On the searing myth.

We've all heard it. "Searing meat seals in the juices." As I grew up and while I learned to cook, I heard it time and time again, repeated from the mouths of hallowed chefs and local cooks alike. It's one of those tenets you hear and just accept, because let's face it, it sounds like it makes sense.

But just because something makes sense doesn't mean it's true. The idea was originally put forth by Justus von Liebig in his book Researches on the Chemistry of Food back in the 1850s, and it was immediately embraced by the cooking world, including the legendary Auguste Escoffier (the mack daddy of modern professional cooking - more on that history lesson at some point, I'm sure). And reinforced by so many voices, the public came to accept it as culinary fact.

So why did we buy it in the first place? As I said, it makes sense. We all hear about cauterization, about how slapping hot iron to a wound stops bleeding in a pinch. But we forget that in times like these, we're not so much sealing a surface as we are melting pipes shut. Effective, yes, but definitely a completely different ballgame from cookery.

The fact is, food is (hopefully) biological material, and biological material is made of cells. Any time you rupture those cell walls, be it with blade or fire, you're going to create moisture loss, as evidenced by Alton's episode on culinary mythery. After all, if searing really did seal in the juices, why would meat in the pan keep sizzling once a crust had formed if the cut wasn't still releasing moisture?

Okay, okay. So if searing meat not only doesn't seal in juices, but actually accelerates moisture loss, why do we do it, and why do we do it as the first step? The answer is simple: the Maillard reaction. Which, of course, is very far from simple, but just saying those three words is simple. Shut up.

Applying an assload of heat to food generates this magical physical and chemical reaction that creates a wide range of flavors and textures in the process (more on the Maillard reaction another day) that is extremely desirable in food. Since the compounds created are water-soluble, the process is best executed with a minimum of moisture involved. And since, as we've stated, cell damage generates moisture loss, the driest your hunk of meat will ever be is going to be at the very start of the cooking. You following me here? Because I'm still a little nap-brained and I'm not sure I'm making complete sense.

Speaking of, I should stop talking before I really go into depth about caramelization and the Maillard reaction. Let's post up here and let this sink in:

Searing meat does not seal in the juices.

But keep doing it anyway.