Food and Nutrition

                                                           

Steak 101: Your Steak Too Bloody or Burnt? Know How You Like Your Steak Cooked.

By Odell Ramirez  

  Food + Drink

When ordering steak at a restaurant, your waiter will ask you, “How would you like your steak done?”

If you’re unsure of your answer, you might end up with a steak that’s too undercooked or too overcooked. You won’t enjoy eating the steak and you’ll end up unhappy.

We want to avoid this so let’s go over a steak’s different degrees of doneness:

 

Blue Rare

 

                                     

Top and bottom: Lightly charred.  

Sides: Browned.  

Center: Red throughout. Cold. Raw.

Blue rare is cooked enough just to heat up the center but not cook it, hence the “blue.” Also known as “Very Rare.” Basically eating a plate of raw meat. Yum. If you’re a polar bear.

 

Rare

 

                                    

Top and bottom: Lightly charred.  

Sides: Browned.  

Center: Cool red center. Kind of raw.

Recommended for werewolves and vampires since there’s a little bit more warmth than the blue rare.

 

Medium Rare

 

                                       

Top and bottom: Charred to a dark brown color.  

Sides: Browned.  

Center: Mostly pink with hint of red.

What most chefs will recommend since flavor is maximized without tasting blood.

 

Medium

 

                                   

Top and bottom: Charred to an even darker brown color.  

Sides: Rich brown color.  

Center: Pink throughout.

A good compromise. Not raw and not overcooked. The meat is still tender without you having to feel like a caveman before discovering fire. Some chefs will draw the line here and won’t cook a steak beyond medium.

 

Medium Well

 

                                       

Top and bottom: Dark brown color. But not black.  

Sides: Dark brown.  

Center: Slight traces of pink.

Practically a sin for experienced meat-eaters.

Well Done

 

                                      

Top and bottom: Browned throughout. But not burnt.  

Sides: Browned throughout. But not burnt.  

Center: Browned throughout.

Steak will be dry and bland. Have mercy on the cow. It died for your eating enjoyment. Please do not eat it like this.

 

Over Cooked!

 

                                       

Top and bottom: Black and burnt.  

Sides: Black and burnt.  

Center: Black-brown throughout. Hard.

Vociferously ask for a refund. Unless your waiter says it’s because a dragon spit fire on the steak. Then go ask to see the dragon in the back. No dragon? Never return to the restaurant.