sear
SEER
/sɪər/
To brown or scorch the surface of food quickly with a sudden, intense heat.
It is done to develop a rich, caramelized crust that enhances flavor and texture, rather than to cook the food all the way through.
The story behind the word. Originating from the Old English word 'searian,' which meant 'to dry up' or 'wither' (related to plants). Over time, the meaning shifted from natural drying to the application of intense heat to dry out and scorch a surface, eventually becoming a standard culinary term for browning meat.
Word relationships
- scorch: Scorch implies damaging or burning a surface with heat, while sear is a deliberate, controlled culinary technique used to improve flavor.
- brown: Brown is a general term for cooking food until it changes color, while sear specifically implies using extremely high heat to do so very quickly.
- steam: Steaming cooks food gently using moist heat without ever browning the surface, the opposite of the dry, high-heat sear.
Commonly confused with
- char: Charring involves burning food until black, carbonized spots appear, whereas searing aims for a deep golden-brown crust without burning.
Word family
- seared (adjective): Having a browned or caramelized surface from high-heat cooking.
Collocations
- sear the meat
- hard sear
- reverse sear
Idioms & expressions
- seared into memory
Example sentences
- "Sear the steak for two minutes on each side in a smoking-hot cast-iron skillet to lock in the crust." A recipe instruction for cooking beef.
- "When you sear meat, you are triggering a chemical reaction between amino acids and sugars that creates hundreds of new flavor compounds." Explaining the Maillard reaction.
Memory hook
Sear sounds like 'steer' — which is the animal (beef) you most commonly put in a hot pan to get a perfect sear. High heat for a golden crust.
When not to use
Do not use to describe slow cooking, boiling, or baking; it must involve direct, dry, high heat.
Fun facts
- For decades, famous chefs (including Auguste Escoffier) believed that searing meat 'sealed in the juices.' Modern food science has proven this is a myth; seared meat actually loses just as much moisture, but the technique is still essential because it creates incredible flavor.
Explore more words
Maillard reaction, caramelization, desiccate, savor, grill, infuse
Also appears in
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.