Kitchen science · Heat and transformation

Maillard or caramelisation? Two roads to browning

A meatball's crust and sugar melting in a pan both turn brown, but not through the same reaction. Which one needs amino acids, at what temperature does each speed up, and why won't a wet surface brown? Compare the two kinds of browning and learn to tell them apart.

17 min
2 simulations
Mini quiz

Updated: 22 October 2026

Preview

The question

Two frying pans sit side by side on the hob. In one, meatballs are sizzling, and their surfaces are slowly forming a dark brown crust. The other holds nothing but two spoonfuls of granulated sugar; the sugar melts and turns first pale yellow, then amber. A sweet, toasty smell rises from both pans, and in both of them something is turning brown.

So is the same thing happening in both pans? You didn't add any sugar to the meatballs, so where does the brown of their crust come from? And if you had boiled the same meatballs in water, why would they have stayed grey and dull?

Try it yourself

No account needed: change the values and check your answer. Some simulations ask for a prediction before they start; it doesn't matter whether it's right or wrong.

Matching

Which kind of browning?

Choose a process for each scene. You pick with radio buttons, and you can also move between them with the arrow keys. When you've matched them all, press Check.

Predict first

No sugar was added to the meatballs. Where do you think the brown colour of the crust comes from?

It doesn’t matter whether you’re right; the simulation opens once you choose.

Ordering

The kitchen's temperature ladder

Order the cards by dragging them or moving them with the keyboard, then press Check.

Predict first

Which do you think needs a higher temperature: a meatball browning or table sugar caramelising?

It doesn’t matter whether you’re right; the simulation opens once you choose.

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Frequently asked

5 questions

I added no sugar to the meatballs; why is their crust brown?

That is the Maillard reaction, not caramelisation: amino acids in the meat combine at high temperature with reducing sugars such as glucose, which the meat also contains in small amounts. The reaction speeds up above about 140 °C and also makes the roasted, meaty smell.

Why doesn't boiled meat brown?

The meat gets hot enough to cook; the problem is that a wet surface stays stuck at about 100 °C until the water has evaporated. That is well below the 140 °C where the Maillard reaction speeds up. This is why patting meat dry with a paper towel before frying helps.

Is everything that turns brown caramelised?

No. The colour of bread crust, seared meat and roasted hazelnuts comes mostly from the Maillard reaction. Caramelisation happens with sugar alone, and table sugar needs a higher temperature, about 160–180 °C according to sources.

Is a cut apple turning brown also the Maillard reaction?

No. That is enzymatic browning: the apple's own enzymes, together with oxygen from the air, turn phenolic compounds into brown pigments. No heat is needed, and lemon juice slows it down.

Will food brown better if I turn the heat all the way up?

Usually not. On very high heat the surface darkens within minutes while the inside stays raw, and bitter tastes and burnt bits increase. In starchy foods acrylamide also rises as the colour deepens; the goal is golden, not dark brown.