287203 Sat May 19 15:16:58 -0700 2001 24 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1543552 At a restaurant, most people know that you can ask for a steak to be cooked 'rare', 'medium', and 'well done'. When someone says 'medium rare', I think that means halfway between medium and rare, right? Can someone confirm that for me? Also, what do you say when you want a steak done halfway between medium and well done? 'Medium well done'? I don't think I've heard someone say that, although I have heard the term 'medium rare'. Are there any other ways to request a steak be cooked? Sat May 19 15:16:58 -0700 2001 0 Stevens 1 1543553 You're right on both counts: medium rare and medium well. Or you can order like I do "bleu" or blue. That just means it's not too late for the veterinarian! Pat Sat May 19 15:36:55 -0700 2001 1543552 0 Pat Hammond 1 1543562 Rare: Cool RED Center Medium Rare: Hot RED Center Medium: Pink Throughout Medium Well: Slight trace of Pink Well Done: Browned throughout. Sun May 20 02:21:16 -0700 2001 1543552 0 Chris 2 1543568 In my experience, if you order a steak medium rare, it's more likely to be pink in the center than red. After trying different ways of communicating with my waiter, I now describe how I want my meat cooked using your definitions of the usual terms, rather than the terms themselves. For example, I'll say "I want my meat well seared on the outside, cold red inside." This seems to communicate more specifically than asking, as I have in the past, "Is rare really rare?" By specifying the color of the meat, if it comes pink in the middle instead of red, it's real clear to the waiter that the kitchen screwed up and the meat goes back without argument. Sun May 20 12:39:05 -0700 2001 1543562 0 Tom Armitage 3 1543571 Very wise. Ordering by color is the best way and really shows how the kitchens chops are that night. Sun May 20 13:51:00 -0700 2001 1543568 0 Chris 4 1543573 I totally agree, as well. Color is the only true way to identify the results, in my experience, as well. And it does keep the kitchen accountable. I always appreciate as much verbal instructions on desired color as possible from customers who really pay attention to this. (It's amazing to me how many don't.) When I order a medium-rare steak, I usually ask for "the rarer-side of medium rare", heated through, seared well & blood red. . . it's perfect all the time. We were out to a popular Steak House here in Napa recently and my husband sent his steak back twice, feeling at $$$$ a plate, he really wanted to enjoy this meal. The waiter was furious with us. I was totally amazed by the whole experience. You specialize in Steaks, you learn to cook them properly, per instruction, in my book . . . right? Sun May 20 15:58:15 -0700 2001 1543571 0 Lucy Gore 5 1543576 Hey Lucy I had a buddy with the same problem with Coles (I assume that was the culprit). Inaccurate results and a surly waiter. I have yet to here kudos for this place (local kudos anyway). Chow!!! Mon May 21 03:18:05 -0700 2001 1543573 0 Brandon Nelson 6 1543601 Yeah, that's the place and it's hard to admit as I really like the owner, Greg Cole. It's back to the thread you recently posted on the SF site on chowhound dining experience. Greg can't be in all places at all times to manage front & back of the house and believe me, it's hard to find help that gives a damn these days. Cooking a decent steak, proper temp. (especially with quality meat) is such basic, focused skill. Mon May 21 22:51:28 -0700 2001 1543576 0 Lucy Gore 5 1543600 How do you deal with it when items are OVERcooked? Seems that every diner I frequent lately is hell-bent on burning meat to a crisp. I rather like medium rare, but I've taken to ordering "rare...very rare...extremely rare". I'm not talking first-class steakhouse here; just a working class diner serving burgers. I hate to complain, or send anything back. An ounce of prevention, right? Last one I went to I was explicit to the point of rudeness: "EXTREMELY rare...do you hear me...EXTREMELY rare". It came out brown as molasses. I am really sick of this!! One place that did this to me three times in a row defended it as "necessary" due to health concerns. Fine, but tell me that at the time I am ORDERING, not after you bring me this dried-out piece of char. Mon May 21 22:09:25 -0700 2001 1543573 0 Rich Levin 6 1543610 I am an fan of rare myself. My problem is that I can never get "Rare" in these chain establishments. I ask for black and blue and the waiter exclaims that the management refuses to serve rare steak fro health reasons. I have no trouble with "real Steakhouses", though. Tue May 22 17:47:14 -0700 2001 1543600 0 Pat I. 7 1543633 No, I have no problem with "real Steakhouses" either. My point was that in a fancy steakhouse, I'd feel more at ease complaining, than at a cheapo diner filled with construction workers. I would like to cut them *SOME* slack. But not enough to burn my "extremely rare...do you hear me...EXTREMELY rare" burger to ashes. And I wasn't speaking of chains. I was talking about the good-ole-Americana diner in the center of Yourtown, USA. Once upon a time/place, these diners were known for having the BEST food in town...but in my recent experience, they can't even get a BURGER (of all things!) right. UGGGHH! Wed May 23 04:01:13 -0700 2001 1543610 0 Rich Levin 8 1543654 I have the same problem with diners but mostly when I order burgers. But then I guess it depends if the burger is a n 8oz hand formed patty or your basic 1/4 inch thick frozen one. I just order it rare and hope for the best. PArt of the problem is you don't have cooks but some teenager working the grill who can't tell doneness. but you're right. I cut them a helluva lot of slack. When I get a burger and it comes with fries, soup, rice pudding and a basket of cheese bread and danish for 5.99 I find it hard to complain. One of the places here (NJ) haD a 16 OZ porterhouse, soup, salad, spanikopita (sp) appetizer, dessert and the huge basket of bread as an early bird specialfor 12.95. The steak was a bit gristly and cooked medium well instead of rare, but jeez... Wed May 23 16:05:22 -0700 2001 1543633 0 pat i. 9 1543659 We're still not on the same page, Pat. I am talking about ***DINERS***. 8oz hand-formed patty is a given. Yet they still burn it to death. If it were a 1/4 thick frozen one (a la McD's), I probably couldn't tell the diff one way or another on the cooking. But it's not, so I can! Cook is a grisly 40-year old ex-Navy cook, complete with tatoos. With a name like "Mel" or "Rocky". I've never seen TEENAGERS cooking in a diner! And what kind of diner is serving rice pudding and "spanikopita" (?) anyway?! I was thinking more along the lines of meat loaf and mashed potatoes. Wed May 23 16:29:35 -0700 2001 1543654 0 Rich Levin 10 1543660 Spanikopita is a greek dish of spinach and feta cheese baked in filo dought. Regarding what kind of diner serves it, well, pretty much every diner in New York City and some surrounding areas. I guarantee you these places are also likely to serve meat loaf and mashed potatoes, and rice pudding to boot. Why spanikopita? They're either owned and run by Greek immigrants (a *long* tradition in NYC), or they're not, but it will be on the menu because diner patrons in the area have come to expect it because Greek diners are so ubiquitous. Rice pudding? Goes with the territoriy. There are more regional variations in straight "American" food than you might think. Wed May 23 17:04:49 -0700 2001 1543659 0 Caitlin McGrath 10 1543670 Although you may live in some metropolis where diners have standardized menus and production methods, in most of the country, diners are privately owned, and it's up to the owner whether they're going to give you an 8 ounce hand-formed patty or a frozen 1/4" one. Wed May 23 20:35:39 -0700 2001 1543659 0 ironmom 10 1543721 Out here in New jersey (I maybe same the same for NYC) are greek-owned with Greek Specialties on the menu along side meatloaf and mash. A lot of the diners in my area can be divided into two burger camps: Frozen patty and hand-formed (to achieve a bigger patty). Neither will ensure correct you correct doneness. It'sa crapshoot. Sorry if I struck a nerve. I was only going by my own experience. Fri May 25 06:38:39 -0700 2001 1543659 0 pat I. 7 1544225 Steak can be served at any temp, even raw, carpaccio anyone? Its the ground beef for burger that cause some health concerns. In order for the bacteria to be kille, the meat has to be cooked to an internal temp of 160 degrees, or medium. South Carolina law stipulates that all gound beef be cooked to med-well. I cook my burgers at home Sun Jun 10 03:39:19 -0700 2001 1543610 0 Em1026 6 1543624 Inexpensive, high-turnover diners and such sometimes seem to par-cook batches of burgers in advance of peak periods and finish the cooking when one gets ordered. On several occasions, having made a sufficient fuss of ordering my burger rare, I received a burger that was indeed rare, but cold. For that matter, a few times I've waited for a table at the little bar at The Palm, just outside the kitchen. At least once, it certainly looked like pre-cooked bodies and claws were reassembled and then broiler-finished just prior to delivery. Tue May 22 20:52:31 -0700 2001 1543600 0 AHR 1 1543570 Stevens All this lingo really has to do with the internal temperature of the meat being served. I have a budddy who is a sous chef (Brix&Postrio) who goes crazy over this issue. People use the terminology without knowing it. Most good cookbooks will give you the proper internal temp for the finished steak. Chow!!! Sun May 20 13:35:26 -0700 2001 1543552 0 Brandon Nelson 1 1543591 I love steaks rare - really rare - bloody rare. I was told by a great waiter once, "order it 'black and blue'!" and I have never had trouble since. It arrives nicely charred on the outside and quivery and raw in the center...mmmmm.... Mon May 21 16:43:27 -0700 2001 1543552 0 Jill-O 2 1544224 pittsbugh style Sun Jun 10 03:31:53 -0700 2001 1543591 0 Em1026 3 1544846 Oh WoW! Are you from the Burgh? I'm from Pittsburgh! And I have to admit that is definitely how I prefer a steak. it leaves all the flavor in that way :) Thu Jun 28 16:21:03 -0700 2001 1544224 0 ali_marea 1 1543639 Hi all, My father would only eat rare beef. And, from him, I learned a great ordering techinque. When the waiter/waitress asked him how he would like his steak cooked, he would say, "I would like my steak cooked...", and then pause. He wouldn't say anything until the server stopped writing, and looked at him. Once dad had, and held, eye contact, he would grin, and say, with the slightest of a nod from his head, "rare", while looking the server straight in the eyes. And, after the meal, he would make the effort to thank the waiter/waitress for insuring that his meal was prepared to his liking, (often, personally giving a few extra bucks to the person, as tip addendum). And, he would ask our server to pass along his thanks to the entire kitchen staff. With this method, it was very seldom that he was ever put in the position of sending his order back. Even when, rarely, his order was overcooked, our server seemed to always be at our table, asking if his steak was cooked to his liking. Again, if he paused, looked at his steak, and cocked his head just a bit to the side, the server was always more than happy to bring him another steak, properly cooked. I saw this method work in resaurants that we frequented, and restuarants in which we were first timers. And, I've adopted this method. For some reason, it works. Yoroshiku, Andy Wed May 23 08:31:18 -0700 2001 1543552 0 Andy P. 1 1545271 Im a chef from england the ways to cook steaks are Blue - Pratically not cooked Rare - Cooked on the outside but raw in the middle Medium Rare - Same but cooked a bit longer Medium - Only a little bit pink in the middle Medium Well - A little less pink Well Done - Cooked through Very Well Done - Burnt cut into the steak a few times and rub a little bit of butter on them and cook them in an oiless pan and you will have perfect steaks every time Thu Aug 23 19:49:24 -0700 2001 1543552 0 Bob 1 4759833 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Well_done I think this will explain you the difference. Ups! I just saw how old the post is... :) Wed Jun 10 09:09:22 -0700 2009 1543552 1082219 kaly_1