People have always debated what is the best way to cook steak, and there doesn’t seem to be a definitive answer. Some people swear by fully cooking it while others see this as sacrilegious. Steak isn’t the same as chicken or pork where most of the bacteria live on the outside rather than the entirety of the piece of meat. However, there are still some grounds for what people see as an acceptable way to cook steak.

Cooking it well done has always been controversial. While it’s nice to know that whatever you’re eating is “safe”, some people see this as the absolute worse way to cook steak. This is because of how tough steak can be, especially cuts that don’t have a lot of fat. While it might be good to have slices of this style in soup, eating the meat as it is can be pretty tough. People like to compare eating well-done steak to eating leather. If an expensive cut like wagyu gets cooked like this, people will see it as grounds for violence. However, at least these more tender cuts of beef don’t suffer the same issues as cheaper cuts. They’ll even make jokes such as the person still chewing the steak the next day.

(stu_spivack / Flickr)

Next is medium well. This is a little more tolerable than well-done but can still be pretty chewy. However, it is a good stepping stone for anyone who doesn’t want to cook their steak well done. I thought this would be the style for me since I was scared of having a steak that was “undercooked.” This is the type I prefer if I know I’m not going to eat the meat as is. I like to put these cuts in things like instant noodles. This is also the result of me reheating leftover steak since it’s hard to keep it the way it was originally cooked without eating it cold.https://flic.kr/p/6ygh8o

(Alpha / Flickr)

Medium is where a lot of people would be comfortable. People can chew it pretty fast but it’s not as tender as it should be. People will often cook it this way as a means to feel safe without losing some of the tenderness. This is the way my parents [refer since they grew up eating their meat well done due to safety concerns their parents had back in the day.

 (Ryosuke Hosoi / Flickr)

Now we have medium rare. This is what people see as perfection. The right amount of pink or red on the inside, while still looking pretty cooked on the outside. The amount of red is enough for people to want to try something less cooked than usual but not enough that it looks like raw beef. Generally, you want the internal temperature to be around 130 to 145 degrees. Personally, I like mine to be on the lower side at 130 degrees or to the point where it’s almost rare. Most people have found this to be the most tender steak they ever had, but only because they have yet to try anything rare.

(Alpha / Flickr)

Rare is where people might be turned off. To them, they see it as completely raw and inedible. The internal temperature for rare should be around 125 to 130. This is around the area I like my steak to be in. I first tried this when I was given a steak that was cooked less than medium rare. I was already curious to taste it so I decided to not send it back. I was met with perfection. The feeling made me picture waterfalls in my mouth. The only time where I didn’t like it was when I tried prime rib. For some reason, I was expecting the perfect amount of tenderness. While it was a lot more tender than most steak out there, it felt a bit squishy for my liking. I was not getting the hype it got from people who enjoy it.

(snowpea&bokchoi / Flickr)

Blue is probably the most dangerous way to have steak cooked. The inside is basically raw while the outside (including the edges) is cooked. I sometimes like it this way but sometimes it makes me concerned. Because the bacteria only live on the outside, this makes blue steak safe to eat.

People will go even more extreme than blue and will just eat the meat completely raw. It doesn’t even get a name for this one. This is the basis for steak tartare, where raw ground beef is shaped along with adding ingredients such as mushrooms, onions, and pepper, along with topping it off with a raw egg yolk. This is the type I would never let near my mouth, which might be hypocritical since I’m not opposed to having rare or even blue steak. There are health concerns when it comes to completely raw beef as raw meat can have parasites. Because of this, people with health issues and pregnant women aren’t advised to eat steak tartare in any capacity. If people do find this safe, maybe I’ll try it one day but that’s still unlikely unless I’m forced to.

(Stewart Holmes / Flickr)

People will always debate what is the best way to cook steak. Well done might be the safest but it will generally be the chewiest of all the cooking methods. Medium well might be a good stepping stone into not eating it well done but might still be a bit too leathery for enthusiasts. Medium is at least acceptable to me but not to others. Medium rare is where it’s at for most people. It’s red enough to be attractive to people but not enough that people will think it’s raw. Rare is for the enthusiasts but not for the people who aren’t into steak. Blue is for those who are crazy enough to risk their health for the ultimate tenderness. While different cuts of steak can also affect how tender a steak is, people will still see these cooking methods as universal across all cuts. Regardless of how you like your steak, you will still be enjoying a piece of meat people have eaten throughout history.