by Viktoria Carrella

Created on: May 20, 2007   Last Updated: May 21, 2007

How can you order a steak like an expert? First you must know what the lingo of steak temperatures and what they really mean. Armed with the knowledge of what your asking for will make it much easier to order what you want and not what your used to ordering.

Rare
Rare is a cold red to red blue center with just a bit of browning of the outside of the steak. This is the lowest temperature you can order your steak at. Many people like their prime rib at this temperature. The steak will require more chewing because it is very raw.

Medium Rare
Medium rare is a cool center (but warmer center than rare) with more browning on the outside. When steak is cooked at this temperature you will find you have a lot of red juices on your plate afterwards but the steak itself is very juicy and flavorful. I suggest this temperature for the ribeye steak or for prime rib.

Medium
Medium is the middle of the road. Your steak will have a warm red pink center and be brown on the outside and about half way through the steak will also be brown. This is personally my favorite way to cook a steak as it is warm though out but not dry or burnt. It still contains a lot of juices and flavor. I suggest this temperature for the ribeye, t-bone, or the new york strip.

Medium Well
Medium well will arrive at your table with a thin line of pink in the center of the steak with the rest being throughly cooked. This steak will not be as juicy as some of the lesser cooked temperatures. You will find this steak will be more chewy. My tip to you on this temperature is if you like your steak at medium well order your steak just once at medium and see the difference. You may just enjoy it much better. For this temperature I suggest ordering a thinker steak if your looking for a juicy steak. The steaks I would suggest would be ribeye, or the new york strip. Both should be thicker cuts and will stay juicy even at this temperature. I do not suggest cooking a sirloin at this temperature because it is a lower grade of steak of will dry out quickly.

Well
Ordering your steak at the well temperature will mean your steak will arrive cooked completely through out with no pink inside at all. Be prepared for your steak to not be juicy and it may even be very dry and burnt. If you are searching for a steak to cook at this temperature I would again suggest going with a thicker cut of steak such as a ribeye or a new york strip. I would not suggest a sirloin as it will dry out and resemble the texture of the sole of a shoe. Please remember when ordering your steak at the well temperature that you can not choose a cheap steak such as the sirloin and still have something that is juicy and flavorful. Sirloin is cheap for a reason.

Hopefully this little bit of information can help you when ordering your steak. I used to be the person who only ordered their steak well done so don't feel like you are alone. If you actually like your steak cooked well done try just once ordering it at medium well and see the difference not only in the juiciness but also in the flavor. You might just enjoy it and if not you can always asked the chef to cook it a bit more.

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