Do Americans eat rare meat?

[MonstranceClock]

I was watching a "food porn" video on facebook of a very lovely looking steak cooked medium rare, it wasn't even that pink. All the comments on the video from the Americans were going on about food poisoning and how disgusting it was to have blood in meat and that a restaurant serving that would be shut down where they live. I've lived in a few countries and steak has always been served rare, but have never been to America. Any Americans here who can share thoughts on this? It got me wondering. In Japan I've eaten beef raw many times.

It's really a range of personal preferences. I like medium, my MIL would prefer to hear it go "Moo" when she sticks her fork in. Restaurants will prepare it anyway you like.

Ground beef, for safely reasons, has to be cooked to 155 F I think.

When meat is cut any bacteria from processing resides on the surface, so a steak is safe with minimal cooking. Beef that is ground after cooking could have bacteria anywhere in it so must be cooked throughout.

When I'm with my US family in N.C.we visit one of our fave restaurants in Asheville...the steak tartare is, well, to die((?) for
Anywhere we go a rare steak is beautifully bloody too.
I seldom eat steak at all, but really can't resist the steak tartare, si I'd be calling your fb friends out on that one. There again, we're foodies...

Yes, of course, though my American relatives eat all meat cooked well done. It's like eating the sole of a boot. But that's because they're not foodies, don't really have an appreciation for food, and don't live on the edge very often. It's not because they're American though. I've had plenty a nice steak in America (and plenty of overcooked ones here too).

I've been watching My Kitchen Rules (Oz) and they are obsessed with rare meat on there; the contestants lose points if they serve meat or fish that isn't oozing!

Katinski I only realised fairly recently what steak tartare is, what the hell?! 😯

America’s a big old place.

I’ve regularly been asked how I like my burger cooked, they will do you a rare burger if you want it that way.

I've been to restaurants in California where they won't cook it beyond medium rare whatever you want!

We always have our steak rare when eating out. Usually burgers too but sometimes they will only go to medium.

The first time I ever had a burger pink on the inside was in the US. I find it hard to get someone over here to cook a burger medium - they all seem to think crumbly grey patty constitutes a burger.

I think more Americans like well done than here but I always ask for medium rare when I’m over there and nobody starts twitching.

I had the most amazing bloody steak the other day in a local American restaurant, yet the night before at a different restaurant my 'medium rare please' steak was cooked to leathery consistency.

I probably eat too much steak, huh?

But given the appalling state of the USDA and regulation of food in the US I do feel I'm taking my life in my own hands each time I eat undercooked food.

Yes, steak is served rare and properly cooked all the time in the US. I’ve been having a hard time getting a properly cooked rare steak in the U.K. lately. It seems like lots of restaurants are doing sous vide which is fine but then they don’t properly sear the meat at all. So I end up getting this weird vaguely warm brownish grey undercooked slab of meat. And sometimes it’s actually cooked medium because they’ve left it in the sous vide/warm jus bath too long. It’s not palatable at all.

Most people I know like their meat pretty rare.

DH always asks for his to be 'just shown to the pan'.

There's a couple of restaurants near me that go really cats bum face if you order even medium. They prefer to serve it rare.

Americans eat steak in all states of done-ness according to personal preference. Texans have been known to ask the chef to “cut its horns off, wipe its ass and put it on my plate”.

Yes, they do. It's common for menus to have a disclaimer on them about how eating undercooked meat can increase the risk of foodborne illnesses though.

There’s usually a disclaimer on the menu on the lines of consuming raw or undercooked meats, shellfish etc may increase your risk of illness but other than that you’re free to have your steak cooked to your personal preference. The Facebook commenters sound like weirdos who don’t get out much.

I've been to restaurants in California where they won't cook it beyond medium rare whatever you want!

This is purely economic. If they under cook a steak and you send it back they just put it back under the broiler for a few minutes. If they over cook it and you send it back they have to bin it as start again and they've just lost $10 or so on your meal.

I usually ask for medium well and if I'm lucky, I get medium instead of rare.

I don't know about steak but I do know that Americans seem to freak the fuck out about unpaturised and raw eggs! mmm I'm thinking about rare steak now...

Unlike the UK chickens aren’t all vaccinated against salmonella so raw eggs are a lot riskier here and are still considered a no-no if pregnant.

I'm a member of a FB group with predominantly American members. So often I read posts where they throw things away for reasons we generally wouldn't in the UK. There are rules the USFDA has that we don't and also there is more of an eating out/ordering in culture in lots of places which means cooking skills are perhaps lacking. A lot of the questions in the group are due to people not knowing how to cook/having much experience.

expressedways that explains a lot! Interesting nugget of info!

I was in a restaurant in Belgium once, when an American on the next table asked for her beef carpaccio to be grilled, so it takes all sorts!

Goodness.

The United States is a big place with millions of people with differing palates and differing food preferences.

I am Texan where we have many steak restaurants and I prefer my steak medium.
My sister eats hers so well-done that it's practically burnt.
My friend simply introduces the steak to a grill and he eats it so rare is slightly over cooked for him.

I never have trouble getting meat cooked to order here.
However, whenever I go to England, I have been told in several establishments that beef must be cooked closer to medium-well or well-done.
Btw, my FIL from northern England only eats his steak super well-done as my BIL.
Y'all have different preferences too...