Glazes

A shiny finish or a protective skin on foods comes from glazes: substances such as milk, beaten eggs or thin jams brushed on before or after cooking. Bakers glaze buns and pies for colour and sheen, confectioners coat sweets for gloss and moisture barrier, and meat cooks lacquer roasts for appeal. The same word covers the glass-like coatings fused onto pottery, but in food it always means an edible layer. Setting by heat or drying fixes the glaze in place.