Searing meat

Why

The brown crust and aroma of seared meat come from the Maillard reaction, in which proteins and sugars on the surface turn into hundreds of aromatic compounds; it only gets going quickly above roughly 140 °C. As long as the surface of the meat is wet, the water holds it at around 100 °C and the meat steams instead of searing – which is why you dry the meat and get the pan and fat properly hot. Put too much meat in the pan and its temperature drops sharply, juices run out and the pieces simmer in them, grey and crustless. The idea that searing 'seals the pores' and keeps the juices in is a myth: the crust isn't watertight and seared meat loses as much juice or even more – you sear for flavour, not for juiciness.

How to do it

• Pat the surface of the meat thoroughly dry with kitchen paper.
• Heat the pan first, then add a fat that can take high heat, such as rapeseed oil or clarified butter; don't heat a non-stick pan empty on full power.
• Leave space between the pieces; if they don't fit, sear in batches.
• Leave the meat alone and don't move it until it releases by itself; if it sticks, it hasn't formed a crust yet.
• Deglaze the browned bits on the bottom of the pan with wine or stock – they are the base of a sauce.

If it goes wrong

If the meat has released its juices and is stewing, take it out, pour the juices aside, reheat the pan and sear the meat in smaller batches; then add the juices to the sauce. Grey meat that is already cooked through can't get a crust afterwards without overcooking – serve it with a sauce, and next time dry the meat and don't crowd the pan.