If you’re deciding how to cook a steak, chicken, fish, scallops, or other proteins, consider searing before you cook. This simple technique gives your recipes rich, delicious savoury flavour and a restaurant-quality look.

When we talk about searing meat, many people say it’s an unnecessary and time consuming step. Well, not really. Essentially, searing is a dry-heat cooking technique. It is an essential step if you want to make the most flavourful roasts, steaks, chops, and other recipes. When you sear meat, you caramelize the natural sugars in the meat and brown the proteins, forming a rich brown crust on the surface of the meat that amplifies the savoury flavour of the finished dish.

One thing to keep in mind is that the hotter the skillet the better. Since you’re not adding oil to the skillet, you don’t have to worry about smoke points. And don’t worry about losing the meat juices. It takes time for meat to lose its juices when cooking. The longer a piece of meat is cooked, the less juicy it will be. This is why searing is a great technique. Due to the extremely high-temperature, it cooks the meat so quickly it won’t lose much liquid.

Give it a try! You’ll love it!