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Steaks: Rare, Medium or Burned?


TravelSmarty
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Burnt & well carmalized on the outside, medium-rare on the inside.

 

I usually prefer to grill my own steak. Most restaurants have no clue how to make a steak well done (and lving in NY, I have been to a bunch of "highly rated" steak houses) - and I will admit that when I did cook then in a restuarant, I would cook them a little less than ordered (since that is what most people prefer) - unless the waiter specifies that it should be burnt. The steak eating culture prefers rare steaks. For me, a steak that can retain its natural flavor inside (medium-rare to medium), while being able to combine the additional flavors from the carmalizing during the charring/burning process, is one of my favorite eating experiences.

 

Although I prefer my Roast Beef very rare.

Edited by Travel R
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  • 2 weeks later...

My steaks always have to be very well done. As does hubby's. I don't understand the thinking behind a steak that is not cooked (but that is just me). I have had it both ways and it all comes down to the chef being able to cook a steak that is cooked through and not tough or dry. I have cooked many a steak in my life and there has only been a few instances of me cooking a tough steak.

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I have never been a steak eater, but I will have a filet mignon if I am in the specialty restaurant. I want my meat to still have a touch of pink, but no blood. I try to convey this to the waiter by saying no blood...but sometimes that gets interpreted as medium well....which is usually overcooked. I can only hope that the waiter understands properly and tells the chef. On my last cruise, there was a language barrier with the waiter and my complicated order.

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I have never been a steak eater, but I will have a filet mignon if I am in the specialty restaurant. I want my meat to still have a touch of pink, but no blood. I try to convey this to the waiter by saying no blood...but sometimes that gets interpreted as medium well....which is usually overcooked. I can only hope that the waiter understands properly and tells the chef. On my last cruise, there was a language barrier with the waiter and my complicated order.

 

FYI the blood is drained during slaughter; even if you order it raw there will be the same amount of blood as if you order it well done.

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in that case, I don't want the meat to be swimming in red when I cut into it! Pink in the center is fine, like a good burger...but when a red pool forms, I lose my appetite.

 

It is just water that has been turned red by a type of protein in the meat (myoglobin); nothing to lose your appetite over! I take it you do not lose your appetite over seeing spaghetti sauce (which looks more like blood than does the natural juices of beef)? This juice is what imparts natural flavor and a pleasant texture in beef. If you cook out this juice the meat becomes dry, tough and flavorless.

 

However you are correct that red pools should not generally form after meat is cooked; that typically occurs when the meat is sliced too quickly after being cooked rather than resting for a period of time (resting allows most of the juices to remain in the meat when cut so as to maximize flavor and texture).

 

Often hamburgers do have to cooked passed medium rare as the grinding of the beef greatly increases the risk of pathogens throughout the meat rather than just on the surface; hamburgers should only be ordered medium rare at good quality establishments whereas this is the preferred temperature for most cuts of steak (only the outside surface of steaks needs to be cooked for the beef to generally be considered safe as the interior has not been exposed to potential pathogens as with ground beef).

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i prefer mine rare... although there is some debate as to what is rare, i usually end up with something between rare and medium rare..... i used to think you needed to cook beef till it was dead.... thankfully i have grown up....left the ketchup/sauce behind and let the beef shine with it's own flavor. which you tend to lose the longer you cook it. i usually am a purist with my beef, i only use salt pepper garlic and butter when seasoning my steaks(and only very modestly with the seasoning, as to compliment the beef flavor and not mask it).

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It very much depends on the cut.

 

With eye fillet (filet mignon in the US?), which has a very low fat content, I would prefer to have it rare. In fact, as long as it's caramelized on the outside, hot right though and not still mooing I'll eat it. However I have had too many cold steaks at restaurants to risk ordering my steaks rare anymore, unless I know the restaurant well.

 

However for cuts with more fat though the meat - rib eye and wagyu beef - I prefer it medium-rare, so that the fat melts into the meat as much as possible.

 

Personally I believe that the meat should be seasoned with salt and pepper before cooking. Salt, especially, helps with the caramelization of the exterior. I'm not adverse to rubbing my steaks with a cut clove of garlic either.

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Isn't it curious that none of the posters on this thread even considered another option that is very popular all over planet Earth - with the exception of the USA.

 

Raw beef is served in many forms in places like England, France, Holland, Germany, Spain, Italy, Japan, Korea, and Russia.

 

And it's wonderful.

 

You people need to get out a bit more.

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