How do you like your steak?

[Plexus]

The amount of time a steak is cooked is a personal preference; shorter cooking times produce juicier, more tender meat, where longer cooking times reduce the appearance of blood and also reduce concerns about disease. A vocabulary has evolved to describe the degree to which one prefers their steak. In order from least cooked to most cooked:

* Raw - uncooked. Except in special dishes, like steak tartare, steak is not eaten or ordered at this stage.
* Blue rare or very rare - Cooked very quickly; the outside is seared, but the inside is warmed more than cooked. The steak will be red on the inside.
* Rare - The outside is grey-brown, and the very middle of the steak is red, with the rest of the inside pink.
* Medium rare - The outside is grey-brown, the middle of the steak is pink, fading to a grey-brown near the surface of the meat. Unless specified otherwise, upscale steakhouses will cook to this level.
* Medium - The very inside is pinkish, fading to grey-brown throughout the rest of the meat. The outside is grey-brown.
* Medium well - The meat is mostly grey-brown with a hint of pink. The juiciness of the steak is reduced when cooked to this level.
* Well done - The meat is grey-brown throughout; the juiciness and tenderness is reduced, and the meat may seem dry and chewy.

Most people tend to order their steaks somewhere between medium rare and medium well; steak afficionados are more likely to order a rarer steak.

A style exists in some parts of North America called “Chicago”. A Chicago-style steak is cooked to the desired level and then quickly charred. The diner orders it by asking for the style followed by the doneness (e.g. “Chicago-style rare&#8221.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steak

 

[Stapel]

Well, this thread has convinced me to get some steaks.

For breakfast .

 

[Red Stranger]

Why is it called "blue" and not "red" ? If it's uncooked, it's red. If it's molding it's blue.

 

[Stapel]

Why is it called "blue" and not "red" ? If it's uncooked, it's red. If it's molding it's blue.

As I said: Probably because some poor cook fried frozen steak.

 

[Shaihulud]

Rare steaks have a red purplish tint in the middel, while that may not be true blue. It should suffice as a mean to communicate its uncooked state.

 

[Eniotna]

Defenately blue

Rare is acceptable

 

[madviking]

Well done...

 

[Simon Darkshade]

Screw pudding! Give me more meat!

That first idea could lead to some rather embarrassing burns, and lead to you repeating the second sentence in a far different context...

 

[Rambuchan]

Rare.

It's the only way to enjoy a good steak.

 

[Scratcher]

Medium rare with a good red wine.

 

[Xen]

blue, rare and medium rare- the style of steak cooking befit for warriors and kings!

 

[Lord_Sidious]

Rare... blood red. Anything else is charcoal.

Agreed! \o
When I go to a restaurant with my father that loves rare too we say!

"Queremos o Bife em sangue!!"

"We want the steak in blood/swiming in blood!!"

But that's only cow meat, in pork, we ask always well done. In birds meat, medium.

 

[Perfection]

That first idea could lead to some rather embarrassing burns

I let it cool first, silly.

 

[Milan's Warrior]

Blue, if I order it in the US
(and usually I spend at least 5 minutes to make sure that the waiter has understood, but still get it well done)

Rare if order it in Italy or France.

Actully I hardly ever order steake at the restaurant because I cook such an amazing steake at home

 

[Milan's Warrior]

Rare steaks have a red purplish tint in the middel, .

You see!! You see!! I call that well done.
Rare steake should be completely red, exception for the outermost

 

[Simon Darkshade]

I let it cool first, silly.

It is still rather unhygenic, icky and certainly non-procreative.

This thread has drove my to deciding on lunch. A nice steak to bring in the new year...

 

[josephstalin]

Medium well done. Probably best ever.

 

[Knowze Gungk]

Rare to medium-rare usually. I don't mind blue 'though & I like to eat some of the strips of marinated raw topside when I make jerky.

 

[Smellincoffee]

Well-done. (And I thought "blue" was just the token nonsense option. )

 

[RedWolf]

I generally order steak medium. I would probably eat a medium rare steak but I find that medium sometimes tends to get you medium rare anyway so I don't like asking for less then medium.

I don't buy the idea of a rare steak being juicier etc. I just find that the bloody, coppery taste overrides the taste of the steak and what's the point?
I once ate a rare steak and almost vomited on every single bite - I just can't get past the taste of blood.

Pink to dark pink good - blood red/purple bad.

Interestingly I've noticed a difference in the way the general North American public prefers steak as compared to the way the general European public prefers steak. North Americans seem to prefer a more cooked steak. I think the difference might be quality of meat.

I've been in France and eaten at some very expensive French restaurants (on my company) and had steak many times. Only once did I ever get what I thought was a quality cut of meat. They tended to be stringy, tough, fatty and generally just not so good. This kind of meat has to be eaten more rare to get the proper degree of tenderness.

In North America you can go into even an average chain restaurant and order a New York Striploin and it'll be perfectly shaped, tender, fat only on the edges etc. You can order one of these medium-well and still find it tasty, flavourful and tender.

Now certainly the issue here might be genetically modified (in N.A.) as compared to non-genetically modified but I'm not discussing the health issues - just the end result.