What is the difference between having some “char” and something being burnt? Why is one something often preferred and the other pretty much universally hated?

Question

Say you’re having steaks for instance; Why is it that a bit of char tastes good (to a lot of people), but it’s different than being burnt? Isn’t charring just some level of burning? And what makes the difference between when something will taste charred or burnt?

In: 3

Answer 1

It’s like salt, a little is a nice flavour enhancement, lots is just salty. A little bit of burnt taste is OK but once it dominates the dish it’s too much and doesn’t taste good.