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Glite Dictionary
to sear the meat

to sear the meat

3.7
Quickly cook the outside of meat at very high heat to make a brown crust
  • phrasal verb
  • /sɪr ðə mit/
translation icon : sellar la carne
  • Don't forget to sear the meat first!
  • sear the meat on all sides

Examples

  • If you sear the meat first, it locks in the juices and flavor.

  • I always sear the meat before cooking it.

  • He forgot to sear the meat, so the stew lacked a rich, caramelized taste.

  • Professional chefs always sear the meat before roasting it in the oven.

  • To get a good crust, you should sear the meat on high heat for several minutes before lowering the temperature.

  • Before braising, it is essential to sear the meat to lock in the juices and enhance the flavor.

  • For a perfect steak, remember to sear the meat quickly on each side to create a nice brown crust.

Synonyms

to broil
vsto sear the meat
  • US
17 2.8

To cook food with strong heat from above so the top becomes brown or crispy

focuses on quick surface browning using very high heat
to crispen
vsto sear the meat
1 8.9

To make food brown and slightly crunchy on the outside by heating it

is a very quick high heat method to form a browned crust
sauté
vsto sear the meat
6.1

Cooked quickly in a little oil in a hot pan

uses high temperature for a quick browned crust rather than frying in fat
to pan-broil
vsto sear the meat
  • US
7.0

To cook food in a hot pan without adding fat so melted fat runs off

relies on removing fat rather than quickly forming a browned crust

Antonyms

to boil
269 1.0

To heat a liquid until it bubbles and becomes gas

to steam
58 1.0

To cook food using hot water turned into gas

How Brown

to burn
∞ 1.0
to blacken
7 3.2
to char
53 4.6
to sear the meat
3.7
to brown
50 2.0

Surface Forms

sear the meat infinitive
seared the meat past
seared the meat past participle
searing the meat present participle
sears the meat third person singular

Morphology

sear + the + meat

The meaning is directly and compositionally derivable from the constituents: 'sear' (apply intense heat to scorch or brown a surface) + 'meat' — so a learner who knows both words can infer 'quickly cook the surface of meat to form a browned crust'. The definite article 'the' is semantically irrelevant and the cooking-verb + food pattern is cross-linguistically common, supporting immediate comprehension at B1.

Etymology

The phrase sear the meat comes from a simple kitchen picture: when you sear meat you put it into a very hot pan so the outside quickly turns brown and makes a crust. That's why it now means 'to quickly cook the outside of meat at high heat to make a browned crust' and often helps keep the juices inside.