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Susan Burton has. In an essay on Slate.com, Burton publicly declares her meat preference as "cooked through, gray, no trace of pink." And while you may think that sounds like she's ordering up shoe leather, Burton says "that [her choice] signifies 'food safety.'" With that, she sets off on a fascinating historical journey of how the tradition of cooking meat well done has slowly slipped out of favor in American kitchens.
Having noticed that the topic of 'doneness' was strangely unexplored, Burton paves the way through the changing perception of what cooked meat's temperature signifies, the popularity (see "meat hipster") of rarer cooking and whether there's scientific proof behind her concerns. We urge readers to check out this piece, which, quite simply, is very well done.
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6-18-2010 @2:22PM boss sauce said... Regardless of how people like their meat cooked, there is a recent tendency in too many kitchens to undercook meat. And, by undercook, I mean that when I order medium rare, half the time it arrives rare. Kitchens should respect diners' choice of doneness, and they should actually cook it to that point!
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6-18-2010 @3:55PM Stephanie F said... I was at a restaurant a few months back where I ordered a steak medium and was served a rare steak. I wasn't the only person who had that problem, and I overheard our server explaining to the table behind us that the kitchen undercooked the meat because it was easier to fix an undercooked steak than to cook a new one. Needless to say, because of that and a few problems with the service, I haven't returned there.
6-21-2010 @9:40AM terry said... I agree. I actually like my steak medium rare but in all but the very best steakhouses, which are much more likely to accurately cook your steak, I order mine medium and usually get a nice medium rare. I'm not in the restaurant business, but I assume that is because (a) they are in a hurry to get the meal out, and/or (b) if they undercook your steak they can always take it back and cook it some more, while if they overcook it, they'd have to cook you another one.
6-21-2010 @6:24PM John Doe said... When I eat steak at a restaurant, I tell them, "If I see red or blood I will not pay." It is amazing how few times I have to send my steak back for them to finish cooking it!
6-21-2010 @7:45PM momschlep said... Most steakhouses list how their steaks are done. A cold, red center is rare. A warm, yet STILL red center is Medium Rare. Most people don't understand that when they order Medium rare, they expect it more done than that. Personally, I want my steak "black and blue." That is, charred on the outside (black) and cold and red (blue) on the inside. LUSCIOUS. And I have been ordering steaks that way since LONG before the year 1982 that the author quotes.
7-25-2010 @10:05AM Sho said... @JohnDoe The sad part is, with the way kitchens seemed to be staffed with snobs full of "butthurt", you probably get few other things with your meal that you wouldn't want to know is in there.
6-18-2010 @2:24PM Pyrofish said... For safety's sake, I do order mine medium from time to time. However, if I know the source is good, or even probably good, rare and medium rare are the way to go for tasty meat with a nice texture.
There's a place NY I went into with a cheapskate co-worker. He saw $4.99 T-bones on the sign, and said let's go there. I figured, what's the harm? When I smelled the inside of the place, I knew immediately I wanted mine med well. My co-worker ate med rare. He stayed in his hotel that night pretty sick, and I went out and had some fun.
So there can be reasons... but usually, rare to medium rare :-)
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6-21-2010 @1:09PM Howard said... You are no more likely to get sick from a rare steak thana well-done steak. The bacteria that make people sick live on the surface of the steak. As long as the outside is seared, it does not matter if it is red on the inside.
Different strokes for different folks, but I pity the leather eaters.
6-21-2010 @7:44PM Dee said... To dleebaltimore, what does being WHITE have to do with anything? And how can you tell from an online post what race someone is? For me, I prefer my steaks medium well to well, and I'm white. Where do you get off calling someone a beast?
6-18-2010 @2:48PM gobo said... If the author wants to eat ruined, dry, awful steaks, that's her choice, I suppose!
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6-21-2010 @11:02AM margie said... There are ways to cook a steak well-done and have it taste good. I don't work in a diner or such but have been cooking steaks for my family and friends long enough to know that it can be done. I will not eat a steak that shows the least bit of pink whatsoever. My mother would never even try a steak because she said that she wouldn't eat it rare or medium rare and that's why she didn't like it. I cooked steaks for her and I several times since then and all were well done. She loved it. It's a matter of how it's cooked well done that matters. Flavor and doneness is everything. One of my friends would buy steak and then have me come over and cook them for her because I could cook a nice well-done steak and not have it to dry plus there would awesome flavor. No I'm not a chef but I do know my way around the kitchen. I'll just take my steak well-done and flavorful please.
6-18-2010 @3:59PM Amy Z said... I wish the author had pointed out the difference between well done and *over* done. Well done is no pink or red in the middle but still tender and juicy. Over done is that PLUS being tough and dry. I prefer medium and can take medium rare, but I have had, and made, incredibly good well done. Although it does seem she prefers hers to be drier so maybe that's why she didn't make the distinction. But I do repeat, it is a fallacy that cooking meat, be it venison or tuna or beef, thouroughly (i.e. no red or pink) dries it out. Cooking it past that does, but not cooking it just to that state. I have lots and lots of proof through my many eating experiences.
It's funny, my parents think the trend to less cooked meat is due to restaurants wanting a faster turn over. Cook the meat half the time, it's out to diners twice as fast thus shortening their dining time.
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7-07-2010 @1:59AM Bill said... A lot of times restaurants will undercook a piece of meat because it will continue to cook as it sits waiting for the server to bring it to the table. They usually are trying to avoid the customer getting an "overcooked" piece of meat. The problem is, some restaurants want such a fast table turnover that food is constantly rushed out to the table as soon as the chef plates it. I went to a steakhouse the other night and our salads were out before we finished a couple of mouthfuls of cheese fries. Our steaks were out before we were half-finished with our salads. And we were tired and not having ANY conversation. Within 15 minutes we had our entire meal sitting on the table.
Slow it down! Sorry, that became a different rant. I used to get my steaks medium well, but now typically order medium, which usually gets me a steak between medium and medium well. I don't mind a little pink and a little juice.
And the only time I've eaten medium-rare was when I made Prime Rib once. I have to say, that was quite delicious.
It's a matter of preference and the reputation of the restaurant. If you prefer a little "moo" left in your steak and the place you go to get it consistently serves up quality steaks and has no known food safety issues...go for it.
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6-21-2010 @8:16AM jimbarry1946 said... I want my steak or burger to moo when I cut it or bite in. If it's served on a hot plate, that makes a steak perfect. I have never been bothered by any I've eaten. Most germs would be on the outside, not where it hasn't been touched. Yum!!!
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6-21-2010 @11:12AM Mike said... Jim I agree with you on the steak, no other way to eat it other than still bleeding and as you said most of the bad stuff is on the outside and is killed with the heat of the grill. But not hamburger meat. Because it is ground meat what was on the outside is now on the inside and vise versa. And I preffer my ecoli well done thanks!
6-21-2010 @8:22AM Susan said... Sadly, most diners have no idea what rare, medium rare, medium, medium well, and well actually mean! This goes double for most women. They order medium rare, and are shocked when they receive a bloody steak. They really wanted medium.
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6-21-2010 @10:12AM Dawn said... I beg to differ. A few years ago the family went to a local steakhouse. I ordered my steak well done. The waitress asked me if I knew what well done meant. I assured her I did. When my steak arrived it was rare. I called her back and explained as I knew what a well done steak was, I expect her chef to as well. Our food orders are not chef's discretion. We pay for them and we expect to be given what we order.
6-21-2010 @8:49AM jon simmons said... Unfortunately most cooks don't know the difference between well done and dried out. And forget going into a family style rest down south, everything is overcooked.
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6-21-2010 @2:57PM Andrew said... I disagree with your opinion regarding "the South." I live in Texas and though alot of lower end "mom and pop" restaurants serve a majority of their food fried. I fail to see alot of over cooked steaks. It is usually the other way around and the steaks are ordered a nice medium rare.
6-21-2010 @8:55AM Hugh said... My opinion is that any steak that is cooked over medium is a wasted steak. The taste and texture of a steak is best at medium rare and never exceeding medium. What possible enjoyment can one get out of steaks that are over cooked, dry, tough, and lost its flavor? Your better off saving your money and buy something cheaper on the menu than wasting your money on shoe leather.
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