Gordon flips his steaks once, and Heston flips his many times. So I am sorry to tell you that a fair amount of the juiciness you experience from a well-seared steak is actually coming from your own juices. A seared steak is tastier than one that isn’t, which means you produce more saliva, which in turn makes your food taste juicier. Searing meat makes it taste better through the development of Maillard reactions that we’ve discussed in previous columns. On the contrary, it’s absolutely necessary. This is not to say that searing is a bad thing. Searing doesn’t trap juices inside meat at all, and the idea that it does is probably the most enduring myth in all of cooking. Unfortunately, Liebig’s theory is completely untrue. Escoffier’s adoption of Liebig’s theory flipped that process around and completely changed the way the Western world cooked. Until Escoffier popularised it, it was common in French cooking to roast meats far from the fire before moving them closer to brown before serving. Legendary French chef August Escoffier then adopted Liebig’s hypothesis. The idea that searing meat seals in the juices originated as a theory of the father of organic chemistry, Justus von Liebig (who, coincidentally, also invented things like the Liebig condenser and OXO cubes). Place the steak on top and serve scattered with a little parsley. Slice the steak and pour the reserved pan jus onto the serving plate. Add a touch more oil then flash the steak for 30 seconds on each side to refresh it. Wipe out the pan and return it to the heat. Whisk in the remaining cold butter, add a dash of vinegar, then strain the sauce into a warm jug or bowl. Pour in any resting juices from the steak. Simmer until the liquid has reduced by about two-thirds. Add the red wine, stock and gelatine (if using) and scrape up any brown bits from the base of the pan. Add the eschalot, garlic, thyme and any parsley stems, and fry for about a minute until fragrant. To make the pan jus, return the pan to the heat and add a third of the butter for the pan jus. Remove the steak from the pan and set aside on the warm serving plate to rest. Cook the steak to your liking (see tips below), and about 2 minutes before the steak is likely to be done, add the butter and spoon it over the steak repeatedly until the steak is cooked. Season the steak generously with salt and pepper, then add the oil to the pan. Heat a heavy frying pan (preferably carbon steel or stainless steel) over medium-high heat until very hot. ¼ tsp powdered gelatine (optional if using a commercial stock) ¾ cup beef stock (or chicken stock), preferably home-made A little finely chopped curly parsley, to serve (stems reserved for pan jus)ġ eschalot (French shallots), roughly chopped
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