# Sent a Steak Back to Kitchen and Got Same Steak in Return **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [September 19, 2024, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sent-a-steak-back-to-kitchen-and-got-same-steak-in-return/1007456 "2024-09-19T03:46:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Frosted\_Glass](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frosted_glass/32/3926_2.png) [@Frosted\_Glass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frosted_Glass)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2024, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sent-a-steak-back-to-kitchen-and-got-same-steak-in-return/1007456/141 "2024-09-22T15:56:06Z")
Pizza doesn’t need to by NY/NJ style for me to enjoy it. The options aren’t always as plentiful, but I’ve always found good pizza outside of the tri-state. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2024, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sent-a-steak-back-to-kitchen-and-got-same-steak-in-return/1007456/142 "2024-09-22T15:57:54Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Anyway, the question was why would anyone return a (slightly) improperly cooked steak, not the sequence of events with the server. The difference is enough that we would leave the inner third of the filet mignon on the plate because it’s inedible to us. That’s a waste of food. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2024, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sent-a-steak-back-to-kitchen-and-got-same-steak-in-return/1007456/143 "2024-09-22T16:01:07Z")
I feel like I keep getting called out on questioning the steak return when that was never my position. I was responding to a different post asking about it… > [@Die\_Capacitrix](#): > > Waiter says to cut into the steaks to make sure they are cooked as requested. > > All four look the same. > [@DrDeth](#): > > Wait, why would you send any of those steaks back? I do not understand? > [@Jophiel](#): > > He didn’t specify but I had the impression… Y’all explaining to the wrong person 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2024, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sent-a-steak-back-to-kitchen-and-got-same-steak-in-return/1007456/144 "2024-09-22T16:08:18Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Y’all explaining to the wrong person 😃 My apologies. I misread. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2024, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sent-a-steak-back-to-kitchen-and-got-same-steak-in-return/1007456/145 "2024-09-22T19:39:50Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > asking _before_ the people with the mis-cooked steaks could even ask for a re-do. So they ate their mis-cooked steaks, suffering in silence. Again, if those steaks were miscooked, it was within the normal margin of error. If you order medium and get what you think is medium rare- unless you are paying huge $$ for that, the difference is a matter of opinion, not fact. > [@Die\_Capacitrix](#): > > We noticed that all four were the same, even though two should have been cooked a bit longer. So, two steaks that were ordered medium were medium rare? And you sent them back??? ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2024, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sent-a-steak-back-to-kitchen-and-got-same-steak-in-return/1007456/146 "2024-09-22T19:43:43Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > So, two steaks that were ordered medium were medium rare? And you sent them back??? If you can’t eat red/pinkish-red in the middle, you can’t eat red/pinkish-red in the middle. Of course they were sent back. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2024, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sent-a-steak-back-to-kitchen-and-got-same-steak-in-return/1007456/147 "2024-09-22T19:50:40Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > If you can’t eat red/pinkish-red in the middle, you can’t eat red/pinkish-red in the middle. Then they should have ordered medium well. IMHO if the steak is within one step of what you ordered, the difference is a matter of opinion. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2024, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sent-a-steak-back-to-kitchen-and-got-same-steak-in-return/1007456/148 "2024-09-22T19:57:38Z")
Why would she order medium well if she wanted medium? And why did the waiter make a big production out of it being just how she wanted it? You should worry about your own steak. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2024, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sent-a-steak-back-to-kitchen-and-got-same-steak-in-return/1007456/149 "2024-09-23T21:20:55Z")
If a steak is slightly overcooked, I’ll eat it and whine, because it feels wasteful to ask for a fresh steak. But if a steak is undercooked, why not send it back? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2024, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sent-a-steak-back-to-kitchen-and-got-same-steak-in-return/1007456/150 "2024-09-23T21:42:02Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > But if a steak is undercooked, why not send it back? Because you will sit there and eat nothing, while you table either eats - or is over polite and sits there while their food gets cold. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2024, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sent-a-steak-back-to-kitchen-and-got-same-steak-in-return/1007456/151 "2024-09-23T21:48:16Z")
But when your did returns, you’ll have palatable food. I guess it’s it were a job interview and i mostly cared about the other people at the table and not about my meal, I’d just eat it. But it’s I’m dining with friends, i want to enjoy my food. (I’m a rare food person. I’ve never sent anything back for being undercooked. A raw bit of catfish in the thick part? Hmm, I’ll give it a try. Turns out cooked catfish is tastier… But my husband likes his food fully cooked. So do some of my friends. Some of them find my rare food to be disgusting. They should get food they like.) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2024, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sent-a-steak-back-to-kitchen-and-got-same-steak-in-return/1007456/152 "2024-09-23T21:52:19Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > But when your did returns, you’ll have palatable food. I have never found that a steak within one level of requested isnt palatable. Sure, order medium well and get rare or medium rare- send it back. But the difference between medium and medium rare are debatable. People argue over that all the time. And I am not sure the average eater could tell the difference with any degree of certainty. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2024, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sent-a-steak-back-to-kitchen-and-got-same-steak-in-return/1007456/153 "2024-09-23T21:59:55Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > And I am not sure the average eater could tell the difference with any degree of certainty. Well, the person who posted it could, and I’m not going to call her self-deluded or a liar. Are you? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2024, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sent-a-steak-back-to-kitchen-and-got-same-steak-in-return/1007456/154 "2024-09-23T22:04:37Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > > [@puzzlegal](#): > > > > But when your did returns, you’ll have palatable food. > > I have never found that a steak within one level of requested isnt palatable Tastes vary. I find a few slices of bell pepper will completely ruin a stew and make it inedible. I’m in a minority. I don’t know how many people have a hard cutoff of degree of doneness, but I’m certain some do. In fact, someone who posted in this very thread does. It seems beyond bizarre to argue their personal experience. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2024, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sent-a-steak-back-to-kitchen-and-got-same-steak-in-return/1007456/155 "2024-09-23T22:07:19Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > But the difference between medium and medium rare are debatable. This is true. Depending on what source you go by, medium rare is generally around 130-135. But I’ve seen it as high as 140. Some say perfect medium rare is 130. Some say 135. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2024, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sent-a-steak-back-to-kitchen-and-got-same-steak-in-return/1007456/156 "2024-09-23T22:28:09Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > A lot of people are fairly non-confrontational. Yep. > [@Odesio](#): > > I suspect a lot of people are afraid of escalating the situation and being retaliated against. Often, we just don’t care all that much. I don’t get road rage, pretty much ever and food has to be pretty bad for me to send it back. I like my steaks med-rare. If the steak is black and blue, I’ll send it back because near-raw steak is inedible to me (now, different when I was young). But med-rare, great. Medium, perfectly fine. Medium-well? Eh, whatever- not awesome, but I can live with it. Well done? Long sigh and maybe I’ll mention something to the server, but I don’t want it thrown out and wasted. I just eat it and drag what enjoyment I can from the salt and Maillard reaction 😉. I’ve sent back bloody chicken wings and a poached egg dish that developed a water bubble during the cooking process that subsequently drowned my breakfast when it burst. Short of something like that, I just eat what I get and avoid the place in the future if they suck more than once in a blue moon. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2024, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sent-a-steak-back-to-kitchen-and-got-same-steak-in-return/1007456/157 "2024-09-23T22:31:46Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Well, we all know restaurant kitchen are bastions of cleanliness. I’ll sleep well knowing my steak is safe. > (😳) The places _ **I** _ worked at were all quite clean. Most times when I interviewed and got to the point where they asked “Anything else?” I’d ask to see the area where I would be working. One time I turned down a job because the place did look crusty. ---
**Author:** ![eulalia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eulalia/32/457_2.png) [@eulalia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eulalia)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2024, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sent-a-steak-back-to-kitchen-and-got-same-steak-in-return/1007456/158 "2024-09-24T15:31:23Z")
That’s why when we go there I order the pork chop. I think they’re way better than the steaks. ---
**Author:** ![Californiabirdie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Californiabirdie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Californiabirdie)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2024, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sent-a-steak-back-to-kitchen-and-got-same-steak-in-return/1007456/159 "2024-09-25T02:40:07Z")
You don’t get it babe. It’s not you, it’s the steak, or sumthin… ---
**Author:** ![Californiabirdie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Californiabirdie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Californiabirdie)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2024, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sent-a-steak-back-to-kitchen-and-got-same-steak-in-return/1007456/160 "2024-09-25T02:47:40Z")
It is totally the usual to take the same steak back, and cook it further. The heat kills any bacteria you may have introduced. Also, from a sustainability point of view- would you really want them to bin an otherwise fine cut of meat? Don’t disrespect the bovine that died for your meal…! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sent-a-steak-back-to-kitchen-and-got-same-steak-in-return/1007456.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sent-a-steak-back-to-kitchen-and-got-same-steak-in-return/1007456.md?page=9)