When to add sugar in cooking

[Amateur1]

If I'm boiling something like lentils or quinoa or porridge, does it make a difference to the flavour when I add the sugar. I usually add it at the end. Are there any recipes that add sugar at the beginning.
On the one hand, I'm not sure if the water will dissipate the flavour of the sugar.
On the other hand, I've been reading about caramelisation.

Before trying it myself, I was wondering if you could give me some basic pointers.

 

[karadekoolaid]

I don't think there's a hard and fast rule about adding sugar, but I do know there's a chemical reaction when sugar is heated. This article may help: Sugar
When I think about it, I occasionally add sugar to tomato sauce if the tomatoes are too acidic. That's to counteract the bitterness and I probably do that about halfway through the cooking process.
I add sugar to black beans ( that's an Andean thing!) and again, it's halfway through.
There are also some Indian recipes (kormas, for example) where the sugar is added at the end.

 

[Amateur1]

thanks.