When you want to add a whole lot of flavor without doing much in the way of seasonings and stuff, browning is the way to go. There are plenty of recipes that I will do that take major advantage of this technique, especially the one I'm going to do on Thursday.
There is a common misconception when it comes to something called "searing". This is a complete misnomer because it doesn't "sear" anything. You aren't sealing in juices. Heat breaks down cells and they will start to lose moisture no matter what you do. End. Of. Story. This is why even something boiled, like meat, eventually gets tough and rubbery. This is also why you use certain "cheaper" cuts for long, slow cooking because they will have more fat and connective tissue that breaks down and keeps things moist, but even then, cook it too long and bye-bye tasty meat. But I digress...
"Searing" is actually just browning to create more flavor. That's it. Basically when you brown meat it creates all these chemical reactions that are collectively known as the Maillard reaction (look that up if you want to know more). These reactions create incredible flavors that you just can't replicate in any other way and leave a residue or "fond" in the bottom of the pan that you need to incorporate somehow into the recipe because they sure are tasty. Make a pan sauce. Deglaze with some wine and add some vegetables...lots of different things you can do. Just don't let it go to waste.
Ok, now the technique. Here I'm concentrating on meat, but other things can be browned too, or "carmelized" like onions. Those are to be done slowly over a low to med-low heat. With meat, however, most of the time you need to go high heat and fast. ESPECIALLY if it is something small that releases alot of juice like ground beef, sausage, or even mushrooms (since they react much like meat). Big pieces (like steaks, although grilling is WAY better) shouldn't be cooked to well done and should be pink in the center and REALLY big pieces are usually going to be finished in the oven or braised so it is just flavoring the outside before continuing cooking anyway.
Make sure whatever you are cooking is nice and dry and close to room temperature. Don't let it sit out all day, but a half an hour on the counter isn't gonna kill you. Use a non-non-stick (lol) pan with plenty of room (don't crowd the mushrooms or ground meat...you'll just end up steaming) over a high heat with NOTHING IN IT until it is very hot, then pour in enough oil to just coat the bottom of the pan and swirl it around. It will smoke so don't be alarmed. Now lay in your meat (seasoned please!) or "sprinkle" it around if it is small then don't move it around at all for the first few seconds. Larger hunks of meat shouldn't be moved until they are ready to turn which is usually a few minutes per side. For smaller stuff (and mushrooms) stir and let set, stir and let set. Be careful not to burn, but let it go for longer than you might think. The deeper the brown, the better the flavor. I promise that as long as it is hot enough before you put it in and you don't futz around with it too much at the beginning it won't stick. That isn't to say you won't have a brown layer of fond at the bottom of the pan, but that is GOLD in cooking. Something like this:
(I think the Instagram versions fit better and look better, btw...lol)
One last thing. There are lots of exceptions to the high and fast rule like certain types of seafood (which I'm not really that familiar with, being hundreds of miles away from any major body of water our fish is usually lacking) and boneless chicken breast (either with or without skin). If you go high and fast, you aren't going to cook it all the way though before it is going to be mostly burnt, so on that one use non-stick (preheated with the oil in it) and cook them on med-low (with just salt and pepper is AMAZING) until they get a beautiful golden brown kind of crusty exterior. They'll be juicy inside and deliciously carmelized on the outside...make some fettuccine alfredo in the pan with all the juices from the chicken and top it with the chicken and you have one tasty meal!
No comments:
Post a Comment