The Controversial Way Bobby Flay Prefers His Burgers
Despite the difference between medium rare burgers and medium burgers only being around 10 degrees — medium-rare burgers are cooked to an internal temperature of 130 to 135 degrees Fahrenheit, while medium burgers are cooked to 140 to 145 degrees Fahrenheit — the two variations are considered vastly different from one another. And while many chefs and foodies prefer medium-rare to the more thoroughly-cooked alternative, Bobby Flay has never been afraid to tout medium as the ideal doneness of the perfect cheeseburger.
Flay explained why he prefers cooking medium burgers in an interview with Mashed, where he stated his case against medium-rare burgers as a whole. Ultimately, the chef believes medium-rare burgers simply can't accomplish as much flavor-wise as medium burgers can. "One of the great things about a burger is the juiciness of it all," the enduring Food Network stalwart shared, "If the fat doesn't melt, you're not going to get that juiciness. You're just going to get a lot of very rare meat that's not that juicy."
Bobby Flay prefers his steaks cooked medium, as well
While Flay's stance on medium-rare burgers comes down mainly to flavor, his similar opinion on steak has additional reasoning behind it. In a TikTok released by Flay in 2024, he further explained why he isn't a fan of rare and medium-rare steak specifically, citing its texture as the dish's key flaw. "If you don't cook it and the beef itself is too rare, it's hard to chew," Flay reminded.
Furthermore, while Flay's preference for medium steaks and burgers isn't quite as unpopular as Donald Trump's love for well-done steaks with ketchup (even chefs will roll their eyes at that order), it's still a controversial opinion among lovers of medium-rare beef. However, Flay believes otherwise. "I have to say most of the people that I know said to me, 'Totally agree with you,'" Flay revealed to Mashed, "I think there's some peer pressure on us to order red meat rare and medium rare, whether we like it or not, because that's what we've been told to do."
Static Media owns and operates both The Takeout and Mashed.