[POLL] How do you like your steak?

[chanman]

I like mine blue rare and if you order your steak well-done, I'm afraid we can't be friends anymore.  :))

[BirdofPrey]

Blue?  You want your steak as fast food there?

I tend to like my steaks medium rare, though they can be taken to medium and still be good.  Medium-well is the start of beef being overcooked (regardless of whether or not you prefer it that way, it kills the flavor and texture)

[False Son]

I went with sliced thin and fried hard because that is as close as the poll gets to cheesesteak.

[stevothedivo]

I like mine blue rare and if you order your steak well-done, I'm afraid we can't be friends anymore.  :))

How about MEDIUM Well Done? Still on the Xmas list but won't answer one another's phone calls?
Platonic frienship?
 :D

[snewsom2997]

I have worked at several steak restaurants, if you order a steak well done, it is never going to taste good. At Outback they would weight it until it was a hockey-puck, or butterfly it and weight it until it was a hockey puck. Worked a small local restaurant for a while, that would first deep fry it and then grill it for a few minutes for grill marks. Steak-out would use weights and spray veg oil, but because of 30 minute delivery times, nothing was delivered below medium, because by the time it made it to the house it had been sitting in a hot bag too long.

Also take into account if someone in your party orders a well done steak, the rest of the steaks will be overdone, because they sat in the window waiting.

I chose Medium Rare, but my favorite is Pittsburgh Style, Crispy Burnt on the outside, Rare-Medium-Rare on the inside, probably increases my cancer risk a bit, but you only live once.

[mike19k]

I will eat anything as long as it is not blue or black. But like medium rare leaning towards rare.

[TS_Hawk]

Have to go rare to medium rare for my cow

[Weirdo]

Medium-rare is my preference. Past that, I don't tolerate any charring or blackening of anything I eat. Marks from a grill are okay, but the moment anything gets to the point even the most crazed nutbar could call any part of it charcoal, it's off my menu.

(Needless to say, I don't eat grilled food often.)

[Stormlion1]

Rare, I want a lighter put under the meat just enough to heat it up and give it a burn mark. I want to taste blood.

[Fragger]

During my travels to the US I had to learn the hard way that americans have no idea what “well done“ is. Since then I will order my steak medium in the US and whatever I feel like in europe.

[snewsom2997]

During my travels to the US I had to learn the hard way that americans have no idea what “well done“ is. Since then I will order my steak medium in the US and whatever I feel like in europe.

Yeah, it isn't temp, it is color, and many places you are taught to use you palm to test how done it is, so they don't have to cut into the meat. The feel of the meat on your hand corresponds to how done the steak is, by comparing the feel of you steak to the feel of your hand, you can guesttimate how done the steak is.

You try and serve a 170 degree piece of steak that is pink, as well done, and you will be cooking it again. To most Americans well done is brown, no pink at all.

[guardiandashi]

I prefer my steaks medium to medium rare but to be honest the best description is cooked until all the red is gone, and its turning pink to just barely turning brown is how I prefer it.

on the other hand my dad prefers it on the rare side with it warmed basically all the way, but if its gone to pink in the middle its overdone to way overdone for him,

[cold1]

Medium rare and I like a little char on the edges from the grill

[chanman]

Blue?  You want your steak as fast food there?

I tend to like my steaks medium rare, though they can be taken to medium and still be good.  Medium-well is the start of beef being overcooked (regardless of whether or not you prefer it that way, it kills the flavor and texture)

I'm allergic to seafood. It's like my sashimi  :D

I don't grill steaks often. Cast iron pan. Get a bit of sear on both sides and done.

[Foxx Ital]

I feel silly, i'v never heard of a "blue steak" untill now  :-[ .I'm a medium rare guy myself, but i also subscribe to the "if its red, the parasites aren't dead" rule, so whenever i'm grilling (i typically get recruited to grill for my friends, this summers been awesome in free food for the cook) i have this horrible dialog in my head that would most likely make you lose your appetite.

 I was really lucky this summer that i had Steve_Restless Visit, hes a grill master and i'm sure he doesn't have the same conversations in his head that i do  ;D


Because i'm curious, those of you who like to grill, how did you come to love it? For me it was a Joint birthday party where i ended up on the grill alone having a bit of a zen moment, since then i'v always found the experience very peaceful. I'm one of those people who can sip a beer and enjoy the grilling experience without having someone to keep me company...Probably why i get recruited to cook so often  :)

[YingJanshi]

Medium-well. Don't do Well done because I don't want to eat charcoal. But can't do rare. If you can put a Band-Aid on that steak and have the cow live...that's not cooked...

[Lord Harlock]

I feel silly, i'v never heard of a "blue steak" untill now  :-[ .I'm a medium rare guy myself, but i also subscribe to the "if its red, the parasites aren't dead" rule, so whenever i'm grilling (i typically get recruited to grill for my friends, this summers been awesome in free food for the cook) i have this horrible dialog in my head that would most likely make you lose your appetite.

 I was really lucky this summer that i had Steve_Restless Visit, hes a grill master and i'm sure he doesn't have the same conversations in his head that i do  ;D


Because i'm curious, those of you who like to grill, how did you come to love it? For me it was a Joint birthday party where i ended up on the grill alone having a bit of a zen moment, since then i'v always found the experience very peaceful. I'm one of those people who can sip a beer and enjoy the grilling experience without having someone to keep me company...Probably why i get recruited to cook so often  :)

My father taught me to grill; it's basically a family tradition.

Anyhow, I prefer medium rare because it's warm enough for me and at the same time it still has enough blood to give that extra flavor to the meat. Anything past that and it's too chard and  inedible to be eaten.

[mechnut450]

I always tell them if it bleeds it leaves, I want my meat done cause I don't want a tape worm ( I can use the weight lost ) but  with no medical insurance I have to name it and claim it a dependent..

[Euphonium]

I'll eat anything from blue to medium, but prefer rare or blue. I don't worry about parasites because I trust my local butcher.
I never grill steak - I've never found a way of making it come out less than medium. I prefer to fry - get the pan smoking hot with just a little bit of oil, and give it 15-30 seconds on each side (depending on thickness).
I find this method works well with tuna too, on the odd occasion that I can afford it.

[I am Belch II]

I went to medium rare, over rare. People that like them well done and more is weird to me, it takes away the taste.

[Ruger]

It used to be well done for me, but I've lost my tolerance for that over the years...now it's medium well for me...

Ruger

[Kojak]

Steak is made to be done rare to medium-rare. If you like steak well-done, you are empirically an awful person.

[chanman]

I expected there to be more chicken fried steak fans, honestly

[Foxx Ital]

I'v only had chicken fried steak twice in my life, the first time it was really delicious and i was like "for almost 30 years iv avoided this for what?" Then i had it again a few months later at another place and that pretty much almost ended that. Not that i'm not down for eating it again, but i'm a big Biscuits and gravy fan. Brails makes this delicious hashbrowns with ham,peppers,cheese and covers it with gravy...omg thats the most delicious breakfast ever (place has won best hangover/breakfast place in eugene 10 years straight)

[guardiandashi]

I'v only had chicken fried steak twice in my life, the first time it was really delicious and i was like "for almost 30 years iv avoided this for what?" Then i had it again a few months later at another place and that pretty much almost ended that. Not that i'm not down for eating it again, but i'm a big Biscuits and gravy fan. Brails makes this delicious hashbrowns with ham,peppers,cheese and covers it with gravy...omg thats the most delicious breakfast ever (place has won best hangover/breakfast place in eugene 10 years straight)

sounds like this thing at a restaurant in Vancouver, WA called "Fatty Pattty's" they make this dish called S.L.O.P. (Super Large Oversized Portion). Shredded hashbrowns, ham, tomatoes, green peppers, onions, and cheddar cheese, all smothered in sausage gravy.
when I had it in the past it was really good, the thing is the place tends to do  orders in 2 sizes huge, and gigantic.

[HikageMaru]

My Korean mother is an amazing cook, and her steaks are better than steakhouse steaks. She cooks them well-done but, that notwithstanding, they're very tender and juicy.

[Drop Bear]

For me it's a 18 hour slow cooked steak finished to well done.

[sillybrit]

I like my steaks well done and personally I find a proper well done steak to have plenty of flavor, whereas the taste of anything less I find to be increasingly less pleasant. I can just about tolerate medium-well, but anything more undercooked than that and the entire meal is done for me, even veggies and dessert. At least if it's overcooked I can still eat the rest of my meal even if I leave the burnt offering.

Given how inconsistent I've found the steaks over here, I've taken to just ordering a burger. I briefly forayed into pork chops instead, but after the first two restaurants tried to serve me pork that was medium to medium-well I realized that some of them just had no bloody clue. After that, I didn't even consider chicken.

[worktroll]

Steak is made to be done rare to medium-rare. If you like steak well-done, you are empirically an awful person.

My father was a blue steak fanatic. Heck, his idea of a Sunday roast was blue.

As a consequence, I demand my steak be dead well and truly, beyond all doubt or possibility of resurrection. Empirically I am a BT administrator.

W.

[YingJanshi]

Take your pick:



And, while I'm not about to try this (have no cooking skills anyway), though some of you might be interested in it: How to cook a blue steak.

[Kojak]

Empirically I am a BT administrator.

So two strikes against ya, then.  ;)

[chanman]

All the people vouching for well done (or close to it), I gotta ask, what cut of steak are you cooking that way? The last sirloin or other lean cut I remember being that cooked practically needed power tools to disassemble.

[Liam's Ghost]

I find steak with redness in it to be unpleasant to eat in texture and taste, and Well Done suits my cooking methods. My vote reflects my most common tendency to slice the steak fine, maybe pound it with a mallet a little to tenderize, then fry it with teriyaki sauce and other assorted ingredients and throw it either on a sandwich or over rice.

(My last such sandwich was nearly a foot and a half long and had bacon pieces, pepperoni, and two cheeses added to it. I made it to make my cardiologist cry)

[BirdofPrey]

It does come down a lot to skill and method.  It is possible to make a well done steak that is still tender and juicy, but it is more difficult and it's also not something you can count on at a restaurant (well done takes a while, and restaurants don't want to spend the time partially because they make more money the faster they turn tables, but also because plenty of people who order well done steaks still don't actually want to wait for them, and the rest of the table sure doesn't).

I am a great cook and I can make you the perfect steak any temperature, but if I am working the line and have a dozen steaks on the grill and a bunch of tickets, stuff slips through the cracks (also doesn't help that the fuller the grill gets the less room you have for getting the right steaks on the right spot on the grill).

[sillybrit]

All the people vouching for well done (or close to it), I gotta ask, what cut of steak are you cooking that way? The last sirloin or other lean cut I remember being that cooked practically needed power tools to disassemble.

Sirloin or (very) occasionaly filet. I don't particularly care for ribeye as I find it too fatty.

As BoP noted, it is possible to cook a well done steak that's tender and juicy, and I have occasionally found cooks in local restaurants that were up to the task. Sadly, the turnover rate in cooks around where I live seems bizarrely high, and just as you find a place with a good cook, they've gone.

[Ajax_Wolf]

Knock the hooves off the cow and show it a picture of an unlit match before you serve it to me, that's how I like my steak. As for the cut, top sirloin is my preference, followed by a bone-in NY strip. Don't care for the rib eye, too much fat.

[StoneRhino]

Well done, and not giving a damn about hurting anyone's feelings, stepping on toes, offending overly delicate senses, or any other nonsense of the sort. You can keep the pinkies in the air refinement, your lobster bib, your snooty waiter/waitress, I want my steak the way of the primitives. I want a big damn chunk of animal flesh burned over a raging fire.

I might not have stalked and speared the delicious beast, cut it apart and built the fire, but it doesn't mean I can't enjoy it the way that it was intended. Which includes not having to hear people whine about their steak not being pink enough for their delicate pallete, or how their whine cooler perfectly compliments their steak.

I want a big fat fluffy biscuit to my left. I want a big salad with egg and chicken for the poultry genocide, something alcoholic, several now finished bowls of french onion soup spread out going to the right. I want my steak burned to perfection, served with a big baked potato, by a waitress I have to wonder if she is hitting on me. All in a restaurant that is darkened, sitting on a hill by itself, overlooking the city but feeling a million miles away. If that steak comes with some melted bleu cheese, mushrooms, and bacon all over it, then even better. Oh...wait...that reminds me of this place over here.  ;D

[mdauben]

I order mine Medium-Rare, but I'll accept anything from Rare to Medium.  No pink, no pay, though.  If they cook it more than Medium its going back to the kitchen.  My choices for steak cut in order of favorite to least run: rib-eye, porterhouse, t-bone, fillet, strip, sirloin.   [drool]

I have a good friend who orders fillets butterflyed and well done.  Its his meal so I don't care one way or the other but it does bring a tear to my eye to see a premium cut of steak turned into shoe leather.   ;D

I want a big fat fluffy biscuit to my left.

Not bad, although I prefer some good home made garlic bread. 

I want a big salad with egg and chicken for the poultry genocide,

Give me a good mixed salad (with little or no iceberg lettus) smothered in blue cheese dressing.   :D

something alcoholic,

Some good lager beer or a nice full bodies red wine.

several now finished bowls of french onion soup spread out going to the right.

I love FOS, but find it a bit much before a big steak, and I always order a BIG steak.   ;)

served with a big baked potato,

Baked russet or sweet potato with the works (Butter (NOT margarin), sour cream, real bacon and chives for the russet. Butter, brown sugar and cinnamon for the sweet).  Tater tots are an acceptable alternative. 

Damn.  Now I need to stop at the local steak house for dinner, today.   O0

[mike19k]

... I want my steak the way of the primitives...

Now would that not be raw or what we now call blue? From my admittedly limited study of primitives they feared fire, and water, so cooking something may not happen.

[Lord Harlock]

Since cuts of meat has come up, I think that this is relevant.

I expected there to be more chicken fried steak fans, honestly

You don't use what is typically used as steak meat for chicken friend steak. If you are using regular ribeye for chicken fried steak, you are really doing it wrong. For best results, it's best to use cube steak.

On that note, I really liked sirloin that has been smoked, but I've yet to replicate the results of a steakhouse on my own.

[Arkansas Warrior]

My dad likes his well done. I don't want any char, but I've found anything below medium tends to be chewy.  I want food, not animal-protein-based chewing gum.  As such, depending on the place and how I expect them to cook it, medium or medium-well.  Also, whether or not dad's present.  If I order one medium around him he's like to make a comment about making sure all the critters in it are dead.  Never mind that I'm 26 years old, spent 5 years in the army, a little more as a cop, etc etc.

[mdauben]

On that note, I really liked sirloin that has been smoked, but I've yet to replicate the results of a steakhouse on my own.

A real, old school steak house (the kind with red leather upholstery and dark panneling, not chains like Longhorn or Outback) probably dry ages their beef.  This changes the taste and texture of the steak in ways you can't really duplicate at home.  You may be able to find wet aged beef at butcher shop or high end supermarket, but its not the same.  I think that's the big difference between high end steak house steak and home made steak. 

[chanman]

A real, old school steak house (the kind with red leather upholstery and dark panneling, not chains like Longhorn or Outback) probably dry ages their beef.  This changes the taste and texture of the steak in ways you can't really duplicate at home.  You may be able to find wet aged beef at butcher shop or high end supermarket, but its not the same.  I think that's the big difference between high end steak house steak and home made steak.

You can dry-age in your fridge, but since you start out with a smaller cut, your loss to drying out (the dried off bits you'll have to cut off later) will be proportionally larger.

[Orion]

All the people vouching for well done (or close to it), I gotta ask, what cut of steak are you cooking that way? The last sirloin or other lean cut I remember being that cooked practically needed power tools to disassemble.

The cut doesn't matter to me, as all steaks taste alike - bland and boring.  I'm wanting to eat meat, not fat, and so will cut off every little piece of semi-solid grease before putting it into my mouth.  A ribeye is just a waste of money because of my dislike of fat.  And I refuse to eat uncooked meat of any kind.  If it is still bleeding, it ain't cooked in my book.  Pink in the middle is fine, grey is better, and I'll take well done any day over a rare steak.

Of course, dipping it in batter, frying it, and serving it with taters and gravy is the only civilized way to eat steak.

[StoneRhino]

Now would that not be raw or what we now call blue? From my admittedly limited study of primitives they feared fire, and water, so cooking something may not happen.

I'm going to say those that realized that fire was good. The primitives that weren't dying to food based illnesses and parasites. The assumption that they all feared fire is equal to saying that all modern people eat raw meat because people eat sushi, though it is a small percentage of people that actually eat it normally. The Japanese don't really represent everyone around the world, and even in Japan I doubt everyone is into sushi, but their country is known for it.

[StoneRhino]

I order mine Medium-Rare, but I'll accept anything from Rare to Medium.  No pink, no pay, though.  If they cook it more than Medium its going back to the kitchen.  My choices for steak cut in order of favorite to least run: rib-eye, porterhouse, t-bone, fillet, strip, sirloin.   [drool]

I have a good friend who orders fillets butterflyed and well done.  Its his meal so I don't care one way or the other but it does bring a tear to my eye to see a premium cut of steak turned into shoe leather.   ;D
Not bad, although I prefer some good home made garlic bread. 
 
Give me a good mixed salad (with little or no iceberg lettus) smothered in blue cheese dressing.   :D
 
Some good lager beer or a nice full bodies red wine.
 
I love FOS, but find it a bit much before a big steak, and I always order a BIG steak.   ;)
 
Baked russet or sweet potato with the works (Butter (NOT margarin), sour cream, real bacon and chives for the russet. Butter, brown sugar and cinnamon for the sweet).  Tater tots are an acceptable alternative. 

Damn.  Now I need to stop at the local steak house for dinner, today.   O0

Tater tots are good all the time.

FOS is just to damn good to say "no" to. Telling your first bowl of FOS's friends that happen to also be a bowl of FOS "no" is just as hard. Besides, when that fluffy biscuit says not to worry because it will soak all the soup up, who is to argue with it's fuzzy logic at that point?

Salad smothered in bleu cheese dressing, is there any other way to truly enjoy salad with a steak?? [drool]

I don't care how anyone orders their steak just as long as its not twitching on the plate. If I'm going for a steak, I'm going somewhere for a steak. I'm not there to play facebook my steak, I don't care if anyone does or does not "like" it. I'd prefer that no one even look at my steak. I don't want anyone getting any stupid ideas, know what I mean?  >:D

[Reldn]

I voted Medium, though, my preferences fall anywhere from Medium on down to Rare. If the steak is pink or red in the center I'm gonna eat it. The Wife however? She has to have it Well done. She can't stand any pink in her steaks...Opposites attract. *laughs*

I'm going to have to try preparing a Blue Rare sometime. Looks good.