# Poll: Do you eat steak with ketchup? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 30, 2007, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-eat-steak-with-ketchup/410025 "2007-06-30T09:44:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2007, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-eat-steak-with-ketchup/410025/81 "2007-06-30T23:50:12Z")
[QUOTE=Northern Piper] Cream gravy. Lemme see if I’ve got this right: you start with steak drippings and lard. Add butter and the brownie bits. And then to finish off, you add some cream. My arteries are clogging just from the thought of it. No offence meant. Must be a southern thing. [/QUOTE] My recipe for CFS: Round steak Flour Lawry’s Seasoned Salt Poultry seasoning Onions Mushrooms Fat of some sort (preferably butter) Note on measurements: I rarely measure. I use about half a pound of steak per person, and it ALL gets eaten up. Note on fat: I use enough to cover the bottom of the skillet to a depth of about 1/8 inch, and add more as I need it. Slice onions and mushrooms. Fry in fat, remove, set aside. Mix flour, seasoned salt, and poultry seasoning. Use enough seasoning that the flour is sort of a light orangy-grey. Cut steak into small bite sized pieces. Pound with meat tenderizer (the utensil, not the enzyme) until QUITE thin. Dredge in seasoned flour, let rest, dredge again. Fry in hot fat, a few at a time, keeping a very close watch on the pieces. Turn once They will cook very quickly, due to being thin. Remove cooked pieces, keep warm, add new pieces until all the steak is cooked. Make cream gravy from leftover flour and fat. VERY good with mashed potatoes. I do cut the visible fat off the steak, but this is simply because I don’t like eating beef fat. The cooking fat can be leftover bacon drippings, for extra cardiac clogging goodness. Damnyankees have scoffed at CFS, until they taste it. Then, being human, they understand. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2007, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-eat-steak-with-ketchup/410025/82 "2007-07-01T00:20:49Z")
I am uncouth enough to sometimes eat my steak medium-well with Kraft barbeque sauce, but I would never use ketchup. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2007, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-eat-steak-with-ketchup/410025/83 "2007-07-01T00:43:11Z")
I don’t think I eat anything at all with ketchup. Well, OK, I use it as an ingredient in a old family soup recipe, but other than that… As for steak, I do not put liquids or semi-liquids of any sort on my steak. I have been known to put a bit of A1 sauce on my hamburgers now and then though. ETA: current location is Manhattan; prior locations include New Mexico and Georgia and I would’ve given you the same answer when I lived in those places. ---
**Author:** ![want2know](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@want2know](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2know)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2007, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-eat-steak-with-ketchup/410025/84 "2007-07-01T00:47:06Z")
Las Vegas (born/raised NYC) What is this “ketchup” of which you speak? I vaguely recall some “Advisory Board” advocating its use; otherwise, 'tis a conundrum to me. 😛 Seriously, though: salt, pepper, garlic, maybe a splash of “What’s-this-here” sauce before placing on a very hot grill. That’s it. Years ago, I was watching a commercial for A-1 which showed a beautifully marbled T-bone sizzling on a grill interrupted every few seconds by the line, “Is it done?”. The last image was of a goodly amount of A-1 being applied to this magnificent steak, followed by the line “It’s done!” Worked out, though. I needed a new TV anyway. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2007, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-eat-steak-with-ketchup/410025/85 "2007-07-01T00:56:07Z")
Depends on what you mean by “steak.” A steak eaten with a side, that you cut up with a knife and eat with a fork? No. A steak sandwich? Yup. The quality of steak used for sandwiches is always lesser than ones meant for another sort of meal. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2007, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-eat-steak-with-ketchup/410025/86 "2007-07-01T00:59:47Z")
BLASPHEMY!! REPENT SINNER OR BURN IN HELL FOREVER WITH THE REST OF THE GODLESS HEATHENS!! IT IS WRITTEN THAT WHOSOEVER PUTS KETCHUP ON STEAK SHALL BE DAMNED FOR ALL ETERNITY!! Err. No. None for me thank you. Maybe a little garlic butter if you have any. Uh. No, I’ve never really considered myself to be pretentious. Why do you ask? ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2007, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-eat-steak-with-ketchup/410025/87 "2007-07-01T01:55:48Z")
[QUOTE=Northern Piper] Cream gravy. Lemme see if I’ve got this right: you start with steak drippings and lard. Add butter and the brownie bits. And then to finish off, you add some cream. My arteries are clogging just from the thought of it. No offence meant. Must be a southern thing. [/QUOTE] You forgot that this covers a piece of fried beef. 😉 Absolutely delicious. Come to my house sometime and try it. Cream gravy also goes well with my nearly-famous fried chicken. ---
**Author:** ![Yag\_Rannavach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/858c86/32.png) [@Yag\_Rannavach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yag_Rannavach)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2007, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-eat-steak-with-ketchup/410025/88 "2007-07-01T02:00:50Z")
_shudder_ steak… If I thought I could get away with putting ketchup on steak, I would. Unfortunately, there are enough people who are opposed to the idea that it’s easier to eat it plain, if I have to eat it for some reason or other. Oh, and, efore anyone asks, the reason I don’t like steak is that it’s far too chewy. It forms a disgusting blob in my mouth and then sends out little tentacle-like strands to get stuck between my teeth. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2007, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-eat-steak-with-ketchup/410025/89 "2007-07-01T02:01:09Z")
I ain’t pretentious in the least and I would NEVER put ketchup on steak except maybe at gunpoint. Ketchup on steak is a stench in the nostrils of God. I was born and raised in Dallas, Texas and now live in Florida. ---
**Author:** ![mrklutz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ebca7d/32.png) [@mrklutz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrklutz)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2007, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-eat-steak-with-ketchup/410025/90 "2007-07-01T02:53:48Z")
No sauces on steak for me, please. I’m open to a variety of seasonings, but sauce just doesn’t do it for me on steak. Chicken-fried steak counts as an entirely different food in my book. Yum. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2007, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-eat-steak-with-ketchup/410025/91 "2007-07-01T03:18:58Z")
Sign me up for one seat in burning hell of eternity or wherever you non-pretentious posters think I should sit. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2007, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-eat-steak-with-ketchup/410025/92 "2007-07-01T03:26:11Z")
Sorry—missed the edit window— The assumption of “pretentiousness” comes not from the fact that you don’t care for the flavor of ketchup on steak, but rather that your responses are more like OH-HELL-NO…WHO-IN-THE-HELL-WOULD-PUT-KETCHUP-ON-STEAK!!! Ketchup on steak, sure. Especially if it’s a less than stellar cut. I’m not a fan of steak sauce and as childish as it may be :rolleyes:, ketchup suits me just fine. A fine cut of steak that’s juicy and prepared to perfection can be eaten with a smidge of salt and pepper and I’m in heaven. Oh, and in case any of you were waiting to give me the benefit of the doubt, I also put ketchup on my hotdog…so there. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2007, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-eat-steak-with-ketchup/410025/93 "2007-07-01T03:42:02Z")
No, the only time I get low quality meat in a streak is if I get Bistec a la Mexicana from the local Mexican joint, so it’s already got a sauce. Steak just isn’t worth eating if you have to put ketchup on it. If you want ketchup get a burger. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2007, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-eat-steak-with-ketchup/410025/94 "2007-07-01T04:10:48Z")
There is some pretentiousness here alright. Why is it incorrect to add flavout to good steak? Is it also wrong to have mushrooms with steak? Talk about cultural snobbery. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2007, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-eat-steak-with-ketchup/410025/95 "2007-07-01T06:22:54Z")
[QUOTE=Cicero] There is some pretentiousness here alright. Why is it incorrect to add flavout to good steak? Is it also wrong to have mushrooms with steak? Talk about cultural snobbery. [/QUOTE] I have no objection to _you_ putting ketchup on _your_ steak, as long as I don’t have to watch you eat it. You’re also welcome to put ice cream and lima beans on your steak. I’m not a snob, I’m a person who doesn’t like ketchup. When I eat in Mexican restaurants, I often order chicken smothered in chili-laced chocolate. There are many people who can’t fathom the idea that I’m eating chicken with chocolate on it, and if they know that’s what I’m eating they can’t watch me do it. Perhaps more to the point, I put salt and pepper on my canteloupe. Lots of my friends and relatives find it necessary to avert their eyes… and unlike the people who wince at chicken with molé sauce, they do know what salt and pepper taste like! ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2007, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-eat-steak-with-ketchup/410025/96 "2007-07-01T06:31:10Z")
[QUOTE=Cicero] There is some pretentiousness here alright. Why is it incorrect to add flavout to good steak? Is it also wrong to have mushrooms with steak? Talk about cultural snobbery. [/QUOTE] It’s not about adding flavor to your steak. It’s about adding ketchup. A steak with a nice bordelaise sauce is divine, and mushrooms go fantastically well with steak. I’ll put Ketchup on a burger, but that’s because burger’s are generally a lower grade of meat. If I get a burger that’s a higher grade of meat, I won’t put ketchup on it. If you really like ketchup that’s one thing, but why waste a perfectly good steak by putting ketchup on it when ground beef is just as good? It’s kind of like putting regular into your Porsche. I don’t really understand why refining one’s pallette is snobbery. I don’t think less of you for liking ketchup on your steak, it just seems like a waste of steak to me, because ketchup overpowers the taste of whatever it’s on and doesn’t compliment the taste of the steak terribly well. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2007, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-eat-steak-with-ketchup/410025/97 "2007-07-01T07:01:41Z")
I’m not even sure I would like ketchup but I would have it on steak- if I liked it. Apologies if I came over as being critical- that wasn’t intentional. And I won’t make anyone look at me eating fillet steak with tomato sauce. Which I love. ---
**Author:** ![ColonelDax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@ColonelDax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ColonelDax)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2007, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-eat-steak-with-ketchup/410025/98 "2007-07-01T13:14:01Z")
One more vote for “never” on the ketchup-on-steak question here. This being London, just some [Colman’s](http://www.unilever.co.uk/ourbrands/foods/colmans.asp) on the side of the plate, please. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2007, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-eat-steak-with-ketchup/410025/99 "2007-07-02T17:44:29Z")
Let me clarify a bit here. This isn’t about the ketchup. Ketchup is fine. Really. I put it on french fries, hot dogs (yep), and sometimes hamburgers. It’s about the steak. A good steak is a marvelous thing that doesn’t need much enhancement. That said, I do enhance them sometimes. Peppersteak is good stuff. Putting some spicy barbecue sauce on a hunk of steak before tossing it on the barbecue on the 4th of July is fine. But ketchup just doesn’t fit with steak as far as I’m concerned. It overly masks the flavor of the meat. That’s just me. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2007, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-eat-steak-with-ketchup/410025/100 "2007-07-02T18:56:03Z")
Heck no. Some sauces, fried onions/mushrooms. Not ketchup. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-eat-steak-with-ketchup/410025.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-eat-steak-with-ketchup/410025.md?page=6)