In Search of the Perfect Sear

by RogerApril 12, 2022

On today’s episode Christine Pittman from Cook the Story and the Recipe of the Day Podcast stops by the show to talk about one her favorite cooking techniques, the reverse sear. I gush about one of my favorite (and most underrated) kitchen tools, and talk about one of my favorite preparations for cooking a whole chicken: spatchcocking.

Mentioned in this Episode

Christine Pittman

Christine Pittman is the mastermind behind the Recipe of the Day Podcast and the Cook the Story Blog. Be sure to check out her Facebook and Instagram as well! The Cookful is a blog that tackles a different topic each month with guest contributors.

Check out Christine’s extremely popular “How to Roast Pork Perfectly” recipe. More recipes? Take a look at all of her Instant Pot recipes or perhaps you are in the mood for a casserole? Are you looking for the Serious Eats Prime Rib article we talked about? Here you go!

Meat and Three

I was so happy to hear Liz Williams talk about Tom Standage’s “History of the World in 6 Glasses.” It’s one of my all-time favorite books, and a must read for anyone interested in history and food.

Kitchen Shears

Yes, I love my kitchen shears (as you heard). I use them every day for a variety of tasks. Not as sexy as your favorite chef knife, but nearly as useful. I recently picked up a pair by Messermeister for a very reasonable price on Amazon. I’m loving them so far!

Spatchcocking a Chicken

One of my favorite ways to prep a whole chicken, you can cut down on cooking time, get a crispier skin, and it just makes a great presentation.

I explain how to spatchcock a chicken in this episode, but here is a handy video from BBC good food that goes through it in about 90 seconds (I don’t really see the need to use the skewers, by the way). However I am going to start calling the little tail part “the parson’s nose.”

Meat Thermometer

If you’re a home cook, and you cook meat, you really need a meat thermometer. There are countless varieties and brands to choose from. This Thermopro TP18 is a reasonable price and has good reviews.