# A filet mignon well done?!?! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 24, 2016, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-filet-mignon-well-done/746942 "2016-02-24T03:11:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-filet-mignon-well-done/746942/121 "2016-02-26T16:25:08Z")
See if you’re eating a steak and need to put things like ketchup or A1 on it you should walk out and demand your money back. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-filet-mignon-well-done/746942/122 "2016-02-26T17:01:56Z")
The thing about people saying that all well done steak tastes the same is that they admittedly don’t like well done steak and haven’t eaten very many. It’s hard to tell the difference between similar things that you don’t like, and it’s hard to tell if you’ve not eaten very many. You are in absolutely the worst position to make that claim. Guess what? I thought the exact same thing about how you like your steak. I’ve tasted it a few places and thought it all tasted the same. The cut of the meat didn’t matter, since the “uncooked” taste overrode everything else. But I learned that some people like it and can tell the difference. So I don’t go around telling people that they are wasting their money not getting a fully cooked steak. Of course someone who likes it will be able to taste the difference due to the fat content. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-filet-mignon-well-done/746942/123 "2016-02-26T17:13:44Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > What are you doing with the cup of water at work? > > 😃 > It’s not uncommon for a chef to surreptitiously and deliberately substitute a quality cut of beef (ordered by the customer) for a lesser cut of beef (chosen by the chef) because the chef refuses to destroy a quality cut of beef by cooking it well done. One may lavish handsomely how well you like well done but you might actually be eating the chef’s shoe leather and you are none the wiser. Yes, and that chef is stealing from and defrauding the customer. In fact, it’s part of the reason the whole thing is upsetting. Sure, some yahoo doesn’t like how I eat my steak. They’re being classist snobs, but it doesn’t really affect me. The fact that chefs and bartenders and such justify this bullshit is why it’s a big deal. They are morally deficient people. You have a job to give people what they paid for, even if you think their choice is deficient. Even if there was no discernible difference, that’s not your fucking call. If you want to offer me something less than what I ordered, then you have to renegotiate with me. You are violating the agreement we made. Should I have an old person who barely understands computers pay for a top of the line computer and give them a crappy one? Sure, they may not know the difference. I may think they are wasting their high end graphics card playing solitaire or Candy Crush. It’s still absolutely fucking wrong. If you want to give them less because you think they’ll need less, you negotiate with them to try and get them to buy something cheaper. If you can’t give people what they paid for, you give them the money back, instead of fucking stealing it. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-filet-mignon-well-done/746942/124 "2016-02-26T17:30:07Z")
As steaks cook, they go from raw to cooked, as the proteins contract and coagulate. At first, this makes the texture go from the kind of slick, mushy rawness to what we’d think of as “cooked”. Some juice is squeezed out as the proteins contract, but not too much. As the process continues, more and more juice is squeezed out, and the proteins contract more and more. This is why overcooked meat is tough AND dry. Somewhere in the 150 degree range, this process speeds up very drastically, and the meat becomes very tough and dry very fast. At about 140 degrees, myoglobin, which is the red molecule in muscle tissue that makes meat red, starts to turn brown. Not coincidentally, myoglobin is also why ham is pink, corned beef is red, and barbecue gets a smoke ring. Both of those are fully cooked, but the myoglobin reacts with smoke and nitrites and stays red. Sometimes, if the meat is cooked slow and gently enough, myoglobin can change in ways that keep the meat red in spite of higher cooking temps. It’s still cooked- even past 150. But a steak cooked to 135 is fully cooked. It may still be pink due to unchanged myoglobin, but it is fully cooked- the texture is entirely different, and not all the juice has been squeezed out. That’s why well done is typically avoided- with most steak-cooking methods, if the very inside is well done, the rest of it is typically overcooked, dry and tough. I suppose you could sous-vide a steak to just exactly well-done and see how that goes, but grills, broilers and the like will definitely overcook some large proportion past that 150 degree threshold, and lose most of the juice and contract the muscle fibers too much. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-filet-mignon-well-done/746942/125 "2016-02-26T18:35:43Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Yes, and that chef is stealing from and defrauding the customer. In fact, it’s part of the reason the whole thing is upsetting. Sure, some yahoo doesn’t like how I eat my steak. They’re being classist snobs, but it doesn’t really affect me. > > The fact that chefs and bartenders and such justify this bullshit is why it’s a big deal. They are morally deficient people. You have a job to give people what they paid for, even if you think their choice is deficient. > > Even if there was no discernible difference, that’s not your fucking call. If you want to offer me something less than what I ordered, then you have to renegotiate with me. You are violating the agreement we made. > > Should I have an old person who barely understands computers pay for a top of the line computer and give them a crappy one? Sure, they may not know the difference. I may think they are wasting their high end graphics card playing solitaire or Candy Crush. It’s still absolutely fucking wrong. If you want to give them less because you think they’ll need less, you negotiate with them to try and get them to buy something cheaper. > > If you can’t give people what they paid for, you give them the money back, instead of fucking stealing it. What do you have against Candy Crush? ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-filet-mignon-well-done/746942/126 "2016-02-26T18:37:50Z")
> [@drewder](#): > > See if you’re eating a steak and need to put things like ketchup or A1 on it you should walk out and demand your money back. Don’t talk shit about A1 sauce. Not ever. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-filet-mignon-well-done/746942/127 "2016-02-26T18:51:09Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > I’ve only ever tasted filet mignon once in my lifetime and it was a uniquely amazing taste experience. > > My bucket list most definitely includes trying it again - at least once. > > … > > Give yourself a wonderful gift and do taste that wonderful flavor. Once?😕 Just go out and get some. It ain’t Wagyu. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-filet-mignon-well-done/746942/128 "2016-02-26T18:56:20Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > I can’t believe no one has brought up\* Kitchen Confidential\* where Bourdain noted that someone ordering a steak well done got the crappiest cut they had in the kitchen, since that person clearly doesn’t care about the nuances of taste. Bourdain is a heavy smoker and insists upon smoking while cooking, so obviously he cant taste anything either. Nor does he care that the food he serves tastes like ciggies. I’ll leave you dude with a quote from Apocalypse Now. Chef: [mutters something] \*They lined us up in front of a hundred yards of prime rib. All of us, you know, lined up and looking at it. Magnificent meat! Really! Beautifully marbled… magnifique! Next thing, they’re throwing the meat into these big cauldrons. All of it, boiling it. I looked inside, man, and it was turning gray. I couldn’t fuckin’ believe that one! \* ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-filet-mignon-well-done/746942/129 "2016-02-26T19:01:56Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Bourdain is a heavy smoker and insists upon smoking while cooking, so obviously he cant taste anything either. Nor does he care that the food he serves tastes like ciggies. He stopped smoking years ago. ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-filet-mignon-well-done/746942/130 "2016-02-26T19:20:37Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Bourdain is a heavy smoker and insists upon smoking while cooking, so obviously he cant taste anything either. Nor does he care that the food he serves tastes like ciggies. > [@madsircool](#): > > He stopped smoking years ago. Yeah but that wasn’t in his book, so it doesn’t count. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-filet-mignon-well-done/746942/131 "2016-02-26T19:36:33Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Fuck all you pretentious steak snobs! I enjoy my filet well done. I’ve had it rare, medium rare and just about every possible way. It’s primarily the texture I find revolting; squishy, squirmy, barf. Pretty much the same here. Alternatively, I’ll endure squishy steak, but I’ll drown it in A-1, horseradish, au jus, and dill relish (ideally all at the same time). Of course that opens up a whole other conflict with the foodier-than-thou types. I’ve never met a prime rib fillet that wasn’t enjoyed better when it was cooked, carmelized, shredded, sauced, and served on a bun 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-filet-mignon-well-done/746942/132 "2016-02-26T19:39:52Z")
> [@choie](#): > > Yeah but that wasn’t in his book, so it doesn’t count. **Mods** : would someone please spoiler this shit.:mad: ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-filet-mignon-well-done/746942/133 "2016-02-26T19:44:51Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > **Mods** : would someone please spoiler this shit.:mad: WtF? 😕😕 ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-filet-mignon-well-done/746942/134 "2016-02-26T19:53:26Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > WtF? 😕😕 Woooooooooooosh ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-filet-mignon-well-done/746942/135 "2016-02-26T20:16:25Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > The thing about people saying that all well done steak tastes the same is that they admittedly don’t like well done steak and haven’t eaten very many. It’s hard to tell the difference between similar things that you don’t like, and it’s hard to tell if you’ve not eaten very many. You are in absolutely the worst position to make that claim. > > Guess what? I thought the exact same thing about how you like your steak. I’ve tasted it a few places and thought it all tasted the same. The cut of the meat didn’t matter, since the “uncooked” taste overrode everything else. But I learned that some people like it and can tell the difference. So I don’t go around telling people that they are wasting their money not getting a fully cooked steak. > > Of course someone who likes it will be able to taste the difference due to the fat content. I have from time to time cooked a steak more than I wanted to. I can tell the difference. It wasn’t bad enough to be fully well done, but I somehow don’t think the taste was going to get better with more cooking. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-filet-mignon-well-done/746942/136 "2016-02-26T20:18:46Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Woooooooooooosh I’m not sure who is whooshing who here. but Bourdain was describing common practice, not just what he did. And IIRC they didn’t substitute different cuts (which even someone with deficient taste buds could notice) but used the worst product of the requested type they could find. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-filet-mignon-well-done/746942/137 "2016-02-26T20:23:13Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Yes, and that chef is stealing from and defrauding the customer. In fact, it’s part of the reason the whole thing is upsetting. Sure, some yahoo doesn’t like how I eat my steak. They’re being classist snobs, but it doesn’t really affect me. > > The fact that chefs and bartenders and such justify this bullshit is why it’s a big deal. They are morally deficient people. You have a job to give people what they paid for, even if you think their choice is deficient. > > Even if there was no discernible difference, that’s not your fucking call. If you want to offer me something less than what I ordered, then you have to renegotiate with me. You are violating the agreement we made. > > Should I have an old person who barely understands computers pay for a top of the line computer and give them a crappy one? Sure, they may not know the difference. I may think they are wasting their high end graphics card playing solitaire or Candy Crush. It’s still absolutely fucking wrong. If you want to give them less because you think they’ll need less, you negotiate with them to try and get them to buy something cheaper. > > If you can’t give people what they paid for, you give them the money back, instead of fucking stealing it. I agree. Imagine paying a thousand dollars for a 100% gold bracelet. The merchant gives you a 50% gold bracelet that looks exactly the same. We’d all call it fraud. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-filet-mignon-well-done/746942/138 "2016-02-26T21:27:50Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > I’m not sure who is whooshing who here. but Bourdain was describing common practice, not just what he did. And IIRC they didn’t substitute different cuts (which even someone with deficient taste buds could notice) but used the worst product of the requested type they could find. Which is entirely reasonable, if you ask me. That’s not much different from the way that say… fruit farmers use the ugly/beat up fruit for juicing and jam making, while they save the pretty stuff to be sold fresh. Cooking a steak well done will erase a multitude of sins in a steak regarding tenderness, dryness, etc… that cooking it rare will not. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2016, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-filet-mignon-well-done/746942/139 "2016-02-27T01:30:33Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Woooooooooooosh Uh oh, you’re in for it now. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2016, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-filet-mignon-well-done/746942/140 "2016-02-27T09:33:17Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Once?😕 Just go out and get some. It ain’t Wagyu. You seem to think the reason I’ve only ever tried it once has something to do with its cost. But that’s not the reason. Unfortunately, I don’t want to explain much more and I hope you will accept the reason has nothing personal to do with you. Honest. It’s just something personal about me. There is a common expression people seem to be using more and more lately. I think it sounds really silly. Have you heard this recently? “It’s a \*\*me \*\*thing. Not a **you** thing.” I hear people say something like that more and more often lately and I just think it sounds really silly. Anyway, that’s the reason I don’t want to explain much more. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-filet-mignon-well-done/746942.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-filet-mignon-well-done/746942.md?page=8)