Kitchen & Bar

On this phone

How to get around

The bar across the top scrolls sideways. These are the same stops, with the job of each one written out.

Heat

Searing

Getting a surface hot and dry enough that browning outruns cooking, so the crust arrives before the middle is gone.

What you are actually controlling

  • surface moisture
  • pan temperature
  • contact
  • crowding
  • time

Naming the dials is most of the difference between cooking and following. Everything below is a way of moving one of these.

How it goes wrong

  • grey and steaming
  • pale after five minutes
  • burnt fond
  • grey band under the crust

If your result is on this list, the step it belongs to is named below and so is the way back.

The loop

Searing5 steps. Each step shows the cue that confirms it worked below the step, and above it the way it fails together with the correction that returns you to the same step.GOES WRONGThe pan hisses and floodswith liquid the moment themeat lands.1Dry the surfaceLOOKS RIGHTThe surface looks matterather than glossy, andpaper comes away almost…GOES WRONGThe oil smokes blue andacrid before the meatarrives.2Preheat past thepoint of nervesLOOKS RIGHTThe oil shimmers and movesin one sheet. A steak laidin sizzles hard and…GOES WRONGIt sticks and pulls,leaving the browned layerwelded to the metal.3Leave it aloneLOOKS RIGHTIt releases from the panwithout tearing when youfinally test a corner.GOES WRONGThe sizzle drops to amutter and the pan fillswith steam and grey…4Give it roomLOOKS RIGHTYou can hear a sizzle thewhole time. There is barepan visible between…GOES WRONGThe board floods when youcut it, and the centre isa shade past where you…5Stop by temperature,not by clockLOOKS RIGHTA thermometer in thethickest part reads whatyou were aiming for after…
Read down, not just across. Below each step is the cue that says it worked; above it, dashed, is how it fails and the correction that sends you back to the same step.

Step by step

  1. 1

    Dry the surface

    Pat every face of the meat dry, then leave it uncovered in the fridge if you have an hour. Salt it now, not later.

    Looks right
    The surface looks matte rather than glossy, and paper comes away almost clean.
    Goes wrong
    The pan hisses and floods with liquid the moment the meat lands.
    Way back
    Take it out, dry it again, get the pan hotter and go back in. Water on the surface has to boil off before anything browns, and it boils off at the expense of the middle.
  2. 2

    Preheat past the point of nerves

    Heat the pan empty until a drop of water skitters instead of sitting. Then the fat, then the meat.

    Looks right
    The oil shimmers and moves in one sheet. A steak laid in sizzles hard and immediately.
    Goes wrong
    The oil smokes blue and acrid before the meat arrives.
    Way back
    Pull it off the heat for thirty seconds and wipe the pan out if the oil has gone past its point. Burnt fat flavors everything after it.
  3. 3

    Leave it alone

    Set it down away from you and do not move it. Moving it resets the contact and starts the crust over.

    Looks right
    It releases from the pan without tearing when you finally test a corner.
    Goes wrong
    It sticks and pulls, leaving the browned layer welded to the metal.
    Way back
    Wait longer. A proper crust releases itself; forcing it early is the single most common way people lose the sear they had already earned.
  4. 4

    Give it room

    Cook in batches. A pan is only as hot as the coldest thing you put in it, and four things cool it further than two.

    Looks right
    You can hear a sizzle the whole time. There is bare pan visible between pieces.
    Goes wrong
    The sizzle drops to a mutter and the pan fills with steam and grey liquid.
    Way back
    Take half of it out, let the pan recover for a minute, and finish in two rounds. There is no way to rescue an overcrowded pan while it is still crowded.
  5. 5

    Stop by temperature, not by clock

    Pull it 3–5°C below where you want it and rest it. Carryover finishes the job while the juices redistribute.

    Looks right
    A thermometer in the thickest part reads what you were aiming for after the rest, not before.
    Goes wrong
    The board floods when you cut it, and the centre is a shade past where you meant.
    Way back
    Nothing recovers an overcooked interior. The only fix is earlier: next time pull it sooner and rest it longer.

Where the published floor sits

Separate from everything above it. The cues on this page are aimed at a result; these are numbers a food-safety authority published, reproduced with their source so you can read the chart yourself.

Published minimum internal temperaturesWhole cuts of beef, pork, lamb and veal: 63°C, 145°F, plus a 3 minute rest.Whole cuts of beef, pork, lamb and veal63°C / 145°F + 3 min rest40°C50°C60°C70°C80°C

These are published minimums, not doneness preferences and not a verdict about any particular piece of food. Ground meat sits above whole cuts of the same animal because grinding moves the surface through the middle — the species is not the reason.

Watch somebody do it

Third-party video. Opens in a new tab — nothing is embedded and nothing is fetched from a video platform until you click.

Reviewed video for this technique. Reading a cue is one thing; seeing it is faster.

Others in heat