Charred Food: Difference Between Charred and Burned Foods

Charring is a cooking technique that exposes the surface of a food to high temperatures, burning it ever so slightly to add flavor and textural complexity. As a technique that’s a step beyond the Maillard browning reaction, charring can impart smoky flavors (as seen in Mexican salsas and marinades made with charred chiles, for example), deep caramelization, or a pleasant bitterness. You can char foods on a grill, stovetop (by searing in a pan or cooking directly over open flames), or broil in an oven.

The distinction between charred food and burned food is a matter of timing and intention. Cooking foods too long or exposing them to unnecessarily high heat can lead to burning, which renders the food inedible.

Charred food is food that is partially burned to impart a culinary value. It is a form of semi-extreme browning—a reaction between amino acids and sugars that occurs under heat. Burned food is any food cooked past the point of being edible.

Some foods, like starchy food and meat, produce naturally-occurring potentially carcinogenic chemicals when exposed to high heat. These chemicals are acrylamide (found in some starchy foods), heterocyclic amines (HCAs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) (the latter two are found in meat).

The Food and Drug Administration has not determined if the relatively low amounts of carcinogens released during charring can be deemed a high-risk health hazard for humans. Multiple studies have not found any evidence correlating charred foods with illness.

If you want to avoid acrylamides, they are not found in fruit and veggies like charred corn, grilled portobello mushrooms, or summer squash.