# Is there any steak that is not best cooked medium rare? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 27, 2015, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-steak-that-is-not-best-cooked-medium-rare/723575 "2015-06-27T00:03:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2015, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-steak-that-is-not-best-cooked-medium-rare/723575/1 "2015-06-27T00:03:11Z")
When I graduated from college and actually had money to go out for dinners, I immediately joined the land of the food snobs and ordered rare steaks. I’ve come to believe that medium rare is the better choice and works well for just about any steak. Outside of filet mignon, steaks need to be medium rare to truly enjoy them. Agree or tell me why I’m crazy? Let’s assume good restaurants, when you know you’re spending some decent money for food. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2015, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-steak-that-is-not-best-cooked-medium-rare/723575/2 "2015-06-27T00:10:05Z")
It depends on how tender you like them. The more cooked they are, the more tender. Personally, I like mine medium well. ---
**Author:** ![Randolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Randolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randolph)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2015, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-steak-that-is-not-best-cooked-medium-rare/723575/3 "2015-06-27T00:37:01Z")
What is this I don’t even ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2015, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-steak-that-is-not-best-cooked-medium-rare/723575/4 "2015-06-27T01:04:17Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > It depends on how tender you like them. The more cooked they are, the more tender. Personally, I like mine medium well. That is the opposite of true. The less cooked, the more tender. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2015, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-steak-that-is-not-best-cooked-medium-rare/723575/5 "2015-06-27T01:06:29Z")
Steak Tartare. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2015, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-steak-that-is-not-best-cooked-medium-rare/723575/6 "2015-06-27T01:36:45Z")
Hehe, TS failed to qualify beef steak. I still prefer my pork steak well done. And tuna steak is best just seared. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2015, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-steak-that-is-not-best-cooked-medium-rare/723575/7 "2015-06-27T02:05:41Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > That is the opposite of true. The less cooked, the more tender. Unless you’re grilling a chuck roast or somethin’. 😃 (Rare. More rare. Just drag it through a warm room slowly, so I can hear the echo of a moo. Thanks.) ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2015, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-steak-that-is-not-best-cooked-medium-rare/723575/8 "2015-06-27T02:52:37Z")
Carne asada/skirt steak is one where you can get away with cooking it past medium rare. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2015, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-steak-that-is-not-best-cooked-medium-rare/723575/9 "2015-06-27T02:55:47Z")
I once worked with a rather pale, very petite graphic artist who startled us one day by announcing she wanted a big steak. When we said she didn’t look like the carnivore type, she said “I grew up in St. Joseph, Missouri right by the stockyards. Just stun it, slice it, sear it and slap it on a platter!” ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2015, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-steak-that-is-not-best-cooked-medium-rare/723575/10 "2015-06-27T03:03:11Z")
I like my steak medium rare. These days that means ordering it rare. If you want it rare ask for raw. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2015, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-steak-that-is-not-best-cooked-medium-rare/723575/11 "2015-06-27T03:14:31Z")
It’s truly a matter of personal taste. My wife likes medium well to well done. I like medium rare to medium. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2015, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-steak-that-is-not-best-cooked-medium-rare/723575/12 "2015-06-27T03:25:07Z")
Brisket. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2015, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-steak-that-is-not-best-cooked-medium-rare/723575/13 "2015-06-27T03:32:00Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > That is the opposite of true. The less cooked, the more tender. Indeed. I believe we’ve been through this many times before–there’s even objective quantified measurements of tenderness that show this to be the case. There are some cuts that benefit from low, slow cooking. Those are the cuts with a high degree of collagen/connective tissue in them. In that case, you are cooking the meat so the collagen renders (or whatever the correct word is) into gelatin, and then coats the meat and loosens it up to make it tender. These are cuts like chuck, brisket, shank, ribs. Traditional steak cuts like strip and filet, for instance, get tougher the longer they are cooked, as they are not high in collagen. Now whether you like them rare or well, that’s your personal taste. I don’t particularly care and I’ll cook it how you like it. ETA: On the other hand, if you’re buying shit steak, like select grade or lower (yes, my supermarket even has “utility” grade on sale sometimes), then you’re probably better off cooking it to higher temps. I find those steaks tend to be chewy at lower levels of doneness. A good choice or prime steak like strip or ribeye or fillet should be edible raw, and not chewy. And, yes, I will often slice off a couple of pieces for myself before throwing it on the grill. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2015, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-steak-that-is-not-best-cooked-medium-rare/723575/14 "2015-06-27T03:55:53Z")
If you overdo the tuna steak by a minute, maybe less, you might as well put it in mayo and use it as really expensive tuna salad, or a hockey puck. I’ve done the former. It was good ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2015, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-steak-that-is-not-best-cooked-medium-rare/723575/15 "2015-06-27T12:00:47Z")
My Dad asked for medium-rare in a hotel in New Calidonia. When he sent it back to the kitchen to be cooked some more they stopped, had a second thought, and asked “Do you mean American medium-rare or Australian medium-rare?” I like my brown on the outside and pink in the middle. I’ll take bleu in the middle, but it always worries me a little. ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2015, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-steak-that-is-not-best-cooked-medium-rare/723575/16 "2015-06-27T13:20:06Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > My Dad asked for medium-rare in a hotel in New Calidonia. When he sent it back to the kitchen to be cooked some more they stopped, had a second thought, and asked “Do you mean American medium-rare or Australian medium-rare?” > > I like my brown on the outside and pink in the middle. I’ll take bleu in the middle, but it always worries me a little. I like mine purple in the center, and slightly cool. Truly rare. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2015, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-steak-that-is-not-best-cooked-medium-rare/723575/17 "2015-06-27T15:53:58Z")
The reason we cook meat in the first place is because raw meat is tough. I’ve had well-done steaks that were so tender they were falling apart on the fork. I’ve never seen rare meat that tender, not even for inherently tender cuts like filet mignon. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2015, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-steak-that-is-not-best-cooked-medium-rare/723575/18 "2015-06-27T16:21:44Z")
Texas A&M says meat gets tougher with cooking. > **[Meat Tenderness - Meat Science](https://meat.tamu.edu/ansc-307-honors/meat-tenderness/#.VY7M6PlVhBc)** > > To identify the tender, intermediate and tough major muscles of the carcass, and to demonstrate the reasons for differences in tenderness among muscles. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2015, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-steak-that-is-not-best-cooked-medium-rare/723575/19 "2015-06-27T16:27:22Z")
Aged beef is damn good RARE. Of course good aged beef is rare in the first place 🙂 I need to find my old posts here about 4 years ago about tenderizing beef by burying it in rock salt for awhile. That is the most tender beef I’ve had besides aged beef (and its easy to get/make). ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2015, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-steak-that-is-not-best-cooked-medium-rare/723575/20 "2015-06-27T16:27:26Z")
I’ve never been a fan of medium-rare myself - the texture of cool raw beef sets off my gag reflex, and even though I _understand_ that a steak isn’t like a hamburger and there’s very little health risk from eating a steak that isn’t cooked through as long as the outside has been thoroughly heated, my gut keeps insisting that pink = bad. I can order a quality steak medium if I have confidence that the inside will at least be warm, but otherwise I go medium well. Also, seconding the above notion that carne asada simply _must_ be cooked to well-done. You want it charred, cooked through, and a little on the chewy side. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-steak-that-is-not-best-cooked-medium-rare/723575.md?page=2)