Pink meat

[annierak]

Why do the 'great' chefs insist that we eat our meat, 'pink'?.
Why does it have to be so raw and what about food poisoning?
Or am I missing a point? Cos I like my meat to be cooked.

H

[NoMercy]

I like my meat nice and red/pink all the way through. No point in eating meat if it's been incinerated.

[Mustardmit]

I like a bit of...oh never mind ;-)

[hc4361]

I much prefer most meat to be pink, it is much more tender and flavoursome.
I'm not keen on chewing boot leather.

[Rev Sermon]

I agree with them about meat but I remember seeing one of the tv chef tribe cooking a fried egg. His comment was " you don't want a crispy white and a runny yolk". Well that's exactly how I like mine. Is there such a thing as a Facist Chef?

[Androcles]

Pink Meat is a bit of a generalisation - pink chicken would be definitely dodgy. Basically it is a matter of trying to preserve some liquid in the meat because very well done meat loses most of its juices and can be considered unappetising.

But like all things, each to his taste - if you like it well done, or a BBO, have it that way!

[boxtops]

I like my meat well done (not pink) and I like my eggs as per RevSermon's description! Cooking is cooking, not just showing the food to the heat...

[babybop6379]

I like my steak to be still mooing then passed through a warm kitchen plenty cooked enuff for me!!! :) my daughter eats it the same way and ive even got my other half into it and he used to be quite turned off at the thought of eating it like that till he realised it tastes so much better none of us have ever had food poisoning from it either I find it is just preference x

[webbo3]

I agree annierak, I always ask for my meat to be very very well done, my parents live in France and I have to explain to the waiter when we go out to cook my meat this way otherwise it will come back raw.


Dave.

[Old_Geezer]

Bacteria and viruses are not in the meat itself, but the meat can accumulate them on its surface when exposed to the air. That is why freshly cut meat has only a risk on the surface already exposed before the cut, and why mince has to be cooked thoroughly because it has so many surfaces. So "pink meat" need not be a food poisoning hazard.

As for whether meat if better barely cooked or cooked for ages, that is inevitably a question of taste. IMO too undercooked and it is unpleasantly stringy/chewy, whereas overcooked it has lost taste and texture. There's a huge range of "OK" in between. Personally I'd rather the waiter asked my how I wanted my veg cooked, than my meat. Especially as one restaurant seems to have a different idea of rare/medium/well done than another.

[kev1]

I once got barred from a restaurant because the chef insisted that he wouldn't ruin a perfectly good T bone steak by cooking it more.

When I cut into it there was so much blood it dyed some of my chips pink. Now that is definitely NOT cooked