The best way to bring out protein’s natural flavor – searing! When meat or seafood hits the super-hot cooking surface, its natural sugars will begin caramelizing, creating a slightly sweet and savory exterior and sealing the juices inside. Searing can be a complete cook, or a first step to seal in flavor before cooking longer at a slow temperature. Either way, it’s as easy as 1-2-3:
- Use a thin coating of fat (oil or butter), which will help give you a good, uniform sear and and ensure against parts of the meat getting burned.
- Get your cooking surface hot. Really hot. The critical step in the sear happens the instant the protein hits the cooking surface, so it has to be super hot.
- Once a crust begins to form, flip it and repeat on the other side. Remember, that crust is what you’re after, so don’t rush it. If you’re vigilant, you can get that perfect crust before it begins to burn.