Roasting
Roasting cooks food with dry heat, usually in an oven or over a fire, producing a browned exterior and a cooked interior.
Maillard reaction: A set of reactions between amino acids and reducing sugars that creates browned color and complex flavors in heated food. It produces much of the savory crust and aroma on roasted foods.
Dry-heat cooking: Cooking methods that transfer heat without immersing food in water or another liquid. Roasting is one method within this broad family.
Rotisserie: A cooking method that slowly turns food on a spit near a heat source. Rotation exposes meat evenly to radiant heat and helps render fat across its surface.
Flavor chemistry: The chemical compounds and reactions responsible for the taste and aroma of foods. Roasting creates and releases flavor compounds through heat-driven reactions.
Caramelization: The thermal decomposition of sugars, producing brown pigments and characteristic flavors. Sugar-rich vegetables and glazes develop sweetness and color through this process.
Braising: A method that first browns food and then cooks it slowly with a small amount of liquid. Unlike roasting, braising relies on moist heat for much of the cooking.
Coffee roasting: Heating green coffee beans to develop the color, aroma, and flavor of roasted coffee. It applies dry heat to a seed, with roast level shaping its flavor profile.
Food dehydration: The removal of water from food by evaporation or other drying processes. Roasting loses surface moisture, concentrating flavor and crisping the exterior.
Heat transfer: The movement of thermal energy through conduction, convection, and radiation. Roasting combines hot air, radiant energy, and contact with a pan to cook food.
Baking: Cooking food in an enclosed heated space, especially breads, cakes, and other dough-based foods. The methods overlap in equipment, but baking commonly describes foods structured by batter or dough.