Baking soda to enhance browning

[Jen Rehm]

I've done a little research on the idea of using baking soda to enhance the browning of chicken skin in the oven. Some claim that it dries the skin out, thereby making it more crispy. These advocates recommend putting it on the chicken the night before cooking. I've also read that it's the change in alkalinity the baking soda causes on the surface that enhances browning. There are places where it is recommended for scallops as well.

So what's the deal? Have you had success with this? Have you ever used it on beef roasts?

I'm cooking a tenderloin for Christmas and due to the timing/kitchen restriction, I can't sear the meat. I was wondering if dusting it with baking soda will increase the limited browning that will occur while roasting. Any other ideas? Broiler? I just hate the idea of brownish grey tenderloin.

thanks!

[HungryC]

I certainly haven't tried it, as I can't imagine the (to me) soapy taste of baking soda on the outside of roasted meat or poultry. Why wouldn't you use fat? A thorough oiling (or buttering) of chicken skin or tenderloin exterior has always yielded great browning for me. If you're really concerned about color, you can put a tiny bit of sugar (or honey) in any seasoning rubs/pastes used on the exterior. Sugar will help to form a nice brown crust.

[Shalmanese]

Cooks Illustrated covered this in their March 2008 issue. They rubbed a whole chicken with 1 tsp of baking soda and 1 tbsp of kosher salt and let it air dry overnight. They claim the alkaline environment broke down more cell walls, allowing more water to evaporate during the air drying and also enhanced browning.

Too much though can lead to a bitter taste.

[chezcherie]

a student recently told me about this method for crisping duck skin. i cant get past the bitter flavor i imagine it would impart, but i'm intrigued.

[sahmd]

I did this a couple of times after reading the CI article and it worked great - beautiful brown crispy skin and juicy meat (dark and white meat). Not bitter or soapy tasting, but you've got to plan a day ahead and have space in your fridge for the bird to rest overnight.

[Jen Rehm]

Thanks for weighing in everyone. I am intrigued too, but not enough to risk $100.00 worth of tenderloin

I am going to oil the roast, cook it high and fast. I'm sure it will be fine....i"ll keep you posted.

Since this technique is always associated with fowl - I am going to try it on a roast chicken tomorrow night. I'll let you know how it turns out.

[Anonymous Modernist 11055]

I have wondered about this subject for quite some time: why not use baking soda to increase the maillard reaction when browning a sous vide steak for example? Is there a reason why not to do so?

[Anonymous Modernist 10299]

I've read that baking soda can be used as a meat tenderizer, but can possibly lead to a mushy texture or an unpleasant aftertaste if too much is used. I used too much when caramelizing onions once, and the aftertaste ruined them completely. You can't add much at all, barely more than a tiny pinch, without getting an aftertaste. I haven't used it on meat yet myself, as a tenderizer or as a maillard-booster.

I'd say it's worth trying out to see what happens, maybe by stirring a bit of baking soda into melted fat in a hot pan. A very, very light dusting of baking soda on the meat might also be possible, but I'd worry about using too much and causing an aftertaste.

[Anonymous Modernist 3840]

I have used baking soda in a marinade for years and it can vary a lot in taste. I finally isolated that the baking soda was the problem. It was drawing in the flavors of the cupboard it was stored in. Since then i store the baking soda i use in recipes in a glass jar. Try it with a new box and see if it tastes better.

[Shel_B]

I'm making a dish where I want to add baking soda to water and mix it with the ground turkey in order to increase the browning and perhaps increase tenderness as well.  I also want to add some soy sauce to the meat to enhance flavor. Would adding the baking soda to the soy sauce and eliminating the water work OK?  I'd like to limit the moisture in the meat if possible.  Is this a good idea? I don't see why not but want to check in to see what y'all have to say.

Edited June 9 by Shel_B (log)

[FauxPas]

1 hour ago, Shel_B said:

I'm making a dish where I want to add baking soda to water and mix it with the ground turkey in order to increase the browning and perhaps increase tenderness as well.  I also want to add some soy sauce to the meat to enhance flavor. Would adding the baking soda to the soy sauce and eliminating the water work OK? 

 

I've never tried this with ground meat but I have read it recommended before. I understand that the baking soda increases the pH of the meat, making it less acidic and that locks in water and keeps it moister and more tender and allowing it brown better. 

 

But soy sauce is somewhat acidic, so you might be reducing the benefit of the baking soda by adding the soy sauce. 

 

But I think the reason for adding water to the baking soda before adding to the meat is just to make it easier to spread around evenly. You only need a bit of baking soda and if you add powder directly, it's probably harder to distribute it evenly throughout the ground meat. 

 

So, I'm not sure I have a clear answer to this, except I do think it's best to add the soy sauce later, after the meat has had a chance to brown, so that it doesn't fight the pH changes of the baking soda. Maybe? 

 

But adding 15 ml (1 Tbsp) of water shouldn't create a problem. After all, the baking soda will help the meat retain its moisture so that's the goal really, if I understand it correctly. 

[Shel_B]

47 minutes ago, FauxPas said:

 

I've never tried this with ground meat but I have read it recommended before. I understand that the baking soda increases the pH of the meat, making it less acidic and that locks in water and keeps it moister and more tender and allowing it brown better. 

 

But soy sauce is somewhat acidic, so you might be reducing the benefit of the baking soda by adding the soy sauce. 

 

But I think the reason for adding water to the baking soda before adding to the meat is just to make it easier to spread around evenly. You only need a bit of baking soda and if you add powder directly, it's probably harder to distribute it evenly throughout the ground meat. 

 

So, I'm not sure I have a clear answer to this, except I do think it's best to add the soy sauce later, after the meat has had a chance to brown, so that it doesn't fight the pH changes of the baking soda. Maybe? 

 

But adding 15 ml (1 Tbsp) of water shouldn't create a problem. After all, the baking soda will help the meat retain its moisture so that's the goal really, if I understand it correctly. 

@FauxPas ... I saw a recipe on ATK where the water/soda mixture and the soy sauce were used separately but at the same time, along with other seasoning, mixed into the meat, and then cooked.  They were making turkey burgers, and I tried that recipe wiyh great results. So, there doesn't seem to be a need to add the soy sauce after the meat is cooked.

 

I made the turkey/bean chili a while ago and decided to just go ahead and add the soda to the soy sauce. The mixture bubbled and fizzed a bit, and then settled down. The results seemed to be fine, but the next time I make the dish I'll add the soy and the soda mixture separately and compare the results.

 

Thanks for your thoughtful response to my question. 👍

[gfweb]

Baking soda raises pH which enhances the Maillard browning rxn.

 

It doesn't need to have an acid added like it does when it is used as a leavening agent; so the fizzing and order of addition is unimportant.

 

You could just put it on the surface rather than mixing it in.

 

 

[Shel_B]

 

14 hours ago, Shel_B said:

I made the turkey/bean chili a while ago

 

14 hours ago, gfweb said:

You could just put it on the surface rather than mixing it in.

How would that work with the diced/minced meat in a chili?

[Tropicalsenior]

14 minutes ago, Shel_B said:

 

 

How would that work with the diced/minced meat in a chili?

Here's a little bit from Arm & Hammer about using soda on meat. It doesn't say anything about ground meat but it does give you an idea about how the soda works.

[FeChef]

I dont have much experience with ground meats, but when i do beef stir frys i thinly slice the beef and marinate in a mixture of water, soy sauce and baking soda for 24 hours. It only takes less then a minute deep fried in a hot wok, and it gets extremely browned. I use about 3/4 tsp baking soda to about a cup of water/soy sauce mixture.