sear
v.v. to cook the outside of meat very quickly over a high heat to give it a brown crust. This helps keep the juices inside the meat.
v. to cook the surface of food, especially meat, rapidly at a high temperature to brown it and seal in juices. Often used in the context of grilling or pan-frying.
You should sear the steak first before finishing it in the oven.
The chef recommends searing the salmon skin side down to create a crispy texture before adding the herbs.
While some culinary traditions advocate for slow braising, others insist that a quick sear is essential for developing the complex Maillard reaction that defines the final flavor profile.
From Middle English sere, seer, seere, from Old English sēar, sīere (“dry, sere, sear, withered, barren”), from Proto-West Germanic sauʀ(ī), from Proto-Germanic sauzaz (“dry”), from Proto-Indo-European sh₂ews- (“dry, parched”) (also reconstructed as h₂sews-). Cognate with Dutch zoor (“dry, rough”), Low German soor (“dry”), German sohr (“parched, dried up”), dialectal Norwegian søyr (“the desiccation and death of a tree”), Lithuanian saũsas (“dry”), Ukrainian сухий (suxyj, “dry”), Polish suchy (“dry”), Homeric Ancient Greek αὖος (aûos, “dry”). Doublet of sere and sare.
From Middle English seren, seeren, from Old English sēarian (“to become sere, to grow sear, wither, pine away”), from Proto-West Germanic sauʀēn (“to dry out, become dry”); compare also Proto-Germanic sauzijaną (“to make dry”). Related to Old High German sōrēn (“to wither, wilt”). See Etymology 1 for more cognates. The use in firearms terminology may relate to French serrer (“to grip”).
Possibly from Old French serre (“claw, talon, grasp”)