So true, I rarely eat steaks out as the majority of the time I find the cuts aren't good enough and are difficult to eat, also most chefs seem to struggle to cook it the way I like.

With you on that one!

I'm in Norway just now and tbh I've been pretty much ignored British or not. I've been going out for bike rides in my time off and saying good morning/Good day gets me a look like I've two heads!

I'm with singularity here - I don't give a monkeys what people think of me.

We never eat out due to being a good cook but both do thoroughly enjoy a decent steak. Prize SCOTTISH beef,onions and a creamy peppercorn sauce....oh yes.

And no deep fried mars bars anywhere before anyone pipes up.... 

The main reason I wrote the original post was that it seems strange that Brits are stereotyped into being burnt beef eaters when I know so very few who do this.  It's a throwback to the 1960s.  You'd have thought mainland Europe would have cottoned by now but it shows how long it takes to lose a reputation whereas gaining one is very easy.

I saw those FN interviews too.  Some had moved from far left to far right, which suggests this is not about left or right in politics, it is more about nationalism which if done for the right  (ie national identity, not racism & xenophobia) reasons could be a good thing.  I wonder whether FN supporters follow the same demographics as the BBC recently publicised about the Brexit/Remain voters.

Reminded me of a scene from my favourite show:

I guess there is a lot more variety out there now than there was in the past. My Great Uncle was a traditional meat-and-two-veg guy and wouldn't have contemplate eating some of the foods available today. I remember one particular time when as a family we all met at a Indian Restaurant and he chose Chicken and Chips from the menu because he wouldn't try any of that 'weird' food!

No you can't, but I guess it is their loss, not ours.

I had a very nice piece of steak last night and I'm pleased to report that my plate looked like an episode of Dexter. 

Looks great though.


I've done a bit of investigating and for those that didn't know, the red "juice" from a rare/medium rare/etc. steak isn't blood at all.  That much I knew already, but it turns out that the juices are actually water, sarcoplasm and trace amounts of myoglobin. Myoglobin and sarcoplasm are proteins found in the muscle tissue of almost all mammals. They’re related to haemoglobin, which is the iron and oxygen-binding protein in blood. However, the only time myoglobin is found in the bloodstream is when it is released following a deep muscle injury. The myoglobin is what gives meat its dark red colour.

When dark meat is cooked, the myoglobin’s colour changes depending on what the meat’s interior temperature is. Rare beef is cooked to 140° F, and the myoglobin’s red colour remains unchanged. Above 140° F, myoglobin loses its ability to bind oxygen, and the iron atom at the centre of its molecular structure loses an electron. This process forms a tan-coloured compound called hemichrome, which gives medium-done meat its colour. When the interior of the meat reaches 170° F, hemichrome levels rise, and the myoglobin becomes metmyoglobin, which gives well-done meat its brown-grey shade.

Loosely speaking, if your red meat turns grey you've overcooked it.

There.  Don't you feel better knowing all of that?