Cooking science

Crisping

A dried surface layer becomes rigid and brittle enough to fracture audibly under bite.

What it depends on

Crisping is governed by evaporation.
Reasonable evidence
Evidence type
textbook statement
Confidence
high
Sources
- Crust treatments to reduce bread staling (Current Research in Food Science 4:182-190) 1. Introduction authoritative
Crisping is governed by crust formation.
Reasonable evidence
Evidence type
textbook statement
Confidence
high
Sources
- Crust treatments to reduce bread staling (Current Research in Food Science 4:182-190) 1. Introduction authoritative
Crisping is governed by water activity.
Reasonable evidence
Evidence type
textbook statement
Confidence
high
Sources
- Crust treatments to reduce bread staling (Current Research in Food Science 4:182-190) 1. Introduction authoritative

What you notice

Crisping increases brittleness.
Reasonable evidence
Evidence type
textbook statement
Confidence
high
Sources
- Crust treatments to reduce bread staling (Current Research in Food Science 4:182-190) 1. Introduction authoritative
Applies
- Effect direction raises

What constrains it

Crisping competes with moisture migration.
Reasonable evidence
Evidence type
textbook statement
Confidence
high
Sources
- Crust treatments to reduce bread staling (Current Research in Food Science 4:182-190) 1. Introduction authoritative
Applies
- Effect locus at the surface
Crisping is limited by moisture equilibration and loss of crispness.
Reasonable evidence
Evidence type
textbook statement
Confidence
high
Sources
- Crust treatments to reduce bread staling (Current Research in Food Science 4:182-190) 1. Introduction authoritative