Sear
verb /sɪər/ — To cook over high heat to create a browned, flavorful crust.
Definition
To cook the surface of food quickly over very high heat, creating a browned, flavorful crust through the Maillard reaction while keeping the interior moist. A foundational technique for meat, fish, and vegetables.
Beyond the definition
The sear is commitment. You need the pan hot before the meat goes in; you need to resist moving it. The crust that forms is the reward for staying the course.
Origin & history
From Old English 'searian' (to become dry and withered). The culinary sense of 'cooking with high heat to brown' has been in English since the 18th century.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
She waited until the pan was smoking before she added the steak — a proper sear required heat you could feel across the kitchen.
Don't move it. Let it release. The pan will tell you when it's ready. That's the whole lesson of the sear.
The scallops seared for ninety seconds per side — a perfect golden crust over the still-translucent center.
Synonyms
brown, char, crust
Antonyms
steam, poach, raw
Related words
Sear vs sauté
Searing uses extreme heat to quickly create a crust on the surface. Sautéing is a gentler, constant-movement technique meant to cook the food through.
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Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Chef Precisely Cutting Vegetables
A chef at a stainless steel station juliennes vegetables with extremely sharp, precise movements in a clean, high-heat kitchen environment.
Searing involves using high heat to create a flavorful crust while maintaining interior moisture. The intense, rapid precision shown reflects the environment where this technique is applied to achieve structural and flavor goals.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration