Expert: Chris Manley - 1/22/2009

Question
Hi, I am cooking racks of lamb for a large dinner party.  Is is possible to sear the racks ahead of time (like an hour)?  Or do they need to go straight from searing pan to oven?
Thanks!

Answer
The best practice would be to go directly from searing to the oven, however, if the time between searing and roasting can be limited to a very short period of time (an hour at the upper end) this will not affect the safety of the food if fully cooked in the oven.  The lamb should be cooked to a minimum of 145 degrees for med. rare.