--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Historically, almost every cookbook and…" description: "\"Historically, almost every cookbook and chef have taught that when you're cooking a piece of meat, the first step should be searing.\" — J. Kenji Lopez-Alt" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b12/j-kenji-lopez-alt-5948_chef_historically-almost-every-cookbook-and-c_1186588.jpg" --- # Historically, almost every cookbook and chef have taught… ![“Historically, almost every cookbook and chef have taught that when you're cooking a piece of meat, the first step should be searing.” quote by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b12/j-kenji-lopez-alt-5948_chef_historically-almost-every-cookbook-and-c_1186588.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b12/j-kenji-lopez-alt-5948_chef_historically-almost-every-cookbook-and-c_1186588.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b12/j-kenji-lopez-alt-5948_chef_historically-almost-every-cookbook-and-c_1186588.jpg) > “Historically, almost every cookbook and chef have taught that when you're cooking a piece of meat, the first step should be searing.” [J. Kenji Lopez-Alt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-kenji-lopez-alt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Traditional cooking teaches searing meat first, but this practice is being questioned for its necessity. **In simple terms:** Common cooking advice says sear meat first, but it’s debated. Key Takeaway Experiment with cooking techniques. Themes cooking myths technique food science Mood skeptical inquisitive Type culinary educational When to use this quote - home kitchens - professional kitchens - culinary schools Key Concepts heat transfer flavor development culinary tradition Questions to Reflect On - When does searing add value? - What alternatives exist for flavor? A Different Perspective Searing may not always improve texture or flavor, depending on cut and method. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chef/) [Cooking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cooking/) [First step](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-step/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) ## Related quotes > [Your goal when searing a steak is to make sure that the temperature and evaporation buckets are as small as possible, so that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-kenji-lopez-alt/your-goal-when-searing-a-steak-is-to-make-sure-that-the-temperature/) [J. Kenji Lopez-Alt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-kenji-lopez-alt/) > [My grandmother was a chef, and she taught me to cook. One day I want a restaurant, a small Italian grill. Thats my aspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-miller/my-grandmother-was-a-chef-and-she-taught-me-to-cook-one-day-i-want-a-2/) [Jeremy Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-miller/) > [Though Nathalie Dupree did not remember much about my presence in her class, it marked me forever. I remain her enthusiast, her evangelist, her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/though-nathalie-dupree-did-not-remember-much-about-my-presence-in-her/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [My grandmother was a chef, and she taught me to cook. One day I want a restaurant, a small Italian grill. That's my aspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-miller/my-grandmother-was-a-chef-and-she-taught-me-to-cook-one-day-i-want-a/) [Jeremy Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-miller/) > [“I can't believe I spent 13 years at school and never got taught cooking, gardening, conversation, massage, Latin, or philosophy. What were they thinking?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neel-burton/i-can-t-believe-i-spent-13-years-at-school-and-never-got-taught/) [Neel Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neel-burton/) > [One must cook a piece of meat a thousand times before one begins to truly understand it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-soltner/one-must-cook-a-piece-of-meat-a-thousand-times-before-one-begins-to/) Andre Soltner > [Get a scalpel, and practice just, say, cutting a piece of meat or something like that. You sort of learn how you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denton-cooley/get-a-scalpel-and-practice-just-say-cutting-a-piece-of-meat-or/) [Denton Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denton-cooley/) > [You're a piece of meat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krystinna-keuhn/you-re-a-piece-of-meat/) Krystinna Keuhn > [Is that what I've become, a piece of meat?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-renfro/is-that-what-i-ve-become-a-piece-of-meat/) [Brad Renfro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-renfro/) > [“I used to be a butcher. She used to come into my store. Every week I would set apart the best piece of meat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-stanton/i-used-to-be-a-butcher-she-used-to-come-into-my-store-every-week-i/) [Brandon Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-stanton/) > [Row,Row,Row,your hoe... Merily merily merily she's just a piece of meat..!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madea/row-row-row-your-hoe-merily-merily-merily-she-s-just-a-piece-of-meat/) [Madea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madea/) > [“I reminded myself of a leftover piece of meat that was starting to spoil.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-honigmann/i-reminded-myself-of-a-leftover-piece-of-meat-that-was-starting-to/) Barbara Honigmann > [By no means do I want to be a piece of meat for the rest of my career. It's funny when you get asked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kellan-lutz/by-no-means-do-i-want-to-be-a-piece-of-meat-for-the-rest-of-my-career/) [Kellan Lutz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kellan-lutz/) > [I'm an old broken down piece of meat and I deserve to be all alone . . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-rourke/i-m-an-old-broken-down-piece-of-meat-and-i-deserve-to-be-all-alone/) [Mickey Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-rourke/) > [I am a girl, not a piece of meat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/payal-rohatgi/i-am-a-girl-not-a-piece-of-meat/) [Payal Rohatgi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/payal-rohatgi/) ## More by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt > [No matter how many great things you say about Jacques Pepin, there's always more. Through his books and videos, he taught me the importance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-kenji-lopez-alt/no-matter-how-many-great-things-you-say-about-jacques-pepin-there-s/) [J. Kenji Lopez-Alt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-kenji-lopez-alt/) > [The good news is that even if your early crepes have funny lumps and bulges or aren't paper-thin, they're still gonna be plenty edible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-kenji-lopez-alt/the-good-news-is-that-even-if-your-early-crepes-have-funny-lumps-and/) [J. Kenji Lopez-Alt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-kenji-lopez-alt/) > [A tempura batter has a lifespan of only moments before the flour becomes too saturated with water and a fresh batter must be made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-kenji-lopez-alt/a-tempura-batter-has-a-lifespan-of-only-moments-before-the-flour/) [J. Kenji Lopez-Alt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-kenji-lopez-alt/) > [Many call for cooking pasta directly in milk, a technique that works okay, but it can lead to scorching if you're not super careful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-kenji-lopez-alt/many-call-for-cooking-pasta-directly-in-milk-a-technique-that-works/) [J. Kenji Lopez-Alt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-kenji-lopez-alt/) > [A fridge is basically just a big, cold box with a few shelves in it, right? Well, that's true, but where you store food…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-kenji-lopez-alt/a-fridge-is-basically-just-a-big-cold-box-with-a-few-shelves-in-it/) [J. Kenji Lopez-Alt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-kenji-lopez-alt/) > [Cooking for a family, and specifically cooking to stimulate exploration of new flavors and textures, has led to mealtimes that are both healthier and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-kenji-lopez-alt/cooking-for-a-family-and-specifically-cooking-to-stimulate/) [J. Kenji Lopez-Alt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-kenji-lopez-alt/) > [Kids do gross things. For several months, mine would combine everything on her plate into a single bowl, pour her drink on top of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-kenji-lopez-alt/kids-do-gross-things-for-several-months-mine-would-combine-everything/) [J. Kenji Lopez-Alt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-kenji-lopez-alt/) > [An ice cream sundae isn't complete without a crunchy element.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-kenji-lopez-alt/an-ice-cream-sundae-isn-t-complete-without-a-crunchy-element/) [J. Kenji Lopez-Alt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-kenji-lopez-alt/) > [Generally, if two ingredients sound like they're going to taste bad together, they're probably going to taste bad together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-kenji-lopez-alt/generally-if-two-ingredients-sound-like-they-re-going-to-taste-bad/) [J. Kenji Lopez-Alt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-kenji-lopez-alt/) > [My first restaurant job was Knight of the Round Grill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-kenji-lopez-alt/my-first-restaurant-job-was-knight-of-the-round-grill/) [J. Kenji Lopez-Alt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-kenji-lopez-alt/) > [There was a lightbulb moment as soon as I walked in the kitchen and started working. I love the physical action. I love the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-kenji-lopez-alt/there-was-a-lightbulb-moment-as-soon-as-i-walked-in-the-kitchen-and/) [J. Kenji Lopez-Alt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-kenji-lopez-alt/) > [I have very strong opinions about bagels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-kenji-lopez-alt/i-have-very-strong-opinions-about-bagels/) [J. Kenji Lopez-Alt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-kenji-lopez-alt/) > [My job on that first day, like for most green cooks, was official kitchen gofer. Whatever any other cook needed doing, I did it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-kenji-lopez-alt/my-job-on-that-first-day-like-for-most-green-cooks-was-official/) [J. Kenji Lopez-Alt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-kenji-lopez-alt/) > [For creamy sea urchin pasta recipes, the typical process is to saute garlic, shallots, and chilies in olive oil, then add the pasta and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-kenji-lopez-alt/for-creamy-sea-urchin-pasta-recipes-the-typical-process-is-to-saute/) [J. Kenji Lopez-Alt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-kenji-lopez-alt/) > [Fattier, expensive cuts like prime rib or New York strip are celebratory centerpieces that do best when simply roasted with salt and pepper and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-kenji-lopez-alt/fattier-expensive-cuts-like-prime-rib-or-new-york-strip-are/) [J. Kenji Lopez-Alt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-kenji-lopez-alt/) [Explore all 100 J. Kenji Lopez-Alt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-kenji-lopez-alt/) ## More Chef quotes > [“Fortunately, I knew the cardinal rule of getting on with one’s fellow cooks. 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The customer is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/how-many-chefs-when-i-was-a-young-boy-shouted-at-me-during-service/) [Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/) > [BottleRock has these incredible VIP cabins where a chef is preparing sushi for you in your cabin or lounge decorated by Restoration Hardware.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rapino/bottlerock-has-these-incredible-vip-cabins-where-a-chef-is-preparing/) [Michael Rapino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rapino/) > [You don't go to school to become the best chef in the world right after you graduate. School is always a starting point so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-yamaguchi/you-don-t-go-to-school-to-become-the-best-chef-in-the-world-right/) [Roy Yamaguchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-yamaguchi/) > [Miss Wormwood: Calvin, your test was an absolute disgrace! It's obvious you haven't read any of the material. 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