Steaks: Rare, Medium or Burned?

[abqmommyof4]

just walk it through the kitchen and let it look at the grill in fright.. As my dearly departed mother would say " a good vet would be ale to get it up and walking again"

[JLC@SD]

rare or medium rare ......anything more than that you might as well eat the hide.

[Hypo]

Rare to Medium Rare

[ettaterrell]

knock horns off it and whipe it's ass then throw it on my plate. lol Hubby agree's

[Wspinelli]

When you cut into it you hear it's twin cry...RARE!

[moose133]

nothings better than a steak that's properly well done. Nice and charred on the outside and a nice, juicy hot brown on the inside.

[Gonzo70]

Originally Posted by moose133

nothings better than a steak that's properly well done. Nice and charred on the outside and a nice, juicy hot brown on the inside.

A juicy well done steak is a bit of an oxymoron. Well done steak is tough, chewy, dry and flavorless - all the natural juices that impart flavor are cooked out. The only flavor and moisture in a well done steak is derived from sauce poured atop. A prime, aged cut of beef would taste no different than a cutter or canner grade steak when cooked well done. For a juicy, flavorful, nice texture most cuts of beef should be cooked to medium rare. Only an extremely fatty steak would yield any juices when cooked to well done.

[krzi]

Medium rare in a non chain steak house. Rare in a chain steak house.

I found out over time that rare in chain steak houses (ruth's chris, outback, etc) is basically medium rare in a non chain steak house. If the steak doesnt have a warm pink center, you are giving up a lot of flavor.

[Hlitner]

For those that like well done...they might gain some knowledge by reading Anthony Bourdain,s popular book about his experience becoming a chef. Suffice it to say that we'll done often means what is not fit for rare to medium.

Hank

[Gonzo70]

Originally Posted by Hlitner

For those that like well done...they might gain some knowledge by reading Anthony Bourdain,s popular book about his experience becoming a chef. Suffice it to say that we'll done often means what is not fit for rare to medium.

Hank

He is a bit blunt on this topic, but spot on:

"Oh yeah, word of caution for all of you that ruin your steaks by ordering them well-done, Bourdain says that most chefs will give you the worst cuts of meat when they find out you want it cooked that way because they figure you won’t be able to tell the difference anyway after it’s been burned to a crisp.

‘Saving for well-done’ is a time-honored tradition dating back to cuisine’s earliest days. … What happens when the chef finds a tough, slightly skanky end-cut of sirloin that’s been pushed repeatedly to the back of the pile? He can throw it out, but that’s a total loss. He can feed it to the family, which is the same as throwing it out. Or he can ‘save for well-done’—serve it to some rube who prefers his meat or fish incinerated into a flavorless, leathery hunk of carbon, who won’t be able to tell if what he’s eating is food or flotsam. Ordinarily, a proud chef would hate this customer, hold him in contempt for destroying his fine food. But not in this case. The dumb bastard is paying for the privilege of eating his garbage! What’s not to like?'”

[fantasy1029]

Medium, please!

[cruisecrasy]

Originally Posted by Gonzo70

He is a bit blunt on this topic, but spot on:

"Oh yeah, word of caution for all of you that ruin your steaks by ordering them well-done, Bourdain says that most chefs will give you the worst cuts of meat when they find out you want it cooked that way because they figure you won’t be able to tell the difference anyway after it’s been burned to a crisp.

‘Saving for well-done’ is a time-honored tradition dating back to cuisine’s earliest days. … What happens when the chef finds a tough, slightly skanky end-cut of sirloin that’s been pushed repeatedly to the back of the pile? He can throw it out, but that’s a total loss. He can feed it to the family, which is the same as throwing it out. Or he can ‘save for well-done’—serve it to some rube who prefers his meat or fish incinerated into a flavorless, leathery hunk of carbon, who won’t be able to tell if what he’s eating is food or flotsam. Ordinarily, a proud chef would hate this customer, hold him in contempt for destroying his fine food. But not in this case. The dumb bastard is paying for the privilege of eating his garbage! What’s not to like?'”

Made my day and is spot on - had heard this from friends who ran a very elegant French restaurant..
If I may be permitted to add please - another thing to avoid is anything on the steak, even seasoning or gravy, for the same basic reason.

Have great cruisin'!

[sparkopotamus]

Originally Posted by krehberg

For me...it varies. For Filet, rare with a warm red center. For the fattier cuts, I think a little extra cooking helps melt some of the fat, so for Ribeye, I prefer medium rare.

I also love Carpaccio and tartare as well.

Concur with you, krehberg. It depends on the cut, and *YES* to Carpaccio and tartare!

[uncleg]

Rare and bloody, otherwise to taste is destroyed.

[moose133]

Originally Posted by Gonzo70

He is a bit blunt on this topic, but spot on:

"Oh yeah, word of caution for all of you that ruin your steaks by ordering them well-done, Bourdain says that most chefs will give you the worst cuts of meat when they find out you want it cooked that way because they figure you won’t be able to tell the difference anyway after it’s been burned to a crisp.

‘Saving for well-done’ is a time-honored tradition dating back to cuisine’s earliest days. … What happens when the chef finds a tough, slightly skanky end-cut of sirloin that’s been pushed repeatedly to the back of the pile? He can throw it out, but that’s a total loss. He can feed it to the family, which is the same as throwing it out. Or he can ‘save for well-done’—serve it to some rube who prefers his meat or fish incinerated into a flavorless, leathery hunk of carbon, who won’t be able to tell if what he’s eating is food or flotsam. Ordinarily, a proud chef would hate this customer, hold him in contempt for destroying his fine food. But not in this case. The dumb bastard is paying for the privilege of eating his garbage! What’s not to like?'”

Explains why I don't eat steak at a nice resteraunt, every time I've ordered well done, they always taste like crap. Nothing is better than a well done steak done well.

[Gonzo70]

Originally Posted by moose133

Explains why I don't eat steak at a nice resteraunt, every time I've ordered well done, they always taste like crap. Nothing is better than a well done steak done well.

Again, a well done steak is essentially flavorless; the only flavor comes from sauces and seasoning. A nice restaurant generally is light on sauces as the emphasis is on the beef and the natural, flavorful juices of the beef (that are cooked out when prepared to well done).

[krzi]

Medium rare all the way. If its a high end restaurant then rare depending on the cut.

[Gunner22aa]

My father however only ate meat of any kind well done. We were in a very nice steak house in Heidelberg Germany one time when I was posted there and he came to visit. I purposely picked the place because the menu was in English as well as German. He wanted a filet and right on the menu it asked patrons not to ask for this cut well done. He called out the chef and asked if it couldn't be cooked well done could he please burn it. Shaking his head the chef left and obliged. Pretty much looked like a hockey puck but my dad loved it.

[moose133]

Originally Posted by Gonzo70

Again, a well done steak is essentially flavorless; the only flavor comes from sauces and seasoning. A nice restaurant generally is light on sauces as the emphasis is on the beef and the natural, flavorful juices of the beef (that are cooked out when prepared to well done).

And this is where I respectfully disagree, when I grill (especially ribeye), I add salt and pepper and leave it there. Get it to a nice hot brown on the inside and it still remains quite juicy. Obviously it can be done, if you put in the effort and its rather sad that many places won't. That being said, I rarely order steak from a restaurant and generally order it medium when I do because people tend to overcook "well done", that doesn't mean I don't prefer the well done.

[Gonzo70]

Originally Posted by moose133

And this is where I respectfully disagree, when I grill (especially ribeye), I add salt and pepper and leave it there. Get it to a nice hot brown on the inside and it still remains quite juicy. Obviously it can be done, if you put in the effort and its rather sad that many places won't. That being said, I rarely order steak from a restaurant and generally order it medium when I do because people tend to overcook "well done", that doesn't mean I don't prefer the well done.

Ribeye has MUCH more fat than other cuts of steak. Most cuts of steak have about 15 grams of fat per/serving on average (some as low as 5 grams) whereas a ribeye has nearly 40 grams of fat per/serving. As such ribeyes can still have some moisture when cooked well done - but the moisture is liquefied fat, so essentially you enjoy eating liquid fat.

The pink and red color of beef are the natural juices that provide steak with flavor; if these are cooked out so is the flavor. High end restaurants do not even ask how people want their beef prepared, it is simply served medium rare (for most cuts). That is because this temperature results in maximum flavor and most pleasant texture. Has nothing to do with effort; just is the facts about beef.