# Alternative Sear
**URL:** https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/alternative-sear/15019
**Category:** Anova Precision® Cooker
**Tags:** searing
**Created:** [June 13, 2018, 9:07am UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/alternative-sear/15019 "2018-06-13T09:07:58Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@OLDJuan](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/OLDJuan)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2018, 9:07am UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/alternative-sear/15019/1 "2018-06-13T09:07:58Z")
This is not spectacular but it works well for me. I have a Camp Chef 2 burner outdoor stove. Burners do 30k btu. Doing this inside lit up the smoke alarms and oiled the stove hood and Microwave over it. Now when the time to sear arrives - light a burner and put my 14 inch cast iron skillet on it with a wipe of vegetable oil. Non Contact thermometer shows when 500 degrees goes by as does the beginning of smoke. If you smear butter on the top after the steak is in the skillet, when you turn it adds a bit of flavor and color
A minute or so per side and off to the table for another great sous vide driven dinner.
---
### Author:  [@fischersd](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/fischersd)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2018, 7:30pm UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/alternative-sear/15019/2 "2018-06-13T19:30:51Z")
Umm…even an electric range (like mine) can get my cast iron skillet hot enough to do an insanely thin sear. Just use avocado oil (or another high smoke point oil - ideally you want to make sure it’s refined and cold pressed - so it doesn’t have an hexane remnants in it.
Heat the oil - when it starts to smoke, I throw in a pat of butter, then the steak on top (the butter produces a nice flavoured char). 🙂
A good listing of smoke points here:
[https://jonbarron.org/diet-and-nutrition/healthiest-cooking-oil-chart-smoke-points](https://jonbarron.org/diet-and-nutrition/healthiest-cooking-oil-chart-smoke-points)
---
### Author:  [@Ember](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/Ember)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2018, 9:31pm UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/alternative-sear/15019/3 "2018-06-13T21:31:41Z")
Searing doesn’t require enormous temperatures. The Maillard reaction starts in the 250-300F range, Any domestic stove top will handle this easily.
---
### Author:  [@OLDJuan](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/OLDJuan)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2018, 9:57pm UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/alternative-sear/15019/4 "2018-06-13T21:57:44Z")
Silly me here all this time I thought you had to have near Bessimer level equipment to get that desired effect. Thanks!
---
### Author:  [@Ember](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/Ember)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2018, 12:01am UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/alternative-sear/15019/5 "2018-06-14T00:01:28Z")
I think there are lot of people getting sear and char confused.