I’ve read several recipes that call for placing the cooked item in an ice bath, Why?
What does cooling the meat before searing actually do?
Isn’t the enter of the food cold after searing?
Signed Very Confused
To get the very center of the food you just cooked cold in an ice bath, you’d need to leave it in there for a good long time. Putting the food in an ice bath immediately after cooking rapidly cold the exterior of the product. This way, when you go to sear it, it minimizes the chances of over-cooking. At least that’s why I’ve done it.
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Ice bath after cooking but before searing is, as Brian said, about giving you a buffer to get a good sear without overcooking your product.
Ice bath after cooking but before storage is about getting the overall temperature of the product down as quickly as possible before refrigerating. It’s a best practice for food safety.
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