The Off Topic Topic

[The Larch]

Seems I side with the majority of America in this. I'm a Medium-Rare person regarding steaks. No blood, no fun.

It is the proper way. Only Medium could be acceptable as an alternative.

[alfred russel]

I think it depends on the cut of meat. For a tougher cut of meat like a sirloin, I would go with medium or even medium well (I'd never order medium well, because everything tends to get overcooked, but I wouldn't mind if it came that way). For most other more tender cuts (ribeye, ny strip, filet), I'd go with medium rare.

[Barrister]

I think it depends on the cut of meat. For a tougher cut of meat like a sirloin, I would go with medium or even medium well (I'd never order medium well, because everything tends to get overcooked, but I wouldn't mind if it came that way). For most other more tender cuts (ribeye, ny strip, filet), I'd go with medium rare.

I tend to order medium-rare because most places tend to overcook - the medium-rare comes out as medium, which is how I would prefer it.  All things being equal I prefer a true medium.

[CountDeMoney]

Some places will only cook to medium for safety reasons.  Thanks, lawyers.

[Capetan Mihali]

I've learned to like rare-ish steak, but I are pretty well-done meat (of all varieties) growing up, and my folks ordered "medium-well" on the rare occasion we went out to a restaurant where they ordered steak. 

It might be a cultural/generational thing: my grandfather loved steak, but wanted it burnt to a crisp and doused in tablespoons of salt.

[CountDeMoney]

It might be a cultural/generational thing: my grandfather loved steak, but wanted it burnt to a crisp and doused in tablespoons of salt.

My mother, whose combination of registered nurse and anxiety closet vault generated nothing but irrational fear when it came to food safety, used to cook steaks like that.  I mean, certain cuts like a strip can handle being crispy-crunchy, especially on the grill.  Now, would I abuse a Delmonico that way?  Hell no.  But well-well-well-done isn't bad.

Same with chicken.  My sister and I grew up learning to cook chicken until it's a hockey puck, zomg teh salmonella.  Should've seen the look on my brother-in-law's face the first time she cooked a chicken breast for him, shrunk it to the size of a silver dollar.  The horror.

Even now, whenever I cook chicken, whatever the recipe calls for on baking time I add 30 minutes.  Moist chicken makes me feel anxious.  #WayToGoMom

[Capetan Mihali]

  God, we had the same "undercooked" paranoia at meals.  My dad's mother was a nurse, maybe that's where it came from, because he was the most adamant, but we all got in on it. 

Dozens of dinners where my one of us would cut into the chicken breast or pork chop (or even fish), stare at its coloration for several ominous seconds before uttering those words... "Do you think this is done enough?"

Then we'd all analyze our meat, worried that we'd missed some tell-tale sign of undercookedness and already contracted something horrible, argue about it back and forth, pass each other our plates for a second opinion...  Quite often, even when it was "probably" fine, the solution was just take them all off the plates and throw them back into the oven for another few minutes.

But hey, at least it took my dad's dinner-table attention away from reading the newspaper for a little while.

[MadImmortalMan]

The FDA had us paranoid about pork for decades, but not many people realize that since 2004 the standards for cooking a pork chop are the same as a steak.

[Josquius]

How unexpected. I woke up to a mid march snow storm.
This winter there were only 2 days of snow (plus maybe 5 days with little snow showers)

[Liep]

That's right, Switzerland, fuck off from our throne!

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/03/16/travel/worlds-happiest-countries-united-nations/index.html

[CountDeMoney]

While my luxuriously thick mane of hair in all its voluminous body and bounce is still the focal point of all jealousy and rage against me, I have been coming in consistently salt and pepper gray as I get older;  however, in recent weeks, I've noticed that I am developing a Sweeney Todd/Bride of Frankenstein racing stripe on the top. 

Very disconcerting.

[lustindarkness]

I grilled some sirloin steaks yesterday, perfectly medium rare with perfect grill marks. No one had the shits or blowing chunks this morning, so I guess I did not poison my family with undercooked steaks. 

[lustindarkness]

While my luxuriously thick mane of hair in all its voluminous body and bounce is still the focal point of all jealousy and rage against me, I have been coming in consistently salt and pepper gray as I get older;  however, in recent weeks, I've noticed that I am developing a Sweeney Todd/Bride of Frankenstein racing stripe on the top. 

Very disconcerting.

Can you guarantee the closest shave I'll ever know?

[Zanza]

For the first time since 1961, France wasn't Germany's biggest trade partner in 2015. The biggest trade partner now is the United States. That's why German politicians are very interested in having some progress on TTIP under Obama.

[Norgy]

For the first time since 1961, France wasn't Germany's biggest trade partner in 2015. The biggest trade partner now is the United States. That's why German politicians are very interested in having some progress on TTIP under Obama.

If that deal's passed, we're going to have huge problems here.

Behring Breivik is in court again, having sued the Norwegian state.
One particular thing made me laugh out loud when he was reading his verbose tripe. "Anyone in Oslo West would agree that TV dinners are worse than waterboarding".