. Of course, trying to make it is a tricky process, and so you need to be able to turn off the smoke detector if need be.

It also helps to live alone.
posted by a fiendish thingy at 2:36 PM on January 24, 2017 [3 favorites]

Bacon that can bend is not bacon. It is pre-bacon. It is a squirming piglet. Put it back on the heat until it's done.

MAN COOK MEAT WITH FIRE. KILL IT DED WITH FIRE YUS

While some hominids still seem to prefer meat cooked until it's utterly dry, brittle, and nearly tasteless, others have learned joy in subtler grades of doneness that include "juicy umami".
posted by Greg_Ace at 2:41 PM on January 24, 2017 [2 favorites]

The missus makes an amazing home-made Chex mix

Recipe please!
posted by janepanic at 4:56 PM on January 24, 2017

Yassssssssssss. Bacon that can bend is not bacon. It is pre-bacon. It is a squirming piglet. Put it back on the heat until it's done.

I'm always disappointed that the middle of my bacon strips get appropriately crispy but the fatty ends at the edges of the pan stay limp. It just doesn't look right. But when I eat the soft ends, they have a kind of pleasant, rich, greasy mouth feel that I don't get with crispy bacon, and I end up enjoying it every time.
posted by indubitable at 5:43 PM on January 24, 2017 [1 favorite]

As a kid, I used to put my waffles in the toaster at the highest setting not once, but twice. Combine the smokiness of the burnt waffles with maple syrup, and heaven doesn't seem so far away.
posted by reenum at 5:47 PM on January 24, 2017

"this chemical in high enough doses can cause cancer. It can be created by burning foods."

What puzzles me with the UK report is that this is old news; this was discovered in 2002 by Swedish scientists who were monitoring the health status of victims of the Rhoca Gil scandal (an actual acrylamide poisoning), and had trouble establishing a baseline -- they kept finding high levels of acrylamide also in members of their control groups, not just the people who'd been exposed to Rhoca Gil.

Once they figured out the connection to high-temperature cooking, the Swedish equivalent of the FSA freaked out, briefly, it reached MetaFilter, WHO got involved, the FDA picked it up (current US guidelines), there was a few lawsuits in California, but as more studies indicated that the cancer risks were much lower than previously known, it mostly settled into the background -- still a potential health concern and a subject for more studies, but no reason for panic. Only to resurface in the UK fifteen years later...

(I guess there may be new research available, but haven't seen any references and also no media attention outside the UK...)
posted by effbot at 6:17 PM on January 24, 2017 [3 favorites]

I'm always disappointed that the middle of my bacon strips get appropriately crispy but the fatty ends at the edges of the pan stay limp.

You need either (a) a better pan that spreads heat more evenly, or (b) to let the entire pan warm up before putting the bacon in. Alternatively, (c) try cooking it in the oven instead - it takes a little longer, but the pieces cook more evenly from end to end.
posted by Greg_Ace at 6:19 PM on January 24, 2017

I'm always disappointed that the middle of my bacon strips get appropriately crispy but the fatty ends at the edges of the pan stay limp

The secret to easy perfectly crisp bacon: a George Foreman grill. A little slower than panfrying, but you don't have to hover over it to avoid crossing the line to too burnt, and as advertised, the grease really does just drain away.
posted by superna at 6:44 PM on January 24, 2017

Lucky Peach is on the crispy rice case!
posted by rhizome at 9:48 PM on January 24, 2017 [1 favorite]

Dear Miss Manners,

I'm a big fan of the crusty bottom you get from rice. It really is the best part. I told my wife that Persian ladies used to be judged by the crustiness of their bottoms. They would ceremoniously unwrap them at dinner parties and all the guests would see how crusty they were. Ones which were brown and fragrant were especially prized, and for a special occasion they might be sprinkled with rose water or stuffed with pistachio nuts. I have asked my wife to see if she can get her bottom as brown and crusty as my mother's, but she got upset and is no longer talking to me. Please, what can I do to make things better?
posted by Joe in Australia at 10:33 AM on January 25, 2017 [3 favorites]

My father used to make Serbian roasted green peppers by charring bell peppers in the broiler until the skin was black and blistering. He then let the peppers cool, cut the flesh into strips and removed most but not all of the skin, then marinated them in oil and vinegar. You should do this.
posted by acrasis at 6:41 PM on January 25, 2017

You should do this.

I have (though I usually leave out the vinegar), and I agree. It's even better with red bell peppers.
posted by Greg_Ace at 8:14 PM on January 25, 2017 [1 favorite]

Mmm, I just did that with poblanos and made a chile-relleno-flavored omelet. If you're scared of accidentally burning the peppers with the broiler you can just do it in the oven around 400F for awhile.
posted by fiercecupcake at 6:06 AM on January 27, 2017

Bacon that can bend is not bacon. It is pre-bacon.

I just want to say that the above is my new motto. It will be emblazoned on every available surface of my kitchen.
posted by holborne at 8:07 AM on January 27, 2017