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Handbook

Caramelization: sugar without proteins

How caramelization differs from Maillard, and why onions take half an hour, not five minutes.

Caramelization is the breakdown and rearrangement of sugars THEMSELVES under heat, with no proteins involved. It starts around 160°C (sucrose; fructose from about 110°C) and brings nutty, slightly bitter notes and an amber colour.

In practice
  • Real caramelized onions take 30-45 minutes over medium-low heat: the moisture has to leave first, only then do the sugars darken. Caramelized in 5 minutes is Maillard with some scorching.
  • A pinch of baking soda speeds up onion browning (alkaline environment) but easily turns it to mush — careful.
  • In baking and sauces Maillard and caramelization usually run together — you do not have to separate them by taste, but knowing the difference helps control the heat.