Above are the official definitions for steak temperatures. At my restaurant, we are required to quote back a mini-version of that every time a customer orders steak or a burger. We tell you that well done is brown, medium well is a touch of pink in the center, medium is pink all the way through, medium rare is a warm red center with a little blood, and rare is a cool red center with blood.
Why does my restaurant require us to educate the customer? Because so many people seem to have no idea what they are talking about when they order a steak! They will order it medium, and the send it back appalled and disgusted because of all of the pink. That’s all medium is folks, its pink! All the way through. They think they’re sounding all fancy and they order it medium rare, and then they freak out when it comes. ”My steak is raw!” Pretty much, my friend, because that is, in fact, how you ordered it.
Another area that RCs need a steak education in? Cuts of meat. First of all, a T-bone is not the best cut in the world, contrary to what most men and a decent amount of women seem to think. We sell a porterhouse at my restaurant, and people get so disappointed! “I wanted a t-bone!” they wail. A porterhouse is a much better choice, because one whole side is a fillet, which is an awesome cut. Trust me. T-bone just sounds more exciting.
If you’re on a budget, then steak is not for you. Everyone wants a sirloin, because its the cheapest. Guess what? Its also one of the leanest cuts of meat, which means its optimal at medium (pink all the way through). As its brought up to medium well and well done, it sacrifices tenderness, period. When my customers ask for a well-done sirloin but make sure its juicy, I tell them its not going to happen. I suggest the fillet, which is relatively tender even at well done (if you MUST have your steak that way).
Bottom line? Steak is not meant to be well-done, get a burger instead if you’re scared of pink. And with steak, you get what you pay for, so if you insist on spending $7.99 with two sides included for a steak, well, I hope you’re expectations are bottom of the barrel my friend. I know these are cold, hard facts to face, but trust me. If you don’t know how to order steak, you should stick with chicken. I’m just saying.
I cringe when I see people order their steaks any more well done than medium. It ruins them! I used to like them med/well until I tasked my dates (now my husband’s) steak and it tasted so much better than mine. Now it’s always med/rare. I like to cook my own prime rib – but it’s hard to find the roasts that still are on the bone. Talk about rare….
I was the same way with the med-well until someone got me to try a medium steak! I came from a family where any sign of pink meant raw. My brother likes everything burnt and by burnt he means he needs to see the black on it! But medium is so much better, and I’ll tell you, if its a lean cut, especially a sirloin, I’m going med-rare baby! Nice to hear from a fellow steak connoisseur! Thanks for reading and for commenting! God bless!
I’ve worked at a few high-end steakhouses and part of the job is translating what the guest wants to how the kitchen prepares things. If I know the guy on the broiler tonight usually goes a little under or over, I will order accordingly. When a guest orders “You know, medium-rare…”, that’s when I step in with “How do you want it to LOOK? Do you want it to be red in the middle, pink, hint of pink, or no pink whatsoever?” Trusting the guest to make the decision on what can sometimes be an arbitrary scale is a recipe for disaster just about every time.
Oh absolutely, nativenapkin! You hit the nail on the head. As servers we definitely need to translate what it is that the guest wants, because I do feel like some of them have no idea. Thanks so much for commenting, I LOVE your blog! God bless!
How insulting to restaurant goers. Steak isn’t exactly exotic fare and most people know exactly how they like it and how to order it. 80% of the time it’s the kitchen that gets it wrong. People are only idiots (as your tone implies) if they don’t send it back.
Also, YOU shouldn’t dream up misleading titles that scream there is some sort of meat scare. Though I wonder if that is the only way you can scare-up traffic to this site? Certainly it’s the only reason I ended up at a site that is dedicated to the idea that the customer is always wrong and is somehow in need of your snarky attitude. Your posts and your three fans seem to relish customer bashing. Please list the establishments you are all associated with so we can avoid your misery and spend our money at deserving restaurants that cater to service and customer appreciation.