Arthur McCaskey wrote:

>I saw in a cooking magazine awhile back a picture of a chef in a white
>tablecloth restaurant searing meat. He was using a handheld propane
>torch , the kind a plumber uses to thaw or solder pipes.

I had been wondering about such a method. The problem with using a pan is
the difficulties of searing the edges. These have just as high a
probability of contamination as the flat sides, as they have been exposed
to surfaces from before the meat was sliced. Trying to sear the edges in a
pan means holding the oiled meat and trying to get an edge.

Now I don't have a torch, but they aren't expensive.

Don.