And outside of the theory that working to find methods of preparing both styles of meat hasn’t come to be due to historical class issues (and which I clearly stated was a basic hypothesis), I don’t see what I have made up. I’m sure there is a factual difference between gristle and fat and simply I had never realised I was being served meat with gristle, but there is nothing factual about mouthfeel or how fat carries flavor. There may be a majority opinion on those two items, but that still doesn’t mean that the minority is wrong.
To you the “meat” flavor may come out more by adding fat, but for me it comes out more by increasing the amount of salt and the fat just waters (or oils) it down. Part of that is just an opinion of what “meat” flavor is–to me it is a predominately salty flavor while as to you it might be something more buttery. Certainly I feel that dipping lobster in melted butter, again, oils out the flavor of the lobster and again, we’re talking $50-$100 lobsters at Canlis, Ruth’s Chris, Metropolitan, etc. so it’s not a matter that I just haven’t had a chance to experience a properly broiled lobster. But neither of us is right–the only difference is that one of us has a tongue that corresponds to the majority.
But, as someone who can’t perform, and who hasn’t read any studies on blind-tests of people who have never been subdued to popular culture and its cuisine, I have no reason to prefer the idea that in a world where everyone thoroughly loves pizza and yet would never willingly pay the same price for it as they would for steak tar tar, that what is considered the “best” food has to do with tastebuds more than it has to do with history. As such, I hypothesized on the history angle. If you disagree, again fine, but still either way we’re talking about opinions. And until such time as God shall come down and proclaim one of us right, anyone going about saying their opinion is the only truth probably needs to do some more thinking.
That’s not what you’ve said. You’ve presented spurious arguments based on uninformed assumptions to “prove” that meat actually tastes better, objectively, the way you like it, and anyone who says differently is a gullible fool. That’s snobbery.
Horsefeathers. It’s in the drinks that the restaurant makes its money. If the chef finds a tough piece of meat that he doesn’t want to serve to his favored customers, then he should get an adjustment from his meat supplier. A proud chef shouldn’t hate his customers, they’re the ones putting food on his plates. If I order a cut of steak well done, I should get the same piece of meat that anyone else would get. Anything less is consumer fraud.
That may be, but trust me, as a business owner you look at every piece of inventory with an eye toward at least not LOSING any money on it. Just because you make a profit on item A, does NOT mean you’re gonna be cavalier about “eating” item B. A small business owner will agonize over sending ANY inventory to the trash bin.
That’s not always an option; not all merchandise is infinitely returnable. This is especially the case with perishables.
No more than putting aside cracked eggs for diners who order scrambled, it isn’t.
Another perspective: if I’m a painter and a guy comes to my show with upholstery swatches, and loudly proclaims he doesn’t give a shit what my work is about, he just read somewhere I was a good investment and I use a lot of beige, you would certainly not expect me to reserve my BEST pieces for him. Nor would you call such consideration fraud.
Here is one cite for the proper way to cook steaks well done. It’s all about the prep, the heat, the time, and careful tending for proper heat distribution. It may be impractical to do in a busy restaurant, but then that’s what the restaurant ought to say. Instead of a snooty disclaimer about well done steaks, it ought to put on its menu, “We frankly can’t be bothered to prepare steaks for you the way you like them.”
Wow, this is like a declaw your cats thread. Who knew there was such seething rage in the medium rare/well done debate.
A lot of people have made this argument and I don’t get it. You’re ordering let’s say it’s a delmonico (my personal favorite). The chef is not serving you a bit of round steak and calling it a delmonico, he’s not got a special stock of lower grade beef that he purchased especially for the rubes, he’s choosing the least of his stock which will all be the same grade/same cut. And all cost him exactly the same.
On the other hand, you the (always right, ha) customer, are demanding he spend more time cooking, use more of his finite resources on the grill top, and use more heat energy. So in actuality you are getting a better value, albeit with a worse end result. There is no increase in price to allay this. Now I don’t have any cites to back me up, but I’ll take a flyer and say the extra cost in preparing the well done steak is greater that the slight lowering is quality of cut you are so jones up on callng fraud.
Oh and
Oh man. You overcook and over salt your meat? To paraphrase my ex “Honey, you just don’t know what’s good.”
Cooking meat weller causes it to have a more salty flavor. You can test this cheaper and faster with bacon, just cook it till it’s brown and it is pretty much all salt.
Well then you’re reading ways and miles more into my text than seems reasonable. So, as is the beef, so is how you choose to interpret my posts: Enjoy it the way you like it.
No I think he’s practicing discrimination. It would be like “we don’t have lesser books for the black students, we just let them have the dog eared ones that the white students don’t want.”
The energy of the grill is a non-factor. It stays turned on all day whether he’s got to cook well done steaks or a day full of rare steaks.
And, Bam, he pulls out the race card. Dude, sorry to break it to ya, but as a well done steak orderer, you are not black. You’re the kid who sits in the back of the class making armpit fart noises when the teacher back is turned. And the teacher was warned that you doodle in your books, and last year dropped two of your books in mud puddles, and let your dog chew up another.
Yeah, I was kind of reaching for a ridiculous arguement there. I alway prefer to have three arguements, and make the third just silly. It’s some kind of joke construction thing.
This makes no sense. Bacon is already salted. So, yeah, cooking off the fat helps concentrate the salt flavor. Meat doesn’t come pre-salted out of the cow.
That said, nothing wrong with salt on your steak. I always prepare my steaks with a sprinkle of salt and pepper prior to grilling. Salt helps amplify and meld together flavors. And fat helps carry some of the meaty flavors as well. I don’t understand what kind of steaks you’re eating, but a good steak perpared to medium rare should not be gristly or have a fatty mouthfeel.
It’s like the art department will use a book to cut up and make a collage with. Being dog eared will not matter because the collage and it’s audience will never notice that the book cover was bent after the book is cut to ribbons.
Rather then give Sally the bent cover dog eared book and give the brand new one to the art dept. it’s obvious what the better use of materials is.
Some of you well done fans seem to be the art department on a bizarre rant, insisting that you deserve the new book as much as Sally does. Sally is a snob for thinking new books are better than dog eared ones…now she might even be a racist. :eek: :eek:
Far be it from me to argue with a man in cattle country, but check out this link. The notion of tenderness is commonly associated with beef that is closer to rare, not well done.
It’s the same in North Carolina. In fact, some otherwise nice restaurants take this to mean that hamburgers may not be served below well done. I’ve had numerous occasions where I’ve told the waiter/waitress how I would like my burger cooked (medium) only to be told that they only cook burgers well done.
Personally, I could not care less whether my taste is sophisticated or not. I eat my steak just this side of raw, but would rather have Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, or iced tea than wine with my meal. I don’t like olives or caviar, but I do like peanut butter on crackers.
I was raised on well done meats and my mother still eats everything cooked twice as long as I would cook it. It’s all personal taste, and that’s fine with me. You eat things the way you like, and I’ll eat them the way I like… fair enough?
lissener, I’ve agreed with much of what you’ve posted regarding the science around a good steak. I just want to point out that one of the least marbled pieces of beef is also a highly prized cut; the tenderloin (where one gets filet mignon). And while some will add fat (such as wrapping bacon around the exterior), it can be cooked with no more than a hot cast iron pan, some salt and a little canola oil (so you can get it off the pan). Sear the exterior, then move to the oven until desired doneness. Personally, I use a thermometer to get it right. I haven’t got the touch thing down, and I’ll only experiment on less expensive cuts of beef.
The method of cooking linked to later in this thread (She Knows website) just tells a very common method of cooking steaks. I use it quite often for thicker cuts, and still only cook to medium rare.
If you like your steaks past medium, fine by me. Should you visit for dinner, you’ll be filling up much more on the side dishes. I’d expect the same should I visit you.
Flank and skirt steaks can be cooked through and still be tender, and it’s not because of any marinade. Marinade has very little, if any, effect on tenderness. It does add flavor. With these steaks, how you cut them (thin, on a bias, against the grain) goes a long way to diminishing the tough texture of a medium well / well done steak.