What it is.
To toast is to heat food with dry heat until it browns a little and smells nutty. You can use a dry pan, the oven or a toaster.
Nuts, seeds, whole spices, oats, rice, bread and tortillas are toasted.
Why it works.
Heat dries the outside and starts browning, which makes new, deeper flavors.
Nuts, seeds and spices hold oils that carry their smell. Heat wakes those oils up, so a toasted spice smells much stronger than a raw one.
Toasting also drives off water, so nuts and bread turn crisp.
What to look for.
- A nutty, warm smell.
- A color one shade darker.
- Seeds start to pop and jump in the pan.
Common mistakes.
- It burned while you looked away.
- Stay at the pan and stir. It can go from done to burnt in seconds.
- It kept getting darker after you stopped.
- Tip it onto a plate. A hot pan keeps cooking.
- Dark outside, raw inside.
- Use medium heat, not high.
