Chemistry Behind Food Browning

They Can Happen Simultaneously

You might have noticed that there is an overlapped range of temperature at which both caramelization and Maillard reactions can take place simultaneously (280 - 397°F). For example, when you bake a sponge cake (having lots of sugar and several eggs), you are probably triggering both reactions. On the other hand, when you sear a steak with oil, you are mostly triggering Maillard reactions due to the high protein and low sugar composition in the steak.