Searing (or pan searing) is a technique used in grilling, roasting, braising, sautéing, etc. that cooks the surface of the food (usually meat, poultry or fish) at high temperature so that a caramelized crust forms. A similar technique, browning, is typically used to sear or brown all sides of a particular piece of meat, fish, poultry, etc. before finishing it in the oven. Grilling means cooking directly under a source of direct, dry heat. ... Roasting is cooking with dry heat, whether an open flame, oven, or other heat source. ... Braising is cooking with moist heat, typically in a covered pot with a small amount of liquid. ... Sautéing is a method of cooking food using a small amount of fat in a shallow pan over relatively high heat. ... Cooking is an act of preparing food for eating. ... Various meats Cold Meat Salad Meat, in its broadest modern definition, is all animal tissue intended to be used as food. ... Ducks amongst other poultry The Poultry-dealer, after Cesare Vecellio. ... The Guppy, also known as guppie (Poecilia reticulata) is one of the most popular freshwater aquarium fish species in the world. ... Caramel is a food which has a brown color and a pleasant toasted flavor, derived from the caramelization of sugar. ...

It is commonly believed that this acts to lock in the moisture or "seal in the juices" of the food. However, it has been scientifically shown that searing results in a greater net loss of moisture versus cooking to the same internal temperature without first searing. Nonetheless it remains an essential technique in cooking meat for several reasons:

• The browning creates desirable flavors through caramelization and the Maillard reaction.
• The appearance of the food is usually improved with a well-browned crust.
• The contrast in taste and texture between the crust and the interior makes the food more interesting to the palate.

Typically in grilling the food will be seared over very high heat and then moved to a lower-temperature area of the grill. In braising, the seared surface acts to flavor, color and otherwise enrich the liquid in which the food is being cooked. Caramel is a food which has a brown color and a pleasant toasted flavor, derived from the caramelization of sugar. ... The Maillard reaction is a chemical reaction between an amino acid and a reducing sugar, usually requiring the addition of heat. ... The palate is the roof of the mouth in humans and vertebrate animals. ... Grilling means cooking directly under a source of direct, dry heat. ... Braising is cooking with moist heat, typically in a covered pot with a small amount of liquid. ...

Sealing in the juices

The belief that searing meat "seals in the juices" is widespread and still often repeated. This theory was first put forth by Justus von Liebig, a German chemist and food scientist, around 1850^[1]. The notion was embraced by contemporary cooks and authors including Auguste Escoffier. Justus von Liebig. ... Georges Auguste Escoffier (28 October 1846 – 12 February 1935) was a French chef, restaurateur and culinary writer who popularized and updated traditional French cooking methods. ...

Simple experimentation can test the theory: cook two similar cuts of meat, searing one first and not the other. Weigh the end results to see which loses more moisture. (The Food Network program Good Eats carried out such a test in episode EA1H22, Myth Smashers.) As early as the 1930s, such experiments were carried out; the seared roasts lost the same amount of moisture or more. (Generally more, since searing exposes the meat to higher temperatures.) Television Food Network, normally referred to as Food Network, is a New York-based cable network that airs many specials and recurring (episodic) shows about food, food preparation, at-home entertaining, and restaurants. ... Good Eats is a television cooking show created and hosted by Alton Brown that airs in North America on the Food Network. ...

In short, the crust created by searing is in no way waterproof. Moisture in liquid and vapor form can and does continue to escape from a seared piece of meat.

Notes

1. ^ McGee, Harold (2004). On Food and Cooking (Revised Edition). Scribner. ISBN 0-684-80001-2. Page 161, "The Searing Question".