# losing my taste for steak



## LGT (Aug 3, 2014)

For about a year now, I just don't enjoy the taste of beef steaks anymore. A ribeye on the grill used to be my favorite, but now after one or two bites, I'm done. I still like seafood and chicken. But beef has just become "blah." Anybody else lost their taste for a food they used to crave?


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## Jumpmaster (Aug 3, 2014)

I eat my steak as rare as possible and I still like it.

Can't stand even medium rare anymore. The taste and texture is completely different from the ultra rare that I prefer.

Might try cooking it a different way. They say everyone's tastes change over time.


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## orbital (Aug 3, 2014)

^

cast iron on a wood fire
..good sea salt & fresh cracked peppercorns
_
the quality of beef is the most important aspect though_


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## ganymede (Aug 3, 2014)

Our taste changes with our age, we are not growing younger.


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## Rono8582 (Aug 3, 2014)

All of our tastes are changing. Chicken 10 years ago isn't what it is today. Gmo in corn and grain are affecting how the final product is when consumed. Sadly, not much we can do about it. 

Try buying a piece of organic grass fed antibiotic free angus beef vs generic?


Sent from my iPhone using Candlepowerforums


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## Norm (Aug 3, 2014)

Go for a trip through South America, the best steaks I've ever eaten in Chile and Argentina. 

Norm


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## jabe1 (Aug 3, 2014)

I don't hear pastries calling my name anymore, not even cheese Danish.


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## f22shift (Aug 4, 2014)

that's a good change for your health, both the reduced red meat and pastries. 

i find that i'm more picky with food/drinks, wanting more higher quality but in smaller portions. i.e. coffee to espresso, steaks cuts, beer to whiskey etc..

i'm definitely thinking more about what i eat as i age, so my tastes change in that respect as i have gotten used to healthier food. i can feel the difference in my body when eating junk food. maybe that's old age as kids can just consume anything ha.


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## LGT (Aug 4, 2014)

Norm said:


> Go for a trip through South America, the best steaks I've ever eaten in Chile and Argentina.
> 
> Norm


Agreed, I've had steaks from Argentina on a few trips to Aruba. It was the best I've ever had. 
Could be all of the chemicals being fed to the cattle in the U.S. to make them grow bigger and more lean is what's changing my taste for beef.


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## MBentz (Aug 4, 2014)

Jumpmaster said:


> I eat my steak as rare as possible and I still like it.
> 
> Can't stand even medium rare anymore. The taste and texture is completely different from the ultra rare that I prefer.
> 
> Might try cooking it a different way. They say everyone's tastes change over time.



My wife is like you. She likes her steak very rare. She even convinced me to try steak tartare when we were in Vegas. (It was delicious, of course.)


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## FlashKat (Aug 4, 2014)

The quality of the meat makes a big difference.
I use to like Outback Steakhouse, but lately their steaks don't appeal to me as much since I have been trying steaks in Las Vegas which are so much better.


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## skyfire (Aug 5, 2014)

ive been tired of chicken, shrimp, and pork for a few years now... and i think im losing my taste for crab and lobster...
i thought i was weird or something, im glad to know peoples taste buds can change, and im not the only one. now i feel more normal


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## Tracker II (Aug 5, 2014)

Some foods just don't taste like they used to. I love boiled eggs, but nowadays many of them have a strong fishy taste due to some facilities using fish meal as the primary food source. I love fish too but I don't like my eggs tasting like fish.

Also, my wife gets chicken from a pricey butcher shop despite my protests that there is no fibrous feel to the meat - it's like biting into a wet sponge.

So it may not be you, it may be the food. Soylent Green anyone?


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## Tmack (Aug 5, 2014)

Jumpmaster said:


> I eat my steak as rare as possible and I still like it.
> 
> Can't stand even medium rare anymore. The taste and texture is completely different from the ultra rare that I prefer.
> 
> Might try cooking it a different way. They say everyone's tastes change over time.



Tell the waiter to have the cook walk the steak by the grill slowly. If he hears a sizzle, try again


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## jtr1962 (Aug 5, 2014)

I don't think it's just you. A lot of foods just don't taste the same any more for any number of reasons-factory farming, additives, longer transportation distances, etc. Frankenfood is a good description of most of what's on store shelves these days.


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## RA40 (Aug 5, 2014)

Tastes change and at the same time, I've noticed that foods have also taken on a different character over the years. An uncle who is a butcher would pick some very nice cuts of meat for us. Even among Prime graded ones as well as Kobe and Wagyu my taste memory from years back were different. Lots go into producing tasty meats, what the cattle consume and drink, exercise...pretty complex equation. Among the grass and grain fed, certain producers have a different character for their animals once cooked up. 

Your sense of taste has likely become more acute to a flavor you want to encounter when eating beef. Like lights...the search continues.


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## mercrazy (Aug 7, 2014)

get grass fed and you'll get your taste back. the feed lot, corn fed, hormone beef doesn't have taste.


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## FlashKat (Aug 7, 2014)

Flavor is important, but I always order a ribeye steak medium rare where I was recommended to try a restaurant at the Mirage hotel in Las Vegas. This ribeye steak had flavor, but the texture of the meat was unreal where the steak actually was so tender that it literally melted in your mouth experience. This was the best steak I ever ate, and much better the Kobe beef.


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## Peace Train (Aug 8, 2014)

The body tells us when it's in need of a food or whether that food is no longer necessary. The greater quantity of a particular food we eat over the course of our lives, the greater the chance that the body may eventually reject it. And one of the body's defense mechanisms is that it becomes allergic to the food in question. 

Another mechanism is its ability to change our desire of a food through the sensation of taste. So if you really want to love something like steak again, let your body rest for a couple months or couple of years so that it can have a chance to cycle that food out of your system. The body is just telling you that it needs a break. And it's also the body's way of stopping the food behavior before it ultimately gets sick, were the behavior allowed to persist. 

It's really no different than being stuck in a rut, where one day you suddenly (or gradually over a course of years) break free and do something new. You feel fresh and revived. As the body goes through changes and completes cycles, it becomes ready for something new too.

Persistent cravings, on the other hand, are something to watch out for. They can be a sign that something's off or imbalanced. It doesn't mean that the particular food is bad per se, but more of a compensation for something that may be lacking internally. It's bringing your attention to something that's in need of correcting; a red flag that's trying to get your (or your doctor's) attention.


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## Monocrom (Aug 8, 2014)

I'm a weirdo.... I love my steak well-done. Yup, screw that culinary B.S. about how well-done equals burned. And, it kills the flavor. No, it doesn't. But I have to always order my steaks medium-well because otherwise the chef will give me the worst cut of meat in the place if I order it the way I actually want it. their mentality is, _"Well if the guy wants it burned, why am I going to waste a good cut of meat on him? He can have this one instead."_

So yes.... Still love the taste of steak. (Just wish I could order it the way I really like it.)


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## geepondy (Aug 21, 2014)

My friend had radiation and chemo for throat cancer (successfully thankfully) but now she's completely lost her taste for chocolate and sweets in general. I hated veggies as a kid and love most as an adult. Guess that's pretty normal


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## P_A_S_1 (Aug 21, 2014)

I used to enjoy my steak rare until I got sick. It was horrible, hours after consumption I was dry heaving repeatedly with the occasional putty grey mush of meat getting hacked up and out. Wound up in the hospital where all they could do was give me some anti-nausea meds and feed me IV drips for hydration. They suspected food poisoning however I suspect it was simply that the meat was too rare and my stomach couldn't process it. It was actually the rarest steak I've ever had and upon getting it I thought about sending it back because it was so rare (and I like my steaks bloody). Since then medium rare, not going through that again.


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## f22shift (Aug 26, 2014)

i tried steak tartare just for the heck of it at a french restaurant. but i made sure to try it in the middle of montreal winter teehee.


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## nfetterly (Aug 26, 2014)

Lamb, now it has a taste - but I like it. And lamburgers, mmmmm....


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## fyrstormer (Aug 26, 2014)

Commercially-produced meat products are optimized for quantity, not quality. Thanks to my girlfriend whose parents live on a farm in the middle of nowhere, I now know that grass-fed beef from a local butcher still tastes as good as it ever did.


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## Frijid (Sep 2, 2014)

i agree with everyone else who stated about genetically modified foods "GMO's" 

like a few years ago i read they were giving salmon hormones to make them bigger. Not to mention all the additives.

I'm a HUGE lover of blackberries. The one's that come fresh off a vine taste 10000x better than ones bought in stores. 

Store bought eggs, to me, are horrible compared to "eggs fresh from a chicken's you know what" as my grandpa used to say. 

If you've been buying at stores, try to find a local farmers market type deal, that sells locally butchered beef.


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## Light it up (Sep 3, 2014)

Unfortunately, I am new to the forum or I'd post a picture of a couple of steak I made last night that I happened to take pictures of just for the heck of it. They marinated for about four hours in some amazingness. The medium rare steak practically melted in my mouth. I feel bad for you not enjoying a good steak. Maybe you need a good marinate for your steak. A lot of people just salt, pepper, and grill which is fine but if you want to add something different to tantalize your taste buds. Well that just might help.


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## fyrstormer (Sep 3, 2014)

Growth hormones =/= genetic modifications.


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## LGT (Sep 3, 2014)

Light it up said:


> Unfortunately, I am new to the forum or I'd post a picture of a couple of steak I made last night that I happened to take pictures of just for the heck of it. They marinated for about four hours in some amazingness. The medium rare steak practically melted in my mouth. I feel bad for you not enjoying a good steak. Maybe you need a good marinate for your steak. A lot of people just salt, pepper, and grill which is fine but if you want to add something different to tantalize your taste buds. Well that just might help.


Been there, done that. 
Using the steak as a vehicle for other flavors that negate the actual taste of the beef just isn't my cup of tea.
Not saying this happened with yours. 
I just used to enjoy a good steak with basic seasonings, just seems like the flavor has gone downhill.

I'll have to try mentions of fyrstormer and others about local grass fed beef. A co-worker mentioned a place that sells it. But it can be pricey.
But I think it would be worth the chance.


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## LGT (Dec 30, 2014)

After a few months without, bought a couple of ribeyes from a local meat market instead of the supermarket. Mostly because the wife was asking when are we going to have steak again. Grilled em up and completely enjoyed. Seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder.
Grilling method is something I read about and it works. Over high heat, flip the steak every minute. Sounds counterintuitive, but IMO, the best way to grill a steak. Do a search on that cooking method.


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## FlashKat (Dec 30, 2014)

That's AWESOME you enjoy steak again!!!


LGT said:


> After a few months without, bought a couple of ribeyes from a local meat market instead of the supermarket. Mostly because the wife was asking when are we going to have steak again. Grilled em up and completely enjoyed. Seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder.
> Grilling method is something I read about and it works. Over high heat, flip the steak every minute. Sounds counterintuitive, but IMO, the best way to grill a steak. Do a search on that cooking method.


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## smokinbasser (Dec 31, 2014)

Dang it, you just had to mention steak!!! I hit the Texas Roadhouse and got a medium rare filet and mushrooms after reading the thread . Happy New Year yall


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## broadgage (Feb 6, 2015)

I certainly enjoy a good fillet steak, and find that I order it rarer than in the past. I don't think that my taste has changed, rather that restaurants cook it more than in the past, or put another way, that "medium rare" today is what was called "medium to well done" 20 years ago.

Meat quality varies a lot, I recently met an experienced butcher and chef who stated that "whilst good beef can be reared most anywhere, the very best beef comes from coastal farms because the salt air improves it"
Most beef sold in the UK is a by product of cattle that have been bred for maximum milk production. Beef from animals that have bred specifically for eating is generally superior.


I have enjoyed excellent steaks in the Pullman restaurant on the train, very few UK trains still have a full service restaurant but those that remain are excellent.

https://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Your-journey/On-board/Pullman


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## NoNotAgain (Feb 6, 2015)

I've got a Mennonite farmer a couple of miles from me that raises Black Angus beef. I've been getting a half a cow at a time from him. All grass fed, no antibiotics. Last one was about $3.25 a pound hanging weight.

I like to call the way I like my beef as wipe it's arse, blow it's nose and bring it to me. Outside is broiled in a quarter of and inch and the rest is nice and red. Cooked with sea salt and cracked pepper, there isn't anything better in beef.


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## MrJino (Nov 11, 2015)

I can't eat steaks at restaurants anymore, I'm told they use cheaper beef, since most people won't notice.

I try to get my meat intake at home with the more expensive grass fed steaks. And yeah, cast iron makes a HUGE difference! Though I prefer open grill steaks, over wood fires. 
I also need it rare as rare can be. And NO SAUCE!! just salt and pepper is all that's needed on a proper steak.


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## tab665 (Nov 12, 2015)

i love steak. I can honestly say that the greatest pleasure in my life is having a steak dinner with my wife with a couple good bottles of wine. some candles lit, classical music in the background. the term "steak night" is not thrown around loosely in this house; as no expense is spared. it starts off with the appetizer. usually we will get a good assortment of cheese, fruit and salami going with a nice bottle of pinot noir or chardonnay. then its on to the steak. USDA prime, even better if dry aged, 2" thick, usually I will go either porterhouse (not T-bone!) or ribeye, she prefers NY strip or tenderloin. left out a couple hours to get the inside to room temp (I like my steak rare, but a cool center is off putting), sautéed mushrooms and asparagus. before cooking commences we will crack open a couple bottles of wine, do a couple blind tastings to see which we prefer to have with our steak, and which we will have while we cook. personally im partial to Rhone wines. dessert will be either some kind of chocolate with port, or some sort of cobble with an ice wine. I know all this makes me sound like a snob, but if you knew me youd be thinking "what the hell???". everyone has something they excel at. some people are good with numbers, some people are more responsible than other, some people have good fashion sense, some people are crafty, and some people are charitable. I do steak night.


edit: +1 for the searing hot cast iron method (all about the crust!). I keep mine on the grill because inside it makes the house smoky; literally have it down to an art form. I rarely ever cook a good piece of steak on the grill grates anymore


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## Monocrom (Nov 12, 2015)

MrJino said:


> I can't eat steaks at restaurants anymore, I'm told they use cheaper beef, since most people won't notice.



That's only for folks who order their steaks well-done. Pretentious chef's figure that such customers are naive fools. That since they won't be able to taste the steak's flavor, why waste a good cut of meat on them. So they cook up cheaper cuts, instead. Quite frankly, it's sickening. Why cook them a good cut of steak?..... Because they're paying for it. They're paying the same amount as those who want a bit of pink in the middle of their cut of meat. That's why.


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## MrJino (Nov 20, 2015)

Soooo craving a steak tartar... my teeth are itching


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## yoyoman (Nov 20, 2015)

I'm stuck in Europe because of work. But I like the beef. Tartar de bœuf is great. Fresh and good. Cote de boeuf (rib eye) is also wonderful.


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## Monocrom (Nov 20, 2015)

I hope it's fresh! Raw meat that hasn't been cooked is dangerous enough without being fresh.


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## Launch Mini (Nov 20, 2015)

I still enjoy a good steak, but I now opt for much smaller portions.


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## Monocrom (Nov 20, 2015)

Launch Mini said:


> I still enjoy a good steak, but I now opt for much smaller portions.



Oddly, I've noticed I'm leaning that way as well. A few short years ago, I could easily polish off a 20 ounce steak. Now I'm good with 9 ounces if the plate has proper side dishes to go with the steak. It stinks getting old. But at least my wallet is happier.


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## scout24 (Nov 20, 2015)

Wife and I had been migrating away from beef in general for the last few years. A big juicy burger once in a while, but that was about it. We found a local farm who has been raising and selling 1/4 and 1/2 cows for the last 20 years, and are splitting a 1/4 with her brother and his family. We wave as we go by, wondering which is "our" cow. Local grass pastured, local grown and harvested corn fed. Looking forward to grilling again!


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## RBR (Nov 21, 2015)

.....


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## tab665 (Nov 22, 2015)

I managed to polish off a 40oz porterhouse at ruth's chris steakhouse last night!


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## DellSuperman (Nov 22, 2015)

tab665 said:


> I managed to polish off a 40oz porterhouse at ruth's chris steakhouse last night!


Holy crap..!! 
I did a 25oz about a week ago & i was struggling at the end. 😵


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## Chauncey Gardiner (Nov 22, 2015)

tab665 said:


> I managed to polish off a 40oz porterhouse at ruth's chris steakhouse last night!



Well I tell you what! Someone presents me a 40oz porterhouse at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, first thing I do is whip out the cellphone and take a picture of it. :kewlpics: ? 

~ C.G.


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## MrJino (Nov 23, 2015)

Launch Mini said:


> I still enjoy a good steak, but I now opt for much smaller portions.



My.old boss told me about a 4 oz steak he paid $500 for in japan. He said no meat will ever be that tasty and tender. It was kobe, true kobe unlike the states.


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## RedLED (Dec 20, 2015)

Netflix has a fantastic documentary film on steak. Search on Netflix for Steak. Well worth watching.


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## sidecross (Dec 20, 2015)

RedLed said:


> Netflix has a fantastic documentary film on steak. Search on Netflix for Steak. Well worth watching.


I did some buckaroo work in my twenties on a cow-calf operation in northern Nevada near the borders of Oregon and Idaho where all the cattle were range or grass fed. This type of beef unlike grain fed beef when butchered does not look like the same, for instance fat is not white.

After the the cattle are sold from a range-land cow-calf ranch after about a year they are sent too a feed lot where they will spend up to twice that amount of time being fed grain and boxed in a close living space. 

Because cattle are an Ungulate their bodies have trouble digesting grains and in a addition they suffer from stress due to their kind of captivity. Because of this cattle are given a good amount of pharmaceuticals to help the problems given from this kind of diet and environmental stress.


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## GLHunter (Dec 25, 2015)

The only kind of steak I enjoy these days is the kind my wife selects, and prepares... She's a kitchen magician. 

Also, for health reasons, I'm very discriminating about what I shove down my neck. Red meat and fried food in general are on my 'no' list.


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## P_A_S_1 (Dec 31, 2015)

Recently went to a good steak house here in NYC, Smith & Wolenskys. Steak was good, service was ok. Had the filet mignon w/ cajun seasoning and it was actually pretty good. While I do enjoy a good steak from time to time I actually prefer a good duck. A nicely roasted duck is just fantastic.


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## yoyoman (Jan 9, 2016)

Just came back from a 2-week vacation in Tokyo. Had steak twice. One place specialized in aged Wagyu beef - a platter with different cuts. The other was teppanyaki with very marbled sirloin from Hokkaido. The beef was the center of the meal with plenty of good things surrounding it. The portion size was just right - didn't wake up the next morning feeling like I ate a whole cow.


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## Chauncey Gardiner (Jan 9, 2016)

Come on guys, there are some of us that need to live vicariously through your fine dining. Please post some pictures. 

~ Chance


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## yoyoman (Jan 10, 2016)

This is for 4 people. Sorry, just the beef.


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## Chauncey Gardiner (Jan 10, 2016)

That is mouthwateringly beautiful. A meal that definitely deserves to photographed and shared. 

~ Chance


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## pvsampson (Jan 10, 2016)

LOL.

Want a GOOD steak?

Australia.

Town that I live near is actually known as.....Beef Capital.We even have "Beef Week". Although my children and I live below the poverty line,(for this country),we eat steak a LOT,it is quite cheap comparatively.


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