Searing Meat Does Not Lock in Moisture

May 16, 2011 at 2:00 am Broken Secrets 9 comments

By Terry D. Johnson

The idea that searing meat locks in the juices has been around since the middle of the 19th century. According to the theory, searing changes the structure of the outside of the meat, preventing the escape of moisture during subsequent cooking. It’s still a popular technique – despite demonstrably failing at its purported task.

This is a simple enough one to test. Take two cuts of meat, sear one, cook both, and weigh them to determine whether the seared meat loses less moisture than the unseared cut. Numerous experiments have shown that the seared meat typically loses at least as much moisture, and possibly more.

Does this mean you should avoid searing meat entirely? Not at all. Browning (or caramelization) of the meat’s surface will introduce flavors and texture. A good sear is still a worthy component of a good chef’s toolbox – but not because it laminates your prime rib.

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Source: The Food Lab
Image: Wikimedia Commons

Entry filed under: Around The House, Food and Drink. Tags: bbq, grilling, meat, moisture, sear.

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9 Comments Add your own

1. Gilly Bates | May 16, 2011 at 9:31 am

Don’t expect anyone to take your articles seriously if you can’t even spell the most basic words correctly. The definition of ‘Lose’ and ‘loose’ and so completely different it’s obvious that this article was written by someone with a very low understanding of basic spelling and grammar.

Reply
- 2. Chad Upton | May 16, 2011 at 7:19 pm
  
  That’s one way to look at it. The other way is this: the author has a Masters from MIT, teaches bioengineering at Berkley and is a published author with excellent book reviews who just happened to make an error, much like you did when you wrote “and” instead of “are.”
  
  Reply
  - 3. Blaise | May 28, 2011 at 10:51 pm
    
    haha ! best ever.
- 4. RDubs | May 20, 2011 at 5:17 pm
  
  Nothing more awesome than someone who makes typos while ripping on someone else for making typos! Classic! Thanks for the laugh at your expense Gilly Bates.
  
  Reply
- 5. Sha | May 28, 2011 at 12:57 pm
  
  The article doen’t say loose…are you suggesting the author use loose in place of lose? I don’t like my meat loose. haha
  
  Reply
6. Dan | May 16, 2011 at 11:21 am

Unless it was changed earlier, its currently proper grammar. Regardless, when you are chirping someone about their grammar, you might want to proofread your own…

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