Well done steaks, less protien than medium and rare steaks?

SultanAlush
SultanAlush Posts: 39 Member
in Food and Nutrition
hello everybody,
i had an argument with my friend, and he claimed that protein is destroyed in well done steaks, and that they have less protein & vitamins, so is that true? much appreciated

Replies

  • 777Gemma888
    777Gemma888 Posts: 9,578 Member
    hello everybody,
    i had an argument with my friend, and he claimed that protein is destroyed in well done steaks, and that they have less protein & vitamins, so is that true? much appreciated

    The belief surrounding that is that if steak is cooked above 125F - protein breaks down and becomes negligible. On a parallel, some believe that cooking it longer than 20 mins destroys all its nutrients - I immediately think- stir fry. lol

    Personally, I like my steak on the medium rare side and rare/blue rare(depending on the type of steak). Rare and blue rare - safe zones of proteins@115-120F and medium rare - oOoops missed the cut by 1F;)
  • rosered93
    rosered93 Posts: 69 Member
    No, this is not true. You will lose water (as it evaporates), maybe some fat (if it melts away from the meat), but the protein isn't going anywhere. The heat causes the molecules to change configuration, hence why the texture changes.
    Nor is the protein no longer worth eating--the amino acids and energy, what you're actually eating the protein for, is all still there. Your body will digest it and take up the nutrients just fine--our bodies are well equipped with myriad enzymes to take care of this.
  • abetterluke
    abetterluke Posts: 625 Member
    I think the real question you should be asking is "why would someone eat a steak well done?"
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,268 Member
    No, this is not true. You will lose water (as it evaporates), maybe some fat (if it melts away from the meat), but the protein isn't going anywhere. The heat causes the molecules to change configuration, hence why the texture changes.
    Nor is the protein no longer worth eating--the amino acids and energy, what you're actually eating the protein for, is all still there. Your body will digest it and take up the nutrients just fine--our bodies are well equipped with myriad enzymes to take care of this.
    This, with the exception of any actual burnt (carbon) areas, which can happen with any doneness.
  • NaurielR
    NaurielR Posts: 426 Member
    I think the real question you should be asking is "why would someone eat a steak well done?"

    This!!!

    But to answer your question: there may be some merit to this. The reddish liquid that seeps out of red meat is not blood, but is basically protein water. More of this liquid seeps out of a well done steak than a medium rare steak. However, I don't know the amount of protein this liquid contains. Since its so watery, I think the difference, if any, would be negligible.
  • rosered93
    rosered93 Posts: 69 Member
    No, this is not true. You will lose water (as it evaporates), maybe some fat (if it melts away from the meat), but the protein isn't going anywhere. The heat causes the molecules to change configuration, hence why the texture changes.
    Nor is the protein no longer worth eating--the amino acids and energy, what you're actually eating the protein for, is all still there. Your body will digest it and take up the nutrients just fine--our bodies are well equipped with myriad enzymes to take care of this.
    This, with the exception of any actual burnt (carbon) areas, which can happen with any doneness.

    Just out of curiosity, can you elaborate on this?
  • MiamiKid305
    MiamiKid305 Posts: 357
    this is true to a certain extent, if you burn your steak then yeah your gonna lose the nutritional value.. same goes with eggs, fish, vegetables etc. anyways, why are you having well done steak? thats a waste! rare is the way to go!
  • JustMQ
    JustMQ Posts: 63 Member
    hello everybody,
    i had an argument with my friend, and he claimed that protein is destroyed in well done steaks, and that they have less protein & vitamins, so is that true? much appreciated
    Sooo, if protein is destroyed when meat is cooked, should we eat our chicken rare too?? This seems silly.
  • MiamiKid305
    MiamiKid305 Posts: 357
    hello everybody,
    i had an argument with my friend, and he claimed that protein is destroyed in well done steaks, and that they have less protein & vitamins, so is that true? much appreciated
    Sooo, if protein is destroyed when meat is cooked, should we eat our chicken rare too?? This seems silly.

    dont overcook your chicken.... very simple
  • JustMQ
    JustMQ Posts: 63 Member
    No, this is not true. You will lose water (as it evaporates), maybe some fat (if it melts away from the meat), but the protein isn't going anywhere. The heat causes the molecules to change configuration, hence why the texture changes.
    Nor is the protein no longer worth eating--the amino acids and energy, what you're actually eating the protein for, is all still there. Your body will digest it and take up the nutrients just fine--our bodies are well equipped with myriad enzymes to take care of this.

    ^ This makes sense. It shouldn't matter how you cook your meat. Eat it the way you like... Very simple :wink:
  • abetterluke
    abetterluke Posts: 625 Member
    hello everybody,
    i had an argument with my friend, and he claimed that protein is destroyed in well done steaks, and that they have less protein & vitamins, so is that true? much appreciated
    Sooo, if protein is destroyed when meat is cooked, should we eat our chicken rare too?? This seems silly.

    We have to cook our chicken beyond rare because of the risk of salmonella. As the guy above said...don't overcook your chicken. Applying extreme heat to anything is going to destroy some of it's nutrition. The actual amount however is debatable and the difference may be negligible so really...does it matter?
  • Lyadeia
    Lyadeia Posts: 4,603 Member
    Sorry, I don't have links, but I read recently that the breakdown of proteins through cooking is so negligible that it doesn't matter. Also, just because they are broken down into amino acids doesn't mean we don't use them anymore. They are still digested and put together in our bodies in the sequences that we need to be in (we break down proteins into the amino acids during digestion anyway before they are put back the way our body needs them).

    I was actually reading about this not because of steaks (which I eat medium anyway) but because of the debate about cooking protein powder. The answer is still the same. Just don't overcook it or it tastes terrible, lol.
  • JustMQ
    JustMQ Posts: 63 Member
    hello everybody,
    i had an argument with my friend, and he claimed that protein is destroyed in well done steaks, and that they have less protein & vitamins, so is that true? much appreciated
    Sooo, if protein is destroyed when meat is cooked, should we eat our chicken rare too?? This seems silly.

    We have to cook our chicken beyond rare because of the risk of salmonella. As the guy above said...don't overcook your chicken. Applying extreme heat to anything is going to destroy some of it's nutrition. The actual amount however is debatable and the difference may be negligible so really...does it matter?

    No, it doesn't. That's my point. Eat it the way you like.
  • SultanAlush
    SultanAlush Posts: 39 Member
    I got my answer, thank you all very much
  • pennydreadful270
    pennydreadful270 Posts: 266 Member
    red stuff that comes out of a steak - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myoglobin

    Maybe loses a little iron. But if you're like me you don't pour away any steak juice from the pan, but add in some onions and red wine and pour that liquor right back on there. Mmm.

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