Muddled food definitions.

[LoTech]

Sometimes Corporate gets in the way of a good experience.

I myself have become leery of PearWasp's NOT because the quality of service locally has declined, no! Instead, the marketing department seems to have gone beyond setting the menu and started interfering in the kitchen.

I ordered a medium steak. Not because I like medium steak, but because I like medium-rare steak and my experience at the majority of places that serve steak is to undercook the meat a half level, because it is easier to refire an underdone piece of meat than replace an overdone steak.
My "Medium" steak arrived still bleeding. I grew up on a beef farm, and all that I've ever learned of steak says that a medium steak should be bright pink in the center with clear juice. (Medium-well= pale pink, well=no pink). By that definition, my "Medium" steak had definitely been delivered Rare.

The manager was quick to rush over to my raised hand and send my meat back to the kitchen (for microwaving, I am sure), but then blamed the situation on a "southern focus group who liked their medium steak cooked to 135°".

That might work if one were to then cover the steak and let it "rest" and finish cooking for three minutes before sending to the table, but I somehow doubt that is the plan in a time strapped restaurant setting.

It disturbs me that a group of folks off of the street, as it were, somehow have the power to alter the food science definitions used in all the kitchens of a nationwide chain, just because they seem to prefer their steak rare.

I'm tempted to bring a probe thermometer along the next time I wind up there, just to see if the kitchen is even making it THAT far in the cooking process.

[dalesys]

An alien probe, right?

[MoonCat]

That seems to be how corporate works, at any business you care to name. They want to TELL you what you want, and they make up their own minds (I use the word "minds" loosely) about all the details. Then they are genuinely puzzled as to why sales plummet.

[notalwaysright]

Long ago I gave up ordering eggs over-hard, because they were always gooey on the inside, which I thought was over-medium. Anyway, runny yolks make me nauseous, so I just order scrambled.

As for the so-called focus group... Why would they not be told to order their steak rare? I'm baffled by the idea, they're saying "I would like a medium streak, but cook it rare, thanks." What.

[BlaqueKatt]

As for the so-called focus group... Why would they not be told to order their steak rare? I'm baffled by the idea, they're saying "I would like a medium streak, but cook it rare, thanks." What.

because the customer is always right

[April]

This is why I won't go to Red Robin. My thing is I won't eat hamburgers with pink in them. It may be safe, whatever, but I don't care. when I order a hamburger, I order it well done.

Went to Red Robin, asked for well, they served me a hamburger with pink in the middle. Sent it back. They informed me that their well done has pink in the middle. I asked them to run it through again, so there was no pink. Came back, still pink. asked for a manager. She argued with me that well done does not mean no pink. ended up writing corporate and complaining. They sent me a gift card. I went to another location, asked for a well done burger. It was still pink.

they informed me that to their company, well done has a strip of pink in the center. They are the only place that I've ever heard of whose well done burgers are still pink.

[notalwaysright]

they informed me that to their company, well done has a strip of pink in the center. They are the only place that I've ever heard of whose well done burgers are still pink.

Huh. I have been to that restaurant in this town, (twice or three times maybe) and when I order a burger "well done, no pink" just like that, I have never had any problem. I do seem to remember ordering well done once and having the server describe what it meant... But I thought she just said that well meant no pink, maybe I'm wrong on that.

I don't care for that place because they always push me to get their rewards card, or whatever. I know they have to at least ask, I get that, but when I give a firm "no thank you" please drop it! The food is okay, but I would choose a local burger place if I was asked.

[Ceir]

Funny, I always seem to run into the opposite problem. Order a steak medium, medium-rare...I get shoe leather.

[BlaqueKatt]

This is why I won't go to Red Robin. My thing is I won't eat hamburgers with pink in them. It may be safe, whatever, but I don't care. when I order a hamburger, I order it well done.<snip>they informed me that to their company, well done has a strip of pink in the center. They are the only place that I've ever heard of whose well done burgers are still pink.

they lied, in wisconsin they specifically ask "pink or no pink" for every burger. So it's not a "company thing".

[Monterey Jack]

If there's even a hint of pink in a steak or burger, I refuse to eat it. I know logically that it's "safe" to eat meat with some blood in it, but psychologically, it skeeves me out. And nothing is worse than the texture of bloody, rubbery steak.

[EricKei]

Rare/bloody AND rubbery means a shitty cut of meat, or that it was not prepared properly... ewwww.

I like 'em Medium rare myself these days, but to each their own ^__^ I still don't like Rare, and I won't even consider a "blue" steak. tbh, I was squeamish about it too, for ages; it took me years to get to the point where I'd even try a less-than Medium Well steak; I like MR now. I'd recommend "MW, no pink" as your order type, as "well done" will often get you a rubbery hunk of charcoal. MW should still be reasonably tender, with NO red and minimal pink in the center. If a MW steak has a large amount of pink in the center, that's medium; don't be embarrassed to (politely ) send it back.

(FWIW - WD - riding the ragged edge of charcoal; MW - as described; Med - decent amount of pink, NO red; MR - mostly pink inside with a little red; Rare - Mostly red with some pink; Blue - Just kinda wave it at the flames and cackle evilly, then plate that mutha)

Burgers or anything else ground up really should not have much pink in them, and NEVER red -- they're more susceptible to bacterial issues BECAUSE they're ground up, unlike steaks. As for Red Robin -- if it had pink, you sent it back, and it came back pink -- it means that they didn't even bother to cook it any further.

[otakuneko]

Burgers or anything else ground up really should not have much pink in them, and NEVER red -- they're more susceptible to bacterial issues BECAUSE they're ground up, unlike steaks. As for Red Robin -- if it had pink, you sent it back, and it came back pink -- it means that they didn't even bother to cook it any further.

BearsRepeating.jpg.

Also chicken, for similar reasons, should never be undercooked. You get away with it with steak because the interior of the meat's never exposed. But with chicken or any bird or ground meat, the interior does get exposed to germs and thus thorough cooking is a must to avoid illness.

[cindybubbles]

BearsRepeating.jpg.

Also chicken, for similar reasons, should never be undercooked. You get away with it with steak because the interior of the meat's never exposed. But with chicken or any bird or ground meat, the interior does get exposed to germs and thus thorough cooking is a must to avoid illness.

Same with salmon. I ordered a salmon steak and asked the waiter to have it cooked so it still stays soft. He said no, because it poses a safety risk, but offered to replace it with sushi grade raw salmon instead. I should have taken up his offer, but instead I got a salmon steak that's dry and chewy.

[Aria]

Same with salmon. I ordered a salmon steak and asked the waiter to have it cooked so it still stays soft. He said no, because it poses a safety risk, but offered to replace it with sushi grade raw salmon instead. I should have taken up his offer, but instead I got a salmon steak that's dry and chewy.

Da hump? I've eaten rare salmon at restaurants all the time. I'm pretty sure it's like steak.

Personally, I'm a little shocked by the idea of a 'rare' hamburger. As far as I know, having pink in your burger is not a thing in Canada. I could be wrong though, I'm gluten free now so I haven't eaten burgers in a while.

[Seshat]

If you're having trouble with the food safety at restaurants, then definitely get a purse-sized meat thermometer. It's just not SAFE to have undercooked meat. Nor to have underwashed vegetables/fruit (or vegetables/fruit that have been exposed to raw-meat surfaces).

I know that and the closest I come to needing to know food safety is avoiding poisoning my own family!

And yes, we have a meat thermometer. We mostly use it for roasts; it's easy enough to cut into a steak I'm going to be serving myself and check it for done-ness. It's not like I'm going to care that my steak has a cut in it!


To echo the food safety-trained people here, though: mammal-meat steaks and chops (ie: never been ground) can be served rare with reasonable safety. The surface must be seared to killburndie any bacteria, but the dangerous stuff for some reason can't burrow in.
For some reason that I've never researched, poultry must be cooked through. I have no clue about fish, reptiles, amphibians, or anything else. I'd be in trouble if I had to live off the land!

Ground meats must have every surface of the ground meat brought up to killburndie temperature, because every surface is susceptible to the bacteria. So if you stick a meat probe in it (when it's on the grill or just off it) and the centre is safe temperature, you're fine even if it's got a strip of pink.