"I'll have my steak well done, please."

[electrolux137]

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/Rant Mode On/

I absolutely do not understand the stubborn arrogance of some chefs in their refusal to grill steak to well done.

If you dare to ask for "well done" in some restaurants, the chef will sometimes come out to the table to glare at the diner who dared make such a request. If he doesn't flat-out refuse to cook it well done, he'll send out a piece of charred meat that looks like burned-up shoe leather.

Sometimes when I ask for "well done," the meat arrives at the table so rare that it's practically still mooing. If I send it back to get cooked some more, it comes back looking like a chunk of charred lava.

I am very sensitive to the sight of blood. I don't even like seeing pinkish meat, whether it be a $7 burger or a $70 prime rib. I've always been that way. Worse, if there is uncooked blood oozing out of the meat I cannot eat it.

Why is it not possible to get a piece of steak that is cooked all the way to the center without the smart-ass chef burning the crap out of it? I'm paying for the damn meat; what's it to them how I want it cooked? This really does gall me.

/Rant Mode Off/

 

[tolivac]

I don't ask for well done-some "chefs" may cook your order in a cremation furnace adn serve it to you in an urn!

 

[countryguy]

You are the customer, have ordered something that can be prepared according to your tastes and therefore the chef should prepare it how you like it. If it is done any other way, then I would not be paying for the meal. It is the same thing when ordering eggs and you want them fried but without a runny yoke....if it was served runny..I'd be sending them back.

 

[kenkart]

That steak you pictured!

Is PERFECT!!! I don't want hamburger rare, but a nice bloody steak is wonderful...nevertheless, if you want to eat a steak well done, you are paying for it so you should be able to get it burned black if that's what you want...im a vampire, give me mine extra rare!!LOL

 

[s31463221]

Well Done

"Burn it if you have to...." I used to say that when I ordered my steaks, as I too cannot stand the sight of blood coming from my food, I don't like my eggs runny, and I don't want my steaks half-done. Of course, like you mentioned, I ran afoul of one of those hateful cooks (I wouldn't even call them a chef the way they acted), that sent out a half-raw piece of steak that made my stomach do somersaults. I sent it back, and in a few minutes I received a piece of charcoal.....YUCK! In that instance, I did complain to a manager and my meal (what little I could eat of it) was free due to the condition of it. Needless to say, I haven't darkened the door of that establishment again. There are a few places that I can go that seem to understand that the customer is the one who is ordering the food, eating the food, and ultimately paying for the food, so fix it the way they want it! I frequent those places most often. I've even noticed that some of the menus have a little disclaimer at the bottom stating something to the point that they do not recommend ordering well-done steaks....when I see that, I steer completely away from the steak section and look for something else that they might not screw up for me! You know, a good steak, prime rib, etc. can cost a very pretty penny, when I'm making the decision to purchase a good steak, I expect it to be the way I want it! Oh well, as with most things, customer service just isn't what it used to be!

 

[human]

I don't like my steaks 'well done', which to my taste is a contradiction in terms, but it is reasonable to expect it to be done well. For me, that's lightly seared on the outside and pink (not raw) in the middle with juices running clear.

Restaurants around here are somewhat limited in how they can prepare a steak or a burger as local health regulations require meat to be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 140 degrees F. Pork and poultry have to be cooked to 160 degrees. Some restaurants are better about following that than others.

 

[gottahaveahoove]

It looks like dinner at Joan Crawford's house.

I like thingswell-done... not burnt. I got a steak once , and was asked how it was. I told him, "With a little care this thing could have recovered".

 

[kirbysthebest]

In my opinion some Chefs can be a little too domineering.  Yes they are the food masters, but if you don't like it the way they want to fix it, then since you are the paying guest it should be able to receive your food the way you ordered it.


 


I actually like my steaks cooked the way it is pictured, but if you don't it should be cooked to your preference.


 


Would a Chef insist on serving shrimp to someone that is allergic to shell fish?  I work with a man that is Jehovah's Witness.  They are not allowed to consume blood, so their food has to be cooked where no blood is present.   Tell the Chef you are a witness, and call the owner/manager if he refuses.   Or better yet walk out. 


 


 

 

[dysonman1]

I can understand why a good steakhouse would have difficulty making a steak to well done. The salamander (broiler) and grill they use in a GOOD steakhouse has a very high heat - unlike a griddle (flat top). It was designed to take a good steak to medium rare in about five minutes. It was designed to give that steak a 'crust' within those very few minutes.

Cooking a steak to well done under such high heat will inevitably give you charcoal on the outside before the middle is done.

To cook a steak to well done without burning it, requires a flat top and a much lower heat.

OR, if it's a boneless cut like a Rib Eye, ask them to butterfly it for you. They can still cook it under the salamander, in the same amount of time, and it will be well done without being burned.

My late long time partner, David, would order Filet Mignon "well done". Like you, he hated the sight of red meat (blood). I always told the waiter to 'butterfly' the steak, and David never got one that was charcoal.

As for me, Medium Rare!!!!

 

[suckolux]

Just one of the reasons I seldom eat out! Cheap as hell sure, but if I can cook better than they can? We have a problem. I can solve most all cooking issues, they are a paid chef, lets hope? Should be able to make a customer happy. Otherwise maybe its a prep chef doing the main work. Not my problem, theirs.

 

[kirbysthebest]

Though I have never seen a restaurant kitchen equipped with only a salamander for cooking.


 


I would still say that a chef that is unwilling, or unable to prepare the food as the customer requests will not be a chef for long.  Even Gordon Ramsey, the Jack A** he is believes in serving the customer what he wants.


 


 

 

[tolivac]

I have my own "Salemander" oven-My GE Advantium oven does the job well-and I control the machine!

 

[dustin]

I like mine around medium well to well done, but I don't have a problem eating it medium or medium rare, I just don't care to see it bleeding on my plate or mooing and walking off! I have never had a problem getting anything cooked the way I like it, but I usually ask for "well done but not burned". I have no problems cooking a steak well done without turning it to a charcoal briquette. On the grill, start with the highest heat to sear it, then turn it down to medium or low ish depending on how thick the piece is. I don't claim to be a gourmet chef, but I can cook a steak (or hamburger or whatever) however someone asks for it. And if someone can't do that, they should probably set down the fork and step away from the grill!