Searing with Authority–Becoming a Maillard Expert | Test Kitchen Boot Camp



How do you add flavor to food without ever touching a spice? The perfect sear. Understand the mechanics and science of high-heat cooking.

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29 Comments

  1. Sorry about the 2020 election , but ,
    if Trump couldn't pull it off …
    ( I seriously doubt that You could have either )
    Great video ( I never thought about
    starting with a cold pan ( I'll have to
    try it , thanks ) !

  2. Hey Dan, love your content especially this video! As a home cook I've had difficulty finding smaller wire racks for 1/8th sheet pans and have steam pan grates through restaurant supply stores. Any insight where to find them? Thanks very much, Sam!

  3. Ouch! Unusual to see ATK embarrass themselves getting the science totally wrong, but they did here on the oil stuff. Smoking point has NOTHING TO DO with the oil breaking down, and olive oil (as long as it’s EV) is actually more chemically stable than canola. I held the same misconception until recently stumbling over a video on this topic by Adam Ragusea.

  4. I've watched more videos on how to prepare steak on YouTube than the number of steaks I've eaten in the last few years combined including all of ATK's. Here's the one I like best for indoor cooking. First dry brine the steak on a cooling rack in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Not longer than that. Then freeze it. A cast iron pan works best because its high mass holds more heat. I heat the pan with peanut oil which has a smoke temperature of 450 F until the temp is around 500 degrees. I cook the steak frozen using the constant flip method, 30 seconds a side to sear the outside without cooking the inside. I also sear the edges. When I get the sear where I want it I put it in a 275 degree oven until the internal temperature is around 125 F. I'll add fresh ground pepper, nothing more than that and salt because I like the flavor of the meat. I also add lots of butter.

    Guga who has tried every method known to man likes to reverse sear using the sous vide method. He puts the room temperature steak presumably after dry brining in a vacuum sealed bag in a 137 degree water bath kept at constant temperature for 2.5 hours. He then removes it and sears it on both sides with an industrial type propane torch. Another interesting method uses an 1800 degree infra red heated steak cooker. This was invented by an engineer for Ruth's Chris Steak House many decades ago and that's how they still prepare it. You can buy these machines and they cook very well and very quickly. Apparently Ruth was very knowledgeable and knew exactly what she wanted designed and built for her restaurants.

    Of all of the browning methods the one ATK demonstrated using corn starch for improving browning gave steak a flavor many people didn't like. Even notice how every time people taste whatever is being demonstrated after it's cooked they always oooh and aaah over how great it is even though for all we know it might taste like dog poop smells?

  5. I love your videos. Seriously. They're great. BUT… American cheese singles?!?! Dan, that's just wrong. American cheese is the most bland, lifeless, plastic cheese known to man. You chose that over a sharp (or even a mild) cheddar? I really hate to say this but I just lost a little respect for you. And your special sauce looked suspiciously mayonnaise-based. Sorry, but no. I'm still a fan, but…. Oh, Dan. How could you?

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