Is there a new law in the UK that restaurants are not allowed to cook a steak blue anymore?

Question

I went into Wetherspoons tonight after a good workout for a steak and bear. When I asked for my steak to be cooked blue, I was flatly refused. I was told it is now illegal for a restaurant to cook my steak blue because I might get food poisoning!!!!

What?

Beef is one of the safest meats on the market!

Does anyone know if this is actually true or is it just Wetherspoons that are refusing and if so, do you know of any links to such news?

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Steak is one of the foods that a 'blind eye' is turned to in the food regulations.

ANY other undercooked meat is instantly a health risk in the eyes of Health & Safety / Food Hygiene Standards but ONLY because of public demand is Steak allowed to be sold from Blue to Well Done although it contravenes food prep laws (technically) to serve it 'bloody'.

Me, I like my steaks medium rare to just rare depending on the cut.

The restaurant MAY just be doing a bit of ***-covering as it is impossible to serve a blue steak that meets the 60degrees celcius all the way through guidelines and will not wish to risk a possible health risk from surface bacteria.

Answer 2

trouble is that to cook a steak blue the chef has to look for a good bit of steak....ask for it well done and they can give you any old piece of sh#t. No profit in buying the best!!!

Answer 3

I've never heard of that.

My boyfriend's a head chef, and he sometimes cooks steak blue if it's asked for.

Answer 4

It's not illegal at all, but a lot of restaurants are scared that if they do your steak rare and you get ill, you'll sue them.

I had a steak in TGI Fridays a couple of nights ago and they were happy to send it to me very, very blue, as I like it.

Answer 5

Wow!! Thats a new one on me!! I love my steak blue. I live in Cyprus, and have never yet found anyone here to cook it properly, and was looking forward to a 'blue steak' when I come to the U.K. next month!! I hope this isn't true!!

Answer 6

IF YOU had asked for a "minute" you would have got it.

the chances are the staff had never heard of a "blue "steak.

Answer 7

It's just another example of Health and Safety and our litigious culture gone mad. In a solid piece of meat - steak or whatever it is the surface of that meat that carries the risk of contamination not the interior. Meat is carefully inspected at the abattoir by environmental health officers and vets to ensure it is safe to eat but inevitably the outside of each cut piece will be contaminated to some degree. Cooking a steak blue seals the outside and renders it safe.

I like my steak cooked this way and have come across this problem too - I can only assume that these premises are concerned about the quality of their meat and the way that it has been stored and consequently I wonder what else they are getting up to in their kitchens!

I regularly eat steak tartare when on holiday in France which is raw minced steak - again it is the freshness and quality of the meat which has meant I have never had a problem with this (or the raw egg it is served with).

I would suggest that you should find somewhere that has enough faith in their chef and raw materials to provide you with what you want and then maybe these other 'boil in the bag' restaurants will get the message!

Answer 8

Mad cow disease springs to mind when you asked this question.Britain has been experiencing a problem with

this disease for the last few years on and off.It`s called

CJD and could kill you.I would think that the restaurant

that served you were just being careful.You should be

thankful of their service.

Answer 9

Its not illegal.

I would think it is probably more likely they do not trust there kitchen procedures enough, ie cross contamination from dirty knives or chopping boards, as beef is very safe.

(or its out of date and they need to nuke that little ba****d)

Answer 10

A Blue Steak is basically seared on a very hot plate on each side to seal in the juices and then served.

It's virtually raw.

I have heard the health and safety thing quoted a number of times but all the research shows that what matters is the cleanliness of the kitchen not the cooking t ime.

I believe the Health and Safety thing was a newspaper article complaining that new EU regulations were going to mean rare steaks would be illegal.

What the regulations state is that "Cooking in all parts of the food must be sufficient to kill any pathogenic bacteria that might be present" .

In the case of a burger where the mince has been handled there could be a case for refusing to serve it rare, but steak only has bacteria on the outside which are killed in the searing process.

sadly a lot of people believe everything they read and hence what starts out as a bit of sensationalism suddenly becomes accepted as true

Answer 11

there is no such law, it is just a corporation running scared of the compensation culture that is breeding faster than an e. coli bacillus

Answer 12

not sure what you mean by a blue steak , could it mean rare . and yes beef is a very safe food to consume , but if a possible problem has arision then maybe it needs to be cooked longer

Answer 13

what did the the bear taste like. any good

Answer 14

What does "BLUE" mean?

Answer 15

No it's not illegal, I cook them blue if anyone asks for it. Not many people do though. I think that must just be Weatherspoons covering their backs.