The Reverse Sear: What is it and how to use it.

We were all taught to properly sear food while cooking, this helps create a nice crust and to lock in all the juices. While this is effective on a lot of smaller tender foods it wasn’t always the case when you’re dealing with larger cuts. For instance, when you sear or roast an item and then add it into a pan with other foods and liquids, it will lose that nice crust that you created while doing your initial sear.

When is it best to use the Reverse Sear?

Great ways to utilize the reverse sear is when you plan on presenting a nice roast for a dinner party or carving station. Cooking a protein low and slow gives you the tender meat your looking for with the wow factor of that nice crust. Utilizing a sous vide cooker or a Thermodyne slow cook and hold oven can help you achieve optimal results. Check out my recipe for a crowd pleasing Holiday Roast.

Will using the Reverse Sear make my food taste better?

To me, taste is all about personal preference. Do you like spicy foods? Sweet or salty? Rare or well-done steak? Your personal preference on whether to pre or post sear your food is going to fall directly on what you are going for in terms of desired taste. My choice is this: when you are presenting a roast on a platter and then slicing into it all and serving right away, the reverse sear is the way to go. When you are holding something in a chafing dish or hot well, pre sear your meats. I hope this has helped you gain a better understanding of what exactly the reverse sear is and how to use it in your daily cooking regimen.

For more cooking tips, amazing recipes and if you want to learn some kitchen lingo, make sure you check out some of my other blogs on chefhacks.net