View Poll Results: How do you like your steak?
Rare
13
13.68%
Medium rare
61
64.21%
Medium
14
14.74%
Medium well
5
5.26%
Well done
1
1.05%
I don't eat steak
1
1.05%
Voters: 95. You may not vote on this poll
How do you like your steak? Doneness? How prepared? Etc.
Mar 30, 2014, 10:17 pm
#601
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Most places that don't specialize in steaks, don't have the option of a steak bone-in. I can't depend on bone-in steaks, but its certainly a treat when I purchase one bone in and prepared nicely.
Mar 31, 2014, 7:27 am
#602
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Dinner at the Angus Barn here in Raleigh the other night:
New York Strip Medium Rare 4 Life!
New York Strip Medium Rare 4 Life!
Apr 1, 2014, 11:22 am
#605
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Ribeye, Cajun style, medium well to well, hate pink in my steak.
Apr 1, 2014, 7:17 pm
#606
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Apr 11, 2014, 10:01 pm
#609
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I've honestly never used an electric grill before. Sounds like the elements heat up, but isn't that a waste of energy. I sure would like to know how it works.
Apr 30, 2014, 3:53 pm
#610
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 6
Maybe they have a reason.
A lot of high-class steak houses go to a lot of trouble (and expense) to purchase quality meat. A lot of them also process it to make it aged for even more flavor and better texture. Over cooking a steak to the well done setting cooks out all the juices which reduces the flavor and tenderness a lot. I have always eaten beef medium rare. My wife grew up eating hers well done because that's how her Dad liked them. Through the years I converted her from well done to medium well to medium to medium rare. She admits she was really missing out on the flavor at well done. Maybe you can try that process. You just might be pleased on the outcome.
Apr 30, 2014, 6:16 pm
#611
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A lot of high-class steak houses go to a lot of trouble (and expense) to purchase quality meat. A lot of them also process it to make it aged for even more flavor and better texture. Over cooking a steak to the well done setting cooks out all the juices which reduces the flavor and tenderness a lot.
In my experience, it's quite possible -- and not even that hard -- to produce a juicy steak that's somewhere in the "well done" range which tastes great and is not tough.
That, or even Medium/Medium-Well won't ever be as tender as a medium-rare or rare one, but some of us would call that "mushy" in many cases.
I say that as someone who likes the warmer end of medium-rare (some people would call it Medium -- mostly pink with a touch of red left at the center) if the beef is good enough... and there's enough thickness cooked to at least a hot pink/medium to leave the steak with some chewiness.
For a thin steak, I'll pass on any red and aim for a nice uniform pink, and for a cheaper one, perhaps a little depth fully cooked to make sure there's a pink center rather than a red one (I'd all that "medium well".)
Of course, definitions of "well done" vary, and there are a few people out there for whom a hot, juicy, light brown -- devoid of pink but not solid grey -- is still underdone. Those guys can't be helped, but I think that's a relatively small portion of the well-done crowd.
Others folks on this thread insist that it's impossible, and that steakhouses who do a bad job of steaks at well/medium-well are justified in doing so; IMO those ought just to refuse to take the order in the first place (some steakhouses do just that) but to accept business and then half-arse because you don't approved of the order is unprofessional.
May 1, 2014, 3:11 am
#612
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Location: UK
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You just replied to a post from 2004, on a subject that's been discussed to death in the mean time.
In my experience, it's quite possible -- and not even that hard -- to produce a juicy steak that's somewhere in the "well done" range which tastes great and is not tough.
That, or even Medium/Medium-Well won't ever be as tender as a medium-rare or rare one, but some of us would call that "mushy" in many cases.
I say that as someone who likes the warmer end of medium-rare (some people would call it Medium -- mostly pink with a touch of red left at the center) if the beef is good enough... and there's enough thickness cooked to at least a hot pink/medium to leave the steak with some chewiness.
For a thin steak, I'll pass on any red and aim for a nice uniform pink, and for a cheaper one, perhaps a little depth fully cooked to make sure there's a pink center rather than a red one (I'd all that "medium well".)
Of course, definitions of "well done" vary, and there are a few people out there for whom a hot, juicy, light brown -- devoid of pink but not solid grey -- is still underdone. Those guys can't be helped, but I think that's a relatively small portion of the well-done crowd.
Others folks on this thread insist that it's impossible, and that steakhouses who do a bad job of steaks at well/medium-well are justified in doing so; IMO those ought just to refuse to take the order in the first place (some steakhouses do just that) but to accept business and then half-arse because you don't approved of the order is unprofessional.
In my experience, it's quite possible -- and not even that hard -- to produce a juicy steak that's somewhere in the "well done" range which tastes great and is not tough.
That, or even Medium/Medium-Well won't ever be as tender as a medium-rare or rare one, but some of us would call that "mushy" in many cases.
I say that as someone who likes the warmer end of medium-rare (some people would call it Medium -- mostly pink with a touch of red left at the center) if the beef is good enough... and there's enough thickness cooked to at least a hot pink/medium to leave the steak with some chewiness.
For a thin steak, I'll pass on any red and aim for a nice uniform pink, and for a cheaper one, perhaps a little depth fully cooked to make sure there's a pink center rather than a red one (I'd all that "medium well".)
Of course, definitions of "well done" vary, and there are a few people out there for whom a hot, juicy, light brown -- devoid of pink but not solid grey -- is still underdone. Those guys can't be helped, but I think that's a relatively small portion of the well-done crowd.
Others folks on this thread insist that it's impossible, and that steakhouses who do a bad job of steaks at well/medium-well are justified in doing so; IMO those ought just to refuse to take the order in the first place (some steakhouses do just that) but to accept business and then half-arse because you don't approved of the order is unprofessional.
A way if achieving that without compromising juiciness or texture is long sous vide prep to say 155 and hold refrigerated and then skillet or griddle at a very high temperature to finish off as and when required. Many restuarants (unkown to their customers) are using this method. In fact it will improve the texture and taste of a cheaper steak.
People that in one sentence will say "I'll never it boil in the bag food" will also say "this steak is the best I've eaten" when cooked that way.
I use to use sousvide for my steaks but do not do so any more.
May 1, 2014, 11:18 am
#613
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Sous vide is certainly one way to produce a very nice better-done steak, and I've had some great ones done by foodie friends.
I've never knowingly had one at a restaurant, but then again, that says absolutely nothing about whether restaurants use it -- relatively few restaurants openly show their cooking methods, and claims (even on the menu) of say, a mesquite grill, would be more than adequately met using that to finish a steak cooked through primarily with sous vide. I'm sure many do.
That said, it's certainly not the only way to produce a good well-done steak (not that you claimed that it was), and if you don't have the equipment it's not much help. Costs have come down a lot, but it's still an expensive bit of kit if you are not using it regularly.
I've never knowingly had one at a restaurant, but then again, that says absolutely nothing about whether restaurants use it -- relatively few restaurants openly show their cooking methods, and claims (even on the menu) of say, a mesquite grill, would be more than adequately met using that to finish a steak cooked through primarily with sous vide. I'm sure many do.
That said, it's certainly not the only way to produce a good well-done steak (not that you claimed that it was), and if you don't have the equipment it's not much help. Costs have come down a lot, but it's still an expensive bit of kit if you are not using it regularly.
May 1, 2014, 11:48 am
#614
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Sous vide is certainly one way to produce a very nice better-done steak, and I've had some great ones done by foodie friends.
I've never knowingly had one at a restaurant, but then again, that says absolutely nothing about whether restaurants use it -- relatively few restaurants openly show their cooking methods, and claims (even on the menu) of say, a mesquite grill, would be more than adequately met using that to finish a steak cooked through primarily with sous vide. I'm sure many do.
That said, it's certainly not the only way to produce a good well-done steak (not that you claimed that it was), and if you don't have the equipment it's not much help. Costs have come down a lot, but it's still an expensive bit of kit if you are not using it regularly.
I've never knowingly had one at a restaurant, but then again, that says absolutely nothing about whether restaurants use it -- relatively few restaurants openly show their cooking methods, and claims (even on the menu) of say, a mesquite grill, would be more than adequately met using that to finish a steak cooked through primarily with sous vide. I'm sure many do.
That said, it's certainly not the only way to produce a good well-done steak (not that you claimed that it was), and if you don't have the equipment it's not much help. Costs have come down a lot, but it's still an expensive bit of kit if you are not using it regularly.
It is really easy to tell if restaurants use sous vide for their steaks; apart from the surface, the colour is the same all through with no inner-edge to middle gradation and the texture is very soft. Blumenthal is very public that he does all of his proteins sous vide. I very much doubt if any restaurant would ever admit using one for steaks, but when they use them it's all plusses. Steaks are always exactly as specified by the customer. They are quick to finish. Final prep can be done by anyone and not a skilled chef. Cheap steaks are converted texture wise to air dried 30 day steaks. Steaks are waiting and do not deteriorate. All they need to do is keep it secret.
May 3, 2014, 2:09 am
#615
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Singapore
Posts: 977
Well done?
Well, usually medium well. Not too raw please.
Had some Teppanyaki recently, and the steak was good, though because of dietary preferences of the family we asked the chef to make it well done instead of medium.
Some pictures of the Teppanyaki meal in my blog, if interested.
http://guitar123foodandtravel.blogsp...eppanyaki.html
Well, usually medium well. Not too raw please.
Had some Teppanyaki recently, and the steak was good, though because of dietary preferences of the family we asked the chef to make it well done instead of medium.
Some pictures of the Teppanyaki meal in my blog, if interested.
http://guitar123foodandtravel.blogsp...eppanyaki.html