Hahabogus writes:
>
>Alan Moorman wrote:
Harlan Messinger wrote:
>>
>>>An article in this month's Gourmet discusses Harold McGee, author of
>>>"On Food and Cooking", which many restaurant kitchens, reportedly, use
>>>as a bible, and which is coming out in an entirely reworked edition
>>>next month. According to the article, "the original [edition] is
>>>renowned for having destroyed the myth, popularized in the mid-1800s
>>>by German chemist Justus von Liebig, that searing meat would seal in
>>>its juices."
>>>
>>>I've made any number of current recipes that call for browning meat
>>>before braising or stewing it. Is McGee mistaken? Are the authors of
>>>these recipes out of touch with modern science on the subject? Is the
>>>pre-searing being done for some reason other than to seal in the
>>>juices? Or can I safely skip the inconvenience of the browning step
>>>from now on?
>>
>> I've always thought that was an old wives' tale.
>>
>> For me, searing gives the meat better color, and I think,
>> better flavor.
>
>You can skip the browning if you desire. But it does add flavour and visual
>appeal. It doesn't keep the juices in, but it does caramelize the sugars
>so-to-speak, which gives a better flavour to the dish and more eye appeal.
>
>--
>Starchless in Manitoba.

Funny you should mention "Starchless"...

In Chinese cookery moisture is sealed into meat quite effectively, especially
for stir-frying, by lightly coating meat with starch, typically with
cornstarch, but traditionally with lotus root flour. This doesn't work with
large cuts but I use the technique with thin, quickly cooked cuts and it does
work... like how cutlets stay more moist when coated with flour... Shake N'
Bake is actually Chinese, albiet Southern Hillybilly Chinese! LOL


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