The Problem Some TikTok Users Have With How Wolfgang Puck Likes His Steak

"This is how I like it," Wolfgang Puck wrote in the description of a TikTok video showing the world the steak he just cooked. It should be an uncontroversial statement. But the image of him cutting into the steak and displaying the meat's purple center apparently inspired such strong emotions in some of the 420K people who watched that they had to comment. Perhaps it was the floating text that read "Is this cooked enough for you?" that did it.

"[Excrementum's] not even dead yet, like it's a little undercooked," one commented. Another in a pseudo-Gordon Ramsay manner claimed, "It's still mooing." A third simply exclaimed, "Bro that's RAW!"

These protestations against Wolfgang Puck's preference for a less cooked steak did appear to form the minority, however. Many contented themselves with short affirmations like "Absolutely!" Others stated that they preferred their meat more cooked, but were not against the entire concept of rarer meat. "But everyone should [like] it as they like it," one concluded.

The comments on the video highlight a fact that many know anecdotally: People really like their steak done to at least medium-rare with more wanting medium proper. In 2017, FiveThirtyEight reported on data shared by LongHorn Steakhouse on how their customers asked their steaks to be prepared. Only 2.5% asked for rare. Another 22.5% went for medium-rare while 37.5% ordered medium. Medium-well steak accounted for 25.8% of orders while the last 11.7% went to well done. The percentages change when you look at the different cuts of meat, but the trend remained essentially the same. Most people wanted medium, and next to no one wanted rare.

When one person asked Reddit why preferences skew this way, people responded by saying that they prefer the chewier texture, they trust the health standards of well done, and they don't like the juices that come out of the meat because it looks too freshly slaughtered. In essence, it's the same issues as the ones raised by the comment "[Excrementum]'s not even dead yet, like it's a little undercooked."

Some chefs, however, lean more towards the rarer end of the spectrum. Talking to Business Insider, chef Wade Wiestling of Mastro's Steakhouse explained you should go for medium-rare: "If you cook it all out, you have a less tasty and dryer steak." So perhaps it shouldn't surprise that there was some divide between Wolfgang Puck's preference and that of some commenters.