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Chef Vince's Grilling 101

<Vince, would you be a major hero and explain "searing"? What it is and how to do it? Compared to broiling, let's say? Turn us folks into cooks yet?>

Okay Gang, Welcome to Grilling 101 I guess. First off, let's get the terminology correct and understand the differences between each one.

Searing is browning meat quickly by subjecting it to very high heat (around 500F.) either in a skillet, under a broiler or in a very hot oven. The object of searing is not to seal in the meat's juices as some will claim, but to carmelize the juices and form a crust. That carmelization gives your chicken that golden color and somewhat nutty flavor.

Grilling is cooking on a direct heat source.(No pan required). Example: when you put a steak directly on top of your Foreman Grill. And where you hope you'll get those desired diamond-shaped grill marks. That's grilling.

Broiling like grilling, it is cooking with a direct heat source but the food is kept generally 2 to 6-inches away. Think about garlic bread. You just want the cheese on to brown and slightly melt. If you grilled the bread, well, it's apt to become charcoal.

Saute. From the French, meaning to jump. It basically means cooking items in a small amount of fat very quickly over heat until they take on color. If you put food in the pan and it's NOT moving, sorry that ain't saute. Always listen for the sizzle. Snap, Crackle, Pop...get it?

Here's some more stuff to remember. Most cooks fail to get their saute pans and ovens hot enough. If you turn on your stove and put your pan on it, and start cooking, you're beginning with a cold pan and your food will never brown. And browning is essential to developing flavor. Whether you're pan-grilling or sauteing, preheat your skillet for a minute or two. If you're sauteing, you know when it's hot enough to cook when you see the oil begin to ripple in the pan. If your stove or grill is electric I suggest waiting an additional minute before cooking. Likewise with frying, where you should fry at a temperature around 350F. People make the opposite mistake with grilling where they make it way too hot. Grill when the coals have taken on an ashen gray and not when you see flames rising above the grate.

And lastly, don't confuse grilling with barbecuing. Remember, grilling is cooking food over direct heat. Barbecue means one of two things: long, slow, usually indirect cooking with smoke or anything treated with a sauce. I always get letters from true BBQ'rs asking me to clarify the point.

Okay gang, class dismissed.

Chef Vince
Food Editor/Writer
A Man's Life.com

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