Harold McGee Debunks the “Sealing in the Juices” Meat Myth

Published on Monday, October 31, 2011, by CHOW Video Team / Edit Post

Harold McGee, author of Keys to Good Cooking: A Guide to Making the Best of Foods and Recipes, thinks there is a pretty huge misconception about cooking/searing meat. He sets the record straight in this CHOW tip.

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POST A COMMENT |8 Comments

COMMENT

  • He set the record straight on the best way to keep the juices in. That's the promise made for the video. He didn't need to explain why searing isn't the answer. He just needed to show us the best way and he is correct that searing first is not it.

  • He didn't "debunk" anything in this video. He just made some claims, and provided no basis for them. All in all a very weak video, Chow.

    Alton Brown debunked this same myth in an episode of Good Eats and provided science to back things up. A much better resource than this video.

  • I saw him pressing the meat with the fork, not poking it! Look again! He lifts the meat with it, but isn't spearing it, either.

  • whats up with poking the steak full holes with the fork?

    weird.

  • I pre-heat my oven to 350 and put a 1" thick steak on a wire rack for about 20 mins, then I super-hot-pan sear it on both sides about 90 seconds, then 'roll' the edge (tongs are the tool for this) to sear that. Let it rest 3 -4 mins and its done and the best juiciest steak ever, every time.

  • Actually, the more pericious is the "fat makes you fat" myth.

  • Well, flavour comes from everywhere, but fat is delicious!

  • Now if he'd only get on the far more pernicious "flavor comes from fat" myth.