The One Steak Cut Anthony Bourdain Couldn't Stand
Everyone has their own opinion when it comes to steak. Some like it so rare that it could moo, while others are shunned for their well-done preference. According to Love Food, French culinary school founder and Michelin star recipient Alain Ducasse believes rib eye is the best cut. Cleveland restaurant owner and chef Michael Symon agrees. "[Rib eye is] fatty, tender, and delicious," he explained to Insider. Chef Lidia Bastianich, Eataly co-owner, told the outlet that she prefers a couple of different cuts. "[I use] a prime T-bone steak or Porterhouse that has been aged properly for two to three weeks."
You don't have to be a professional chef to voice your steak preference. A recent consumer study conducted by Meats by Linz uncovered that 61% of Americans enjoy rib eye, 47% love a filet, and 43% love T-bones. The least favored is bavette at 5%. As far as cooking preferences go, a study by YouGov revealed that of 1,200 Americans surveyed, 24% prefer well done. Medium rare is right behind it, as it's favored by 23% of respondents. Quite a significant drop, 16% enjoy medium well, while 13% order medium. The least chosen steak temperatures are rare at 11% and blue rare at 2%. As it turns out, late chef Anthony Bourdain had strong steak opinions that may surprise you.
Anthony Bourdain found this cut to be 'boring'
Like any good chef, Anthony Bourdain had a favorite and least favorite cut of steak. According to a YouTube video by Insider Tech, the one type that Bourdain would never order was tenderloin. In general, he believed the inner loin meat was boring. So, what type of steak did Bourdain recommend? Prime rib, or any other piece of meat derived from the animal's rib. In his book "Kitchen Confidential," he said that asking for a piece of meat cooked well done is like asking to "kill it" and even said a steak cooked that way could be finished in the microwave.
Per Cattlemen's Steakhouse, tenderloin gets its unpopularity from the absence of intramuscular marbling. Apparently, this is what gives the steak a rich flavor, so tenderloin can be seriously lacking. Those looking for a tender cut of meat are in the right place, however. After all, it's in the name.