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?

--
Harlan Messinger
Remove the first dot from my e-mail address.
Veuillez ôter le premier point de mon adresse de courriel.