-- wrote on 12 May 2005 in rec.food.cooking

> Ok, I have seen the experiments and read and fully understand the
> esoteric theory about supposedly how searing
> 1) doesn't make any difference
> 2) colder pan and temp seals in more for a variety of esoteric
> reasons.
>
> and then I saw an annoying reference to the "no-diff" myth once
> again, immediately after once again having proof of searing
> effects in my pan -
>
> Sorry, the contrarians' "no-diff" and "lower-heat" myth
> consistently fails the engineering test here on the range.
>
> One of many examples seen here, refuting the no-diff myth and
> waiting to
> trigger my ire when I saw the myth repeated today, occurred on
> Tuesday eve:
>
> - I cooked a thick boneless chop in the normal way - iron pan, hot
> oil, med hi, 4-5 min on the first side and then turn, then lower
> the heat and do 4-5 min, and then cook it at the lower heat about
> 6 min a side back and forth until I think it is done.
> Then, because it is thick and pork, I cut it (ok, heresy - but
> less
> disturbing than finding a cold red slab of pork inside due to poor
> defrosting -especially frozen- with-bone chops).
>
> a) Once again, like clockwork, the juice flooded heavily out the
> cut and into the (up til then) residue free pan,
> a1) leaving pan residue.
>
> The non-seared meats cooked only at the lower heat (like my kid
> cooks) do
> not let out juice when cut.
> b) My kid's meats (same stove, same pan, same lower temp, same
> amount of pink) do not drain when cut.
> b1) The pan, however, has the tell-tale residue of heated drained
> juice in the pan deposited throughout the process.
>
> Not juicy, like mine. Like mine with juice sealed in. The kid's
> are the same light pink but dry.
>
> Anecdotal, repeated sufficiently to approach statistically valid.
>
> So to whomever did the original experiments: try it again with a
> valid protocol and germaine criterion. Not weight loss, but
> rather available juice. Not molecular rearrangement theory, but
> rather available juice.
>
> Ok - got that annoyance off my chest... feeling better - thank you
> all for the therapy....
>
> ----------------
> One of Einstein's great contribution to scientific understanding
> was in his phrase - "a million experiments can prove me right -
> but it only takes one to prove me wrong."
>
> It's all in the protocol, baby.
>
> FWIW.
>
>
>

Sear doesn't keep in the juices...what it does is produce nice (I
believe the correct term is 'Fond') crunchy bits that improve the
flavour of sauces and burns the sugar on the meat surface (maillard
reaction <SP>) which adds nice complex flavours to the meat.

--
No Bread Crumbs were hurt in the making of this Meal.
Type 2 Diabetic Since Aug 2004
1AC- 7.2, 7.3, 5.5, 5.6 mmol
Weight from 265 down to 219 lbs. and dropping.
Continuing to be Manitoban