sear

In “Downton” Fellowes wrote all the best set-ups and punchlines for Violet, inspired by Smith’s near-flawless track record with crusting each phrase with the perfect sear.

And sometimes, but less often, we sear it.

It’s been two decades since Haley Joel Osment charmed and terrified audiences as 9-year-old Cole Sear in M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Sixth Sense.”

Those practices include cultural and prescribed burns, which are intentional fires designed to sear through overgrown vegetation and other material that can act as fuel for flames.

It can anchor almost any skillet meal when you sear it until golden and crisp, especially if you throw in enough vegetables and vivid seasonings to bring out its best.