Chef Do's and don'ts???

[Midnight12]

Is ALL of this actually true? I'm sure most of it is but having seen the movie Waiting I admit I have my suspicions

what chefs do or don't do

[tacohuman]

i don't know about all of it, but a lot of that list is absolutely true. something else that's not on the list is that most chefs (at least ones i know, and i know quite a few) hate cooking steaks well-done, as they see it as ruining the meat. they often set aside the worst cuts for well-done orders.

[Midnight12]

so if i were to order a steak how should I order it? medium rare? no seriously i'd rather not have them cook it to what they consider perfection than ruin it

[draggar]

i don't know about all of it, but a lot of that list is absolutely true. something else that's not on the list is that most chefs (at least ones i know, and i know quite a few) hate cooking steaks well-done, as they see it as ruining the meat. they often set aside the worst cuts for well-done orders.

They must love us, especially when we order tuna.

"How do you want it cooked?"

"Not?" or "Just yell at it".

so if i were to order a steak how should I order it? medium rare? no seriously i'd rather not have them cook it to what they consider perfection than ruin it

I don't think it's an annoyance directed to the customer as if they thought you were being a pain, but more along the lines of "how can they enjoy it like this? It's almost ruined!".

Rare. When you cook a streak all the way though a lot of the flavor is lost and the end product ends up like a piece of leather (even with good chefs).

I'm sure boiled (and over-boiled) vegetables are along the same lines.

[AdminAssistant]

You can also do medium - if you don't like to see actual blood coming out of your meat.

[TheMike]

my Steak preference "show the cow a picture of a match"

I've also known a few chefs to cook their own meals at the restaurant, but using outside ingredients which have included 'wild meat' (totally against health dept regs but it tasted sooo good)

[drunkenwildmage]

With me, you just to have to threaten to grill it, and it's done enough, altho my dad would still bitch about it being over cooked..Basically with him, just cut it off the cow and toss it on the place.

When I first started going out with me wife, she was horrified because everyone in my family eats their steak rare.. her family all eats it well done and that was how she ate it growing up.

I told her that her family cooked the favor out of it. Which of course she didn't believe until I pointed out that her family tends to drown the steak A1, and my family doesn't even touch the stuff....Since then she eats hers a little more on the rare side.

Speaking of A1.. I heard that a chef considers it an insult if you put A1 (or some other kind of sauce) on a steak prepared by them..Don't know if it's true or not.

[Midnight12]

was taught that if you want to enjoy the meal at least taste it before throwing sauce or salt or seasoning on it as thats an insult to the chef as the chef went to the trouble of preparing it.
and medium rare as I don't like blood coming out of my meat so much but would still eat it. yeah if i have to smother well done meat in sauce to cover up the leathery taste then yeah no.
FIL wants his meat cooked well done or he won't touch it. so due to that I have to preseason our meat period for his tastes. or baste his to death. I grill and bake the fryer is only pulled out for guests

thank you for the clue in!

[AdminAssistant]

My family is of the "must be well done" type....however, the first time I tried to cook steak, I 'undercooked' it to about medium. Ate it, loved it. Now I only do medium or medium rare.

[Whiskey]

Rare. When you cook a streak all the way though a lot of the flavor is lost and the end product ends up like a piece of leather (even with good chefs).

Truth. I don't let people in my home if they eat steak past medium rare.

You think I'm kidding. That list is basically completely true. I would die if I had to work as a cook somewhere on new years.

[lordlundar]

and medium rare as I don't like blood coming out of my meat so much but would still eat it.

To start off with, it's not really blood, just protein laden juices(most of the blood gets drained off at the butcher). And if you want to avoid that, medium is the best approach for it. Medium rare will have a lot of that juice intact.

Speaking of A1.. I heard that a chef considers it an insult if you put A1 (or some other kind of sauce) on a steak prepared by them..Don't know if it's true or not.

Yeah, and I can see their point. If a steak is properly prepared and cooked (dry aging is the best before cooking) then it should never need a steak sauce (or anything apart from some salt and pepper at the time of cooking) to have flavour. When it comes to food, simple is better. So slathering on steak sauce is the equivalent of saying "you butchered my meat."

As for the article, I'm not crazy about it. It's presented in a way that says all chefs do this or that, when in a number of cases it's the minority or even less than a handful.

[draggar]

Truth. I don't let people in my home if they eat steak past medium rare.

You think I'm kidding. That list is basically completely true. I would die if I had to work as a cook somewhere on new years.

You should see me with tuna steaks.

I get the grill as hot as it will go. I drop the steak on the grill, as soon as it lands I scoop it off and flip it.

As soon as that side lands, it's done.

[Whiskey]

You should see me with tuna steaks.

I get the grill as hot as it will go. I drop the steak on the grill, as soon as it lands I scoop it off and flip it.

As soon as that side lands, it's done.

thats me too. I cook my steaks 30 seconds per side, pull them, let them sit for five minutes and boom, perfect meat. It makes me feel like a dick in restaurants though.

Me: can I get my steak rare?
Waitress: Sure
Me: you know i mean RARE rare right?
Waitress: Oh yeah sure!
Me: like 'if that thing comes out of the kitchen and isn't mooing its not rare' rare, right?
Waitress: ohhh.. okay..
Me: Awesome!

Everytime I ask for rare (or blue) and dont elaborate extensively, I get medium. :| If its only 2% pink, it isnt rare! I dont even bother trying to order blue anymore. I dont eat out if I want steak now.

edit: rare tuna steaks are a god send. Cool Hand Lukes does an AMAZING rare ahi steak.

[Magpie]

With me, you just to have to threaten to grill it, and it's done enough, altho my dad would still bitch about it being over cooked..Basically with him, just cut it off the cow and toss it on the place.

When I first started going out with me wife, she was horrified because everyone in my family eats their steak rare.. her family all eats it well done and that was how she ate it growing up.

*ahem* I think you might not understand the difference between "blue" and "rare". I like my steak rare (actually at a steakhouse apparently I like medium-rare). I'm wussy enough to want it blood-heat all the way through.

[Whiskey]

*ahem* I think you might not understand the difference between "blue" and "rare".

and I thought I was a steak elitist. Blue and rare are quite different at home. In a restaurant (not including legit steakhouses with haughty cooks that wont cook past medium), I would say blue is rare unless they have you sign a waiver

for the uninitiated: