trying to find out what the majority of culinary experts prefer

you need to get some Alton Brown in your life

http://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/to-sear-or-not-to-sear-98517.html

http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/mythbusting_searing_seals_in_juices.html

If i cooked sous vide i will sear after in a piping hot cast iron pan. If not ill just sear then finish in the salamander or in the oven if its a really thick steak/piece of meat.

What he said

This post was edited by cjlove90 on Nov 25 2015 04:40am

If it's too thick to simply pan fry then I'm grilling it.

Anything else is heresy to me!

Sear on a grill, then once you get those nice marks, toss it in the oven. Pan frying is meh to me. And as above, you need some alton brown in your life ^_^ . He's always very informative.

I just grill the whole way, sear that sucker until the outside is almost crispy, start out with the steak at room temp and the inside is still med-rare

Hard sear with cast iron. And never put in oven. Like 3 mins on each side.

450 sear all the way u dig sun

it depends on what temperature you like your steak!

if it's a thick cut it's good to sear it for a few seconds on each side on a really hot cast iron pan before you put it on the grill and cook up to your preferred temp!

if you like your steaks really rare then you can just sear it and put it on your plate but make sure that your meat was processed and handled correctly before you eat it!

really searing your steaks just gives it a nice crispy outside and seals in more of the steak's juices!