Did you grow up in a Well Done Steak household? Did you break the curse, or continue it?

[entremet]

Obviously, the tenor of the topic is light. If you enjoy well done steaks, my power to you. Or if you don't eat red meat at all.

I definitely grew up a well-done steak household. A lot of my older family members wouldn't tough a medium well steak at all. They basically want that shit burnt to a crisp lol.

I had my mother try medium rare once, she did like it, but she's sticking to well-done. The programming is thorough.

Most of my cousins my age broke the curse, though.

How did a break it? Actually getting into food, reading food publications, eating out, tried it once and never went back.

These days steak is an occasional treat. Maybe once a month. But medium rare all the way when I do make or eat out.

 

[Lemony1984]

We were poor af so never had steak until I was an adult and always get it as rare as they'll let me

 

[Kill3r7]

My parents eat all meat, poultry and seafood well done. It was really easy to break the curse as I started cooking for myself in high school. Rare or medium rare burgers was my gateway.

 

[SFLUFAN]

I refuse to eat meat any other way than well done.

 

[entremet]

We were poor af so never had steak until I was an adult and always get it as rare as they'll let me

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Similar.

We never got stuff like NY Strips or those nice steakhouse cuts. We did get skirt and flank. Which were more affordable.

 

[ConflictResolver]

Medium Rare, Schrodinger's steak.

 

[Hollywood Duo]

So basically I always ordered "medium" for my son when we go out. Now that he's old enough he's still ordering it that way. When I asked him he said I don't know that's just what you told me. Mission accomplished.

 

[Fat4all]

opposite

my mom ate stuff as rare as possible

scared the fuck out of me as a 6 year old

now i kinda get it

 

[entremet]

My parents eat all meat, poultry and seafood well done. It was really easy to break the curse as I started cooking for myself in high school.

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I remember when I learned that you could cook Salmon medium rare. It tasted so much better.

I think we all know of seared Tuna Steaks with the crimson red rare interior as well.

 

[Hours Left]

Thankfully no. My dad was really good at grilling.

 

[GravisMors]

I used to hate steak solely because my parents were a "well done" household. Always felt like you were eating shoe leather with no flavor...awful. Soon as I had a rare/med rare I was changed and now won't ever go near well done anything esp steak.

 

[Shadybiz]

Pretty sure it usually came out to be about "Medium" when my mom cooked it. There was no going back after I had a steak at a nice restaurant, and had it done Medium Rare.

 

[adj_noun]

My dad grew up in a well done environment, so we did too.

As a result I thought steak was terrible. Serving up gray bubblegum on a plate did not tempt the ol' appetite. Chewing endlessly on everlasting gobstoppers of shoe leather misery.

Then the day came I finally had my first medium rare and realized what all the fuss was about.

 

[Moff]

I did and I broke the curse.

But I still prefer my chicken charred

 

[Geg]

Not quite, but my parents both ate them medium well. I always just go with medium if I ever get steaks; I've never tried rarer than that

 

[vypek]

Yeah, my parents always had meat as well done. I ordered medium well one time at a restaurant to try it out, liked it, and then started going for medium.

 

[PlanetSmasher]

Nah. My dad's always been a medium guy as far as steak is concerned and I'm sure I inherited my taste for steak from him.

 

[El_TigroX]

I broke any number of food curses, and this was definitely one of them.

When I was in my EARLY 20s I was in a business dinner at a new job, and I said well done and my boss rebuked me at the table and told me no, medium rare, and to trust him.

And I did trust him, and that was how I learned that I've been eating shoes for my whole life to that point.

 

[Capricorn]

Curse? What curse? I feel blessed because my parents taught me to appreciate a well done steak 😤

I honestly prefer the taste compared to having something medium or rare (which mostly happens by accident or when not given an option), sue me lol

 

[entremet]

Pretty sure it usually came out to be about "Medium" when my mom cooked it. There was no going back after I had a steak at a nice restaurant, and had it done Medium Rare.

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Yep.

One thing to note is that steakhouses do have access to the superior USDA prime cuts (fattier).

They're much harder to get as a regular consumer. You either need to go a very nice butcher or mail order. Some high end supermarkets sometime carry prime.

 

[Professor Fate]

Yeah I never understood why steak was so loved, because growing up my dad would take the steak off the grill and my mom would put it right in the microwave if she saw any pink. I've learned since the joys of a nice medium rare steak.

 

[steejee]

Well past "Well done" into "Hockey puck". Occasionally he either screws up or someone sneaks something off the grill and you get some medium/medium well food

I don't eat meat so doesn't really apply now, but myself and my siblings all broke the curse.

 

[Whitemex]

Grew up in a Mexican household where we ate thin skirt steak which was always well done. It wasn't until I was like 17 until I tried an actual proper steak that was medium and my eyes were opened to a whole new world of flavor

 

[RedVejigante]

We never really had "traditional" steak dinners in my household but my dad loved his breaded fried thinsteaks and I always dreaded those nights as a kid because that shit was like trying to gnaw through shoe rubber.

Grew up in a Mexican household where we ate thin skirt steak which was always well done. It wasn't until I was like 17 until I tried an actual proper steak that was medium and my eyes were opened to a while new world of flavor

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This, basically.

 

[Spork4000]

I broke the curse

 

[Kevers]

No I grew up in a Cubed Steak house. Must be lucky getting real steak.

 

[Rytheran]

Yeah, my mom always cooked steaks well done, though my dad took his medium, so I did know other ways existed. As a kid I visited a relative who literally forced me to get a rare steak at a restaurant one time and I wasn't really a fan.

At the end of the day I'm just just a fan of steaks in general, even though by now I've tried them from well done to rare. Ingredient in a meal? Great. Big slab alone? Eh.

 

[Casualcore]

Steaks weren't a generational problem but I'm so glad I don't cook the shit out of my chicken and pork like mom did. She wasn't suited for anything harder than a frozen Stouffers tray.

 

[Dache]

My mum always went on about "I don't like the blood!!" and I just went with it while growing up. Then I worked out she was wrong. Medium-rare to medium all the way now. Curse broken.

 

[Tbm24]

We didn't regularly eat the type of steak cut where this matters imo. Thin skirt steak and cubed steak were the Latin go to. Saved our time and energy when it was time for a Pork Roast.

That said the times my dad would have a steak he was real particular about it and by extension so did I spending multiple summers at my grandfather's farm watching them.

 

[Jedi2016]

Hell no, my dad knew how to cook.

 

[J_ToSaveTheDay]

My parents lacked culinary confidence to cook steak any less than well done at home, but did order it medium or medium-well when eating out.

So did grow up in a well-done household but never felt cursed to only having it that way. I personally order medium any time I'm out, but I just never actually cook any steak at home.

 

[Dasnap]

I'm a medium boy, so I'm hated by everyone.

 

[DirtyLarry]

I absolutely did.
I for sure broke the curse.

 

[Peru]

Internet's obsession with rare steak is about as interesting as its "bacon everything" phase.

 

[vainya]

We rarely had steak and when we did, it was the thin steaks you buy at the grocery store or cubed steak. That was always well done.

When I started cooking my own actual thicker steaks, they would come out medium and tasted much better. So I try to make them medium, but most of the time I have to make them well done ( just as the last bit of pink is disappearing to keep it juicy) because my husband only eats well done steak.

 

[tomakasatnav]

Yep, and I hated it. Then I started having an urge to eat steak, had medium rare and never looked back.

 

[jman2050]

I did, and not only did I break the curse but my parents eventually saw the light as well. Only properly cooked steaks in this family nowadays!

 

[Mupod]

Yes and no. My dad likes steak rare, but my mom and sisters are definitely the well done type. It was always too much work to cook for an army and try to keep individual preferences straight so he'd just do everything well done. One too many instances of one of my sisters accidentally ending up with his or my steak and having a freakout over the 'blood'.

Once in a while we'd get actually good steaks, usually when my uncle was over and he'd cook everything properly.

Personally I was always more of a medium rare type but I will never complain about getting steak. I'm fine with whatever. Obviously at a restaurant I'll order it the way I like it though.

 

[plagiarize]

I broke the curse. Although I think there are still some cuts where rare isn't the best result. But well done? Never.

 

[Japanmanx3]

I did but I broke the curse. Medium is the way to go!

 

[ArgyleReptile]

I did and I broke the curse. My mom, who was the main reason I stuck with well done, gets medium or medium rare as well now.

Fairly certain it was this community that led to me giving it a try

 

[Lucreto]

Well done and I will continue to do so.

It's one of the many atrocities I do cooking steak

 

[Ferrio]

The opposite, as a child I insisted on well done and my parents would give me all sorts of hell that I was ruining the steak. (Child of the 80s)

 

[HeySeuss]

My parents were boomer generation that grew up having much different meat sanitization standards and everything had to be cooked completely otherwise you could get sick. I broke the trend and it's only medium rare for me. That revelation happened when I worked for a restaurant at 16 and was introduced to the proper way to cook steak.

Pork was the same way. Blew my mind that pork chops were ok to eat medium or so and didn't have to be a dry slab of tough meat after you cook them.

 

[brain_]

My mom and dad did every single steak well done. I found out in my early 20s that was why I 'didn't like steak' because my ex's dad looked at me like I had 2 heads when I asked why it was still so red. Now I'm a medium steak person.

 

[BRsomebody]

My parents are Medium Well steak people but I started getting Medium or Medium Rare (depending on the cut) whenever we'd eat out for special occasions or whatever and never really looked back.
Burgers I think should be medium or medium well though, honestly. I don't like burgers being really messy and juicy because then the buns get soggy and annoying to grab. My boyfriend always makes them rare and I'll still eat them but it's not my preferred experience

 

[Thorrgal]

Curse? What curse? I feel blessed because my parents taught me to appreciate a well done steak 😤

I honestly prefer the taste compared to having something medium or rare (which mostly happens by accident or when not given an option), sue me lol

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You can't sue someone for having bad taste ;)

 

[PunishedPrince]

We always ate well done because that's what my dad got. Eventually I heard, probably on Reddit, that well done was the worst way to eat steak. So one time at a restaurant I ordered medium instead and my little brother copied me as he always does. Soon after my mom switched and then we made fun of my dad until he caved too. He'll still only go as low as medium well though.

 

[dphrygian]

I don't remember ever eating steak as a kid. When I was probably 19 or 20, my girlfriend's family took me to a steakhouse and I think I ordered something medium well or well done, because I just didn't know any better. I wondered for years after that why anyone liked steak.