I am not sure that I can explain this very well but I will try. Steak is not generally an issue as it is a cut of meat and not interwove or ground like hamburger.

If the beef is contaminated for any reason, when you grind it, the bacteria is mixed throughout. Any product when cooked to the proper temperature should eliminate any trace of the bacteria or toxins. That is the reason that hamburger is usually the culprip.

If a steak is somehow contaminated, the bacteria or toxins are generally on the exterior and therefore eliminated upon immediate cooking but the same does not happened with burgers.

The same would apply to veggies that are uncooked and eatenen raw.

E Coli is a intestine bacteria and is very good for inside the body but once secreted through feces and contaminated whatever food you have, it can be a very nasty varmit.

I may be somewhat incorrect in my explanation as I am just relying on my bacteriology stuff from 45 years ago at UT.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN