how do you guys like your steak cooked? i'm a rare/medium rare kinda guy, but anything more than medium is blasphemy. discuss.

Medium for me, hamburgers medium/well.

Steak is my favorite meal and although I honestly will eat it cooked any way, I prefer medium.


TIS

As Vincent says in Pulp Fiction, "Bloody as hell."

Absolutely medium-rare. If it's rarer than that, it's okay. And you're right, anything over medium is blasphemy, and doesn't even taste like meat any more -- even burgers.

WWWWAAAAAAhhhhhhhhh, Mommy, I don't like this.....

At the cost of a decent cut of meat today, what's the point of spending that kind of money solely to cook it until you can barely chew it???

Blood rare.

I use to eat my steak rare, but then I guess all these health claims of rare steak not being good for you changed my thinking. I like pink or a little rare in the middle but totally bloody? Not so much.



TIS

I too have changed the way I cook meat; I cook it all the way through.

If I wanted cat food I'd open a can of KiKi's.

Oh, and don't let your peas touch your steak.

Medium rare for me. I used to order or cook them rare.

I almost never eat steak anymore; if I do, I'll cook it myself because I like it medium or even medium/well. Don't care for blood-rare steak. Never have, though I know many folks who swear by it.

I prefer my hamburgers well done. But since I like thick burgers, cooking them that way doesn't really ruin it for me. But again, I prefer to make them at home. Too many times (in restaurants) I've asked for a well-done burger only to have it brought to me nearly raw. And who wants to eat a raw burger?

On the other hand, some "genius" will probably put a little dollop of raw, fatty ground beef on the menu of one of those yuppified, upscale Manhattan "bistros" and call it Le Burger Tartare; flanked by Yin/Yang-style smears of ketchup and mustard (and at a price of somewhere around $25 for a tablespoon-size portion), it will promptly be hailed as the next great trend in "fine dining." It will also prove that you can fool some of the people all of the time.

Of course, since I'm so behind the times, chances are it's been done for years already...

Wouldn't mind having a real hamburger right about now - come to think of it, I think it's been several months since I've had one. It's difficult to get a decent burger around here - all the little cafes are long gone and all that's available in my neighborhood (within walking distance) is McDonald's.

Signor V.

You're overwhelmingly outnumbered by people with good taste buds, so... shush. Keep your overdone L.I. "steaks" (and over-sauced pizzas) to yourself.

I do enjoy a nice carpaccio, but I think I might be uncomfortable with raw ground beef, given how many times/ways it's handled today.

Back in the day, the stores would have a big sale on an entire shell of beef a couple of times a year. I would buy the whole shell, have the steaks cut to my liking, and have them cut off the "tail". I would take it home and grind the tail myself and eat that raw with a little onion salt. Delicious!

I would never eat a piece of tail if I had to pay for it.

Maaaa, it has too much sauce, I don't want it. Waaaahhhhh.

Waaaaah, my steak has meat in it! Oh, Noooooooo, KILL IT!!

Well then, here's an old Popeye comic strip that seems to be appropriate. (Be warned - it's rather graphic.)

Click here.

Signor V.

Definitely medium rare or rarer. Anything cooked more is unacceptable in my house. Had a real nice porterhouse steak last night that my wife cooked to perfection. I can't tell you how much i enjoyed eating that one.

good to see that most people here have good taste when it comes to a nice juicy steak. for some of you who are made members of the shoe leather gang, i don't know what to say on a related note, i came home from one of the hardest days of work in my life yesterday starving. i just wanted something simple so i threw a couple of burgers in the cast iron skillet. i was so tired that i just wanted them done so i pulled them off a little underdone, even for my tastes. still better then med-well though

Anyone who saw tonight's episode of Master Chef on Fox got a thorough education on the definition of steaks (filet mignon, in this case) cooked rare, medium-well, and well-done.

A well-done steak should never come out like shoe leather. It should always be moist and juicy, never dried out like a beef hockey puck.

It appears that to a great number of people, "well-done" has become synonymous with "horribly overcooked."

Signor V.

That's their brains.... comes from eating raw meat.

I didn't see tonight's episode, I watched last week's.

Filet -- specifically -- should NEVER be cooked past medium-rare, I don't care WHO says otherwise!

Give a filet mignon, medium, any day!!

Best steak EVER!!!!!!

I like filets medium rare but like others I try to stay away from the red meats for health reasons

one thing that i would like to add, when you order a steak med-well or well done in a restaurant, rest assured that you are getting the oldest steak they have as cooking it that far is sure to erase or at least lessen any flavor imperfections

I would think that the problem with cooking filet mignon well done is that the cut is thick. By the time you would cook it well all the way through, it is going to be dry and overcooked.

That's one of the reasons I don't buy pork chops in Costco. Costco has excellent meat, but they butcher their chops very thick. By the time they are done, I can't imagine how dry they would be.

Yeah just like when they toast the roll with day old bread

Well, the chefs discussed the proper way to cook a well-done filet before the contestants attempted their versions. The way they described it, it ain't easy. At least, not for a beginner. In this case it appears that, just like in comedy, timing is everything.

What I recall was that the meat must be pan-seared all over to keep the juices in, then finished in the oven. The filet must then be removed, and allowed to rest for half the time it was in the oven before it is served. When it rests, it must rest elevated (probably on a rack, or something similar), and not flat on any surface, or it will continue to cook. They didn't discuss oven temperatures, or cooking time in the oven, but this information could probably be quite easily found online.

I wouldn't mind making one of these at home once in awhile. I'd trust my own cooking over a restaurant's, but still - the price...

Signor V.

I don't know if they still do, but Costco used to sell a package of four bacon-wrapped filets that were very good. They were frozen, so you could cook one or two at a time, and the pricing was pretty reasonable.

I also will buy the whole filet when it goes on sale (usually $6/lb.). I will save half as a roast and then cut the rest into steaks and freeze them individually.

One filet cut that I like is a boneless eye of round.

There are two butcher shops within easy walking distance of where I live, but only one is worth shopping at. They have much better cuts of meat/poultry, and there is very little to trim away. Better prices, too. Their eye of round is usually around $4.00 - $4.50 per pound (I forget which), but it's excellent! A little salt and some freshly ground black pepper, and you're ready to cook.

It's a little ironic: beef stew meat (I make some great stews) used to be much cheaper than the more expensive cuts, but no more. Now, it's the same price as the eye of round! All that fat, and other crap! Hell, now if I want to make a stew, I'll just buy my usual eye of round and cube it. Why should I pay the same price for obviously inferior meat?

Just venting here, but I want it known that anyone who dines here at Vitelli's will have a meal worth writing home about.

As a matter of fact, try the veal - it's the best in the city.

Signor V.

Just don't let Vitelli try to frisk you before you use his bathroom.

SV, you're right. I can't believe the price of some meat. My MIL started buying London Broil when it's on sale and grinding her own. Every once in a while, ShopRite will have it for only $2 a pound, it's a heck of a lot less than other ground meat, and it's much better quality.

even cuts that used to be cheap a few years ago such as skirt and flank steak have gone way up, but they are still considerably less than fillet or strip steaks and are packed with lots flavor.

Agreed.

Give me a nice, slow-cooked, chuck steak any day. Simmer that sucker for three hours until it's falling off the bone, and you'll think you died and went to heaven. And when I say chuck steak, you can also use short ribs or any other well marbled piece of "muscle" meat that is considered to be "tough" if otherwise prepared.

Remember: Expensive cuts of meat (like filet and shell steaks) are meant to be cooked fast and over high heat. Less expensive cuts are best when braised or "potted," like a pot roast. Low and slow .

Skirt steak is now $10/lb., for something that butchers used to throw away! I've always liked it, but $10 is ridiculous.

Tell me about it! Try this, to make it go a little further:


Get some red and green peppers, an onion and cut them all up and pan fry them. Cut the steak into thin strips (about 1/4"), and the pan fry for about 4 minutes. Mix all together and put into a taco (or a wrap).

add a little fresh squeezed lime juice and some chopped cilantro and now your talking. hell, you could even cook the steak all the way to medium and it would still be pretty good

Sounds good, SC. I do, however, loathe cilantro. I usually wait for a decent sale (Stop N Shop had it for $6/lb a few weeks ago) and then I stock up.

Me, too!

When we first got married, my wife accidentally mistook cilantro for parsley and put it in the meatballs. Ruined a whole pot of gravy on a holiday (I think it was Easter).

My mother didn't let her forget it until the day she died. My mother was a beaut .

Was she related to Marie Barone?

That is funny, PB... definitely something my mother would do as well!

Are you sure you two aren't the same person???

I've slowly gotten a little better, but a lot of cilantro makes me gag! No way I'd be able to eat those meatballs!

Wow your right they are!

Condiments on your meatballs make you gag

A rotting horses head with flies eating out the eyes would make me gag!

Can you just put a plate outside the door for me, I'm a kinda like a stray cat.

wow guys i had no idea that so many of you disliked cilantro. i happen to love it and when we have a bunch in the fridge i will sometimes just grab some and eat it plain.

Boiled , spiced up , poked, then seasoned, then you bake, well done with no veins.

Boiled steak??? You might as well sign off now. WTF?! lol

Well, I can't say I know anything about Capo_Bastone's personal history, but I will say that boiled beef (and its many variations) has been a staple of UK cooking since way before we were glimmers in our parents' eyes.

Signor V.

UK might as well disappear like the Olympics, if that's the case!! lol

(Tho that's a bit unfair, cuz the UK Olympics were awesome!)

Boiled steak goes well with a side of hot buttery tangle guts... eh, Miggy?!

Boiled steak... seriously? Is that taking a T-Bone or Porterhouse (best steak ever) and plopping it in a pot of boiling water??! Nothing tender will ever come from that... Ever hear of a grill?!!

Many bbq champions from the south boil their ribs before puting them on the grill, say is loosens the meat from the bone.

On topic though:marinated in dales and italian dressing cooked medium but if you.cant do that salt pepper and a1 will do fine.

I don't consider ribs as "steak"... and many more BBQ champions would argue that boiled ribs that "fall of the bone" are a cheap, quick shortcut to actual BBQ. I kinda disagree, because I LOVE fall-off-the-bone ribs, tho. But I gotta say real grillmasters do NOT do ribs like that.

Different folks different strokes, either way i love ribs and steak(and my pasta) lol i dont think ive ever had boiled ribs(maybe at a rib contest) and i doubt i have eve had boioed steak unless tthey did it at a steakhouse

The reason that many parboil their ribs is so that they don't burn them on the grill. Many people are overly worried about their pork not being cooked through and through before it starts to char on the grill. However, if you are patient, turn it frequently and cook it on a low enough flame, you'll be fine.

Steak on barbecue,medium rare and boiled or baked potato with tartare sauce on it...i know i gotta say "and a glass of wine",but i like a good ol glass of Jack Daniels with it

medium

Cowboy Style: Charred black on the outside, red on the inside. Hot, hot pan & flip it quick.

this has gotta be my new favorite way to cook them. recently when i was helping a friend move, we discovered an old, rusted cast iron skillet. this thing was old, real thick and heavy. i brought it home, scrubbed all the rust off, and re-seasoned it. good as new. these things are great as they really hold the heat, the only drawback is they really cause alot of smoke so from now on i use it outside only. great for burgers as well.

This sounds quite interesting. After reading these posts, I remembered I have a cast iron fry pan in one of the cupboards. Might be time to finally use it! I also have some boneless eye of round steaks in the freezer. A little salt and fresh ground black pepper, and I'll be all set.

I think I know what dinner will be tomorrow night.

Of course, there are always those who do not like, in any form, stake...



Halloween. Just love it!


Signor V.

Medium to well done does it for me..

Rare to medium rare with salt and pepper. I like mine charred on the outside as well.