What is the appeal of rare food?

[TVRKing]

I mean, if I wanted it to bleed all over the plate, I wouldn't have bothered putting it in the oven!

Plus, cooking it properly means you're almost certain to kill bacteria like E. Coli and Salmonella (sp?)

So, Why DO people like it rare?

 

[Sureboss]

You can cook meat to a temperature (160F will kill of all bacteria) without actually cooking it through (Ie, red meat). So just because it's red doesn't mean you haven't killed of the bacteria which can harm you. There are infact several types of E. Coli strain, some are worse than others. (Some kill others don't, infact we have E. Coli in our intestines all the time iirc, as it breaks down food well.

The risk of Salmonella poisoning is reduced by keeping things clean (work surfaces, utensils, etc). I personally always cook poultry right through, always have done always will, it's more common in eggs and most things poultry.

Beef and Lamb are quite safe to cook rare/pink, I've had it like that for 10 odd years without any problem. The freshness of meat is also a factor, ie, how quick from slaughterhosue to your plate.

I don't think that if you failed to cook a Chicken through 100% you'd immediately get Salmonella, etc. Though that's an assumption.

As for why?

Because it tastes lovely, nice and tender meat..

Hygiene is of importance, in the UK more action is being taken to help prevent outbreaks of E Coli and Salmonella.

 

[ExigeEvan]

Raw meet is just... juicier.

And without teh juices, you're just getting texture

 

[V1P3R]

lol, oh rare... not rare like Kobe Beef.

I was gonna say...

either way rare or rare... I hate them both and don't get the hype.

 

[donbenni]

I cooked a lovely beef stir fry for dinner tonight and made sure i didn't over cook the meat. I fried it for a short time at a high heat. Why? Because beef is so much nicer to eat rare: it's softer and (as said) juicer (important that).

Try sliced steak from a Japanese restaurant. They literally roll the meat in a hot pan to give it a flavourful brown outside and rich red inside. Love it.

 

[Omnis]

well done = hockey puck. people want the opposite of that.

 

[Barracuda]

ive always loved red meat. so much tastier and jucier.

but sadly, my mom absolutely wont touch any steak thats not brown all the way through, so i have to deal with well done steak. Steak is good nonetheless, but its just so much better when its a bit rare.

 

[Sage]

Cooked through and through is dry and disgusting. Blood tastes yummy.

 

[Sureboss]

ive always loved red meat. so much tastier and jucier.

but sadly, my mom absolutely wont touch any steak thats not brown all the way through, so i have to deal with well done steak. Steak is good nonetheless, but its just so much better when its a bit rare.

Why don't you cut the steak in half, and then cook hers for longer, and yours for like 8-10 minutes (grill)?

 

[Barracuda]

Why don't you cut the steak in half, and then cook hers for longer, and yours for like 8-10 minutes (grill)?

because she wont let me have it red either. The only time i get red meat is if we go to somewhere that serves steak

 

[Der Alta]

I order my steak "Pittsburg".

As you cook it longer the steak gets tougher and the taste is slowly cooked out of it. Well done will always have a lesser quality of taste than rare.

When I cook it, I always do it on the grill. Really hot, and for a short time. Singe the outside, Bloody on the inside. The taste and texture is more enjoyable when its on the rare side. I've been known to freeze it and then throw it on a hot grill.

TO quote a good movie "Lop its horns off, wipe its ass, and ride it in here."

 

[Uhoh]

Nahhh A good sirloin is one thats med/med well

All in all tho it depends on where you go as everyone has a different idea of excatly what rare/med/well are. Texas roadhouse here in the city for example will throw your steak in a nuke reactor if you order it medium or more. And when that happens I hope you brought a chainsaw to cut it since the don't provide one. Outback on the other hand if you order it rare you would swear the cow it came from never even got a suntan.

Cattlemans make the perfect med well steak with only the middle having a light pink color to it while keeping the steak juicy, but not bleeding all over your plate.

Anyways while were on the subject what are people thinking putting steak sauce on a perfectly good steak?

 

[Zrow]

Depends on how "perfectly good" the steak is. I've had some pretty terrible steaks (usually too cooked, to be honest) that I could only save with a generous amount of A-1 sauce.

 

[Gil]

TO quote a good movie "Lop its horns off, wipe its ass, and ride it in here."

"Then, I'll eat what I want and ride the rest home."

I don't like super rare.
I like a medium or medium well steak.
Properly done it's as tasty and as tender as a rare steak. IMHO

 

[Max Powers]

I'm with Gil on this one. I definitely prefer a nicely prepared medium steak. I really don't like my meat to be uncooked in the middle, no matter what it is, and a good medium steak can still have a lot of flavor and juices.

I can't stand a steak that's too well done, but I don't want one bleeding all over my plate either.

 

[Joey D]

I order my steak "Pittsburg".

As you cook it longer the steak gets tougher and the taste is slowly cooked out of it. Well done will always have a lesser quality of taste than rare.

When I cook it, I always do it on the grill. Really hot, and for a short time. Singe the outside, Bloody on the inside. The taste and texture is more enjoyable when its on the rare side. I've been known to freeze it and then throw it on a hot grill.

TO quote a good movie "Lop its horns off, wipe its ass, and ride it in here."

Pittsburgh style is the only way to eat steak.

 

[Tulok]

Maybe people like it more because its tastier, and juicer, and just all around better that way. Well done is just no good.👎

 

[Jay]

I am one of few it seems that like my meat very well done, most places I order steak I ask for well done and it is still pink in the middle. So I just ask for extremely well done or burnt, then it usually comes back quite nice.

First thing I do when I get my steak is cut it through the middle to check it, I hate it when I cut my steak and it is still bloody or very pink in the middle.

 

[V1P3R]

Since we're all talking about food can someone explain to me wtf when you go to an "expensive" restaurant they give you a bit sized meal and charge the hell out of you for it? typical answers are something like... "oh it's about the taste".

 

[Wenders]

I am one of few it seems that like my meat very well done, most places I order steak I ask for well done and it is still pink in the middle. So I just ask for extremely well done or burnt, then it usually comes back quite nice.

First thing I do when I get my steak is cut it through the middle to check it, I hate it when I cut my steak and it is still bloody or very pink in the middle.

I'm with you on this one. I like my meat dead when I eat it.
Perfect steak for me is just past the pink stage when it's still juicy but no sign of blood. I always order well done just to be sure its cooked too often if I ask for medium to well done it still comes out pink.

 

[Sureboss]

Since we're all talking about food can someone explain to me wtf when you go to an "expensive" restaurant they give you a bit sized meal and charge the hell out of you for it? typical answers are something like... "oh it's about the taste".

Quality of ingredients, quality of chef, etc.

 

[TheCracker]

If you go to a half decent restaurant and ask for a steak to be 'well done' you are liable to get a poorer quality of steak than the ones offered to a rare or medium rare customer. Chef's really don't like to cook a good cut of meat to the point of distruction and a well done steak hides a multitude of sins.

 

[land sea air]

I was under the impression that the redness was not from blood, but from broken down proteins in the meat. Medium rare for me, I'm not too worried about salmonella but I like only the center to be pink.

 

[Dougboy]

Ive always had my steaks medium rare but i guess next time, i'll ask for pittsburg (if they even know what it is)

 

[Danoff]

The flavor leaves the steak when it's cooked thoroughly. The best meal I've ever had included a filet mignon medium rare.

I've ordered steak from the same restaurant the same way and gotten one that was mistakenly medium well instead of medium rare. Comparing the two steaks was night and day. Medium well almost wasn't worth eating, while the medium rare was fantastic.

Give me a nice juicy steak with the taste of meat rather than carbon. My guess is that anyone who orders a steak well done isn't really enjoying it all that much.

Edit: I will admit that too rare is a little nasty. I'm not big on the super rare texture or flavor. There's a balance between raw and over-done, as with all food. Ordering a steak well done is ordering it over done. Ordering a steak rare is ordering it under cooked. Somewhere in the middle is what you're looking for. I tend to lean on the rare side because I hate eating dry food with little taste.

 

[Barracuda]

Next time i go to a steakhouse im definitely going to order it medium.

As for A1, If its a good steak, then it doesn't need A1, but if its well done, it needs A1 to at least add a bit of juiciness back to the steak instead of just tough, dry meat.

I like my steak to make my mind say "Hey! chew slower, enjoy the flavor"

 

[Grand Prix]

I like my steak medium well or just a spot under that for good enough flavour as well as warmth. I can't figure out why anyone would eat a hamburger anywhere below well done though.... *shudders*

 

[Solid Lifters]

I order my steak "Pittsburg".

As you cook it longer the steak gets tougher and the taste is slowly cooked out of it. Well done will always have a lesser quality of taste than rare.

When I cook it, I always do it on the grill. Really hot, and for a short time. Singe the outside, Bloody on the inside. The taste and texture is more enjoyable when its on the rare side. I've been known to freeze it and then throw it on a hot grill.

TO quote a good movie "Lop its horns off, wipe its ass, and ride it in here."

Char the outside, bloody raw inside. 👍

 

[Mark T]

Depends on what I'm having with the steak. If I'm having a steak with mushrooms chips peas etc then it has to be rare. If the steak is going to go in a Ciabatta then I prefer it well done.

Although I don't like seeing the blood mixing with other food on the plate.

 

[GilesGuthrie]

The rarer the better for me. Better texture and flavour.