[jelliclesfarm]

With meat there are three stages, searing to seal the juices inside. Then roasting in dry heat. Finally, resting it. All meats must ‘rest’ for 15-20 minutes because it continues cooking evenly right after the oven.

When you get it out depends on preferred doneness. Medium rare, medium, well done. Most white meat is cooked well done.

Or you cook sous vide. Wherein, the Maillard reaction is to be done separately.

Chicken legs have to be seared first and then goes into the oven. And then rested. If you have seasonings, let it sit in marinade for 20 mts in the fridge and then 40-45 mts in a 425 deg oven.

While chickens and legs can also be brined for a crackling crispy skin but whole birds cook unevenly. Spatchcocked birds make for more even cooking.

[sk5t]

> searing to seal the juices inside

Searing does not seal anything inside. It does provide a pleasing texture and usually flavor, though.

Cooking chicken legs starting in a cold pan produces wonderful results.

[jelliclesfarm]

Maillard reaction seals in flavor and texture. That’s the purpose of searing meat as the first step.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maillard_reaction

But you should feel free to enjoy chicken legs cooked in a cold pan. It’s not a food safety issue. Just a texture and flavor process.

[sk5t]

Yes, I know all about the Maillard reaction--been baking and cooking for decades. My point is that searing as a means for "locking in juices" is an old wives' tale. The reverse-sear approach is superior for steaks and roasts, although the sear-first technique is fine for braised dishes.

As for chicken legs, an approach like this one works very, very well and and is an interesting counterpoint to the common wisdom that the pan and oil must be preheated: https://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-lemon-thyme-chicken-thighs-...

[jelliclesfarm]

ok. fine.

[..] The key to cooking chicken thighs is to start them in a cold cast iron skillet. Yep, you read that right. Cold. Season them well with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and then put them skin-side down in the skillet over medium heat.

Then just don’t touch them for 14 to 15 minutes. As the pan heats up, the skin will slowly get crispy. It might pop and hiss, but all is good. As long as you watch your heat, it’s almost impossible to burn or overcook these. [..]

i suppose the above is your understanding of NOT searing? english is not my first language.

[sk5t]

Yes. Searing means fairly high/intense dry heat to produce browning/crusty texture in seconds or minutes. Such as putting a steak on a grill or very hot cast iron pan.

On the other hand, bacon cooked in a 300F oven or on low stovetop heat for half an hour may become crispy, but is not seared. Breads become brown via Maillard reaction but are not seared.

I really didn't set out to hound you about this whole searing thing...

[jelliclesfarm]

I didn’t think of it as ‘hounding’. This is a matter of interest to me because I am a classically trained chef. And I have worked and staged in restaurants including those that dabble in molecular gastronomy. There are many ways to cook meat but there is a reason we have some standard methods.

So..I also understand why it’s not always necessary to sear meat. I have cooked meat several ways including sous vide as well as slow braises. A pre cooking sear has many uses and one of them is certainly to create a barrier to ‘keep the juices in’(said colloquially) and to retain shape.

Further, food safety issues require meat to be handled in a certain way and searing ensures that the food is fit for consumption with minimal risk of contamination or undercooking it. There is a reason why we prep even before we prep food to cook it. (Ditto with fish. Most ‘fresh fish’ is frozen and then thawed. Especially if it’s from the sea. They come riddled with worms. It is a right of passage in the kitchen to be handed tweezers to pick worms. Hands down, one of the most unpleasant jobs ever)

I am not trying to nit pick, but these kind of details were important to what I did for a living some years ago and part of my job was also to train others like I have been trained. I can assure you that if we used a cold pan to start meat, we’d get a fail grade with the health inspectors in a restaurant.