Dave Smith wrote:
> Default User wrote:
> >
> > Alton Brown, host of the "Good Eats" Food Network show. He did an
> > episode devoted to kitchen myths. Mushrooms don't absorb water! Searing
> > meat doesn't seal in juices (no matter what Emeril says)!
> >
>
> I will buy the deal about mushrooms not absorbing water, but when I cook
> steaks or chops I slap them on a hot pan or grill pan to sear and then turn
> the heat down, and they turn out tender and juicy.

Yes, that's a good way to cook steaks but that doesn't mean that
searing has sealed in juices. You give them high heat at first to
create more flavor (the Maillard reaction, I think). Think about it:
every bite you take you can feel that the outside surface is firmer and
drier than the inside. That doesn't mean you trapped juices inside a
shell, it just means you dried out the surface. The tenderest steak
would be cooked over very low heat, but it wouldn't taste as good
because of no char/fond creation and it wouldn't have that contrast of
textures that you enjoy without even noticing. -aem