Two More False Kitchen Myths

Searing Meat Will Seal in the Juice of the Meat

Unfortunately, searing meat in a hot frying pan will not ‘seal in the juice’ of the meat. The chemical reactions in meat when it is heated will cause the muscle fibers to contract, and no matter how you cook it, you will see juices coming out of your individual pieces.

There are a few reasons why it is better to cook meat by searing it first, but sealing in the juice is certainly not the reason. The first reason you sear meat in a hot pan is to create the optimal texture. Searing the meat in a hot frying pan creates a beautiful outer texture that adds to the experience of eating a delicious steak.

Also, if the pan is too cold, the meat may turn slightly grey and may develop a more rubbery or tough texture because it cooks slower overall and the chemical reactions that happen during the cooking process also happen over the course of a longer time. The higher the temperature you cook your meat with, the more the meat will change flavor. Therefore, it is best to cook meat at a higher temperature to create the best meat flavor for your customers, guests and family members, not to seal in its natural juices.

Decaffeinated Coffee has No Caffeine

I know it sounds counter intuitive, but decaffeinated coffee does have caffeine in it. Decaffeinated coffee generally has 1-3% caffeine left in it after the decaffeination process. The international standard for decaffeinated coffee concentration of caffeine is 3%. The European Union has also stated that any decaffeinated item that has less than 0.1% concentration of caffeine can legally be declared caffeine-free.

Therefore, yes, if you drank a pot or two of decaffeinated coffee throughout the day, you may start to feel the caffeine effect that you were trying to avoid. But one cup of decaffeinated coffee will not provide you with the stimulating effects and jitters that caffeine sensitive people may get from a regular cup of coffee.

Unlike the standard coffee production process, the decaffeination process involves the steaming and soaking of the beans in hot water. This forces the cells of the beans to bloat. Next, there are a variety of processes that can be used to extract the caffeine. The Swiss Water Process runs the beans through a carbon filter which draws the caffeine out of the bean. Larger distributors use a chemical solvent to draw the caffeine out after the original soaking. The Roselius Process, the Direct Method or the Indirect Method are all different forms of using a chemical solvent. Ultimately, they all have the same outcome and it is up to the consumer to choose which process is the best for them.