ELI5

Science in plain English

Maillard, emulsions, and heat transfer — for cooks who want the reason. Not medical or diet advice.

1. 01ELI5 food scienceMaillard reaction ELI5: why food brownsWhy food browns when you sear or toast: amino acids, reducing sugars, and heat. Maillard in plain English — kitchen science, not jargon.
2. 02ELI5 scienceWhy oil and water separate, explainedAn emulsion is a crowd of tiny oil droplets suspended in water — or the reverse.
3. 03ELI5 scienceHow heat actually cooks foodCooking is energy moving into food until proteins, starches, and water change their behavior.
4. 04ELI5 food scienceHeat transfer ELI5 (conduction, convection, radiation)Cooking moves energy into food until proteins set, water leaves, starches change, and surfaces brown. That energy arrives by conduction, convection, and radiation — usually mixed, with one path in the lead.
5. 05ELI5 food scienceGluten ELI5Gluten is the stretchy protein network that forms when wheat flour mixes with water — scaffolding that can trap gas so bread can rise and chew.