When bread turns golden in the toaster or a chop develops a dark crust in the pan, that is not burning. It is a chemical reaction between proteins and sugars in the food, triggered by heat above roughly 140 degrees Celsius. The result is hundreds of new flavour compounds that were not there before cooking began. This process has a name: the Maillard reaction.
The difference a dry surface makes
Rosalind, who has been cooking for her family in Brisbane for four decades, noticed her pan-fried fish never browned properly. It steamed instead. The reason was moisture. A wet surface lowers the temperature at the point of contact, keeping it below the threshold needed for browning. Patting fish dry with paper towel before it goes into the pan changed the result immediately.
The pan temperature matters as much as the surface. Cast iron or stainless steel holds heat better than thin non-stick pans, which cool the moment cold food touches them. Letting the pan heat for two to three minutes before adding oil, then adding food only when the oil shimmers, gives the reaction the conditions it needs.
Understanding this one process explains why so many recipes insist on dry meat, hot pans, and not crowding the surface. Crowding introduces steam. Steam is the enemy of browning. The chemistry is straightforward once you know what you are working toward.