javajoint wrote:
oneandahalf wrote:
As someone in culinary school, I understand how it can be completely frustrating for a chef to cook meat well-done, especially at a finer restaurant. They are usually buying the best prime cuts of meat with beautiful marbling, and especially with cuts like tenderloin, they are often losing money because the food cost is much higher.

The fact of the matter is, the longer you cook a piece of meat, the more the proteins coagulate and the more "juice" (actually that beautiful marbled fat is what makes a steak juicy) cooks out of the meat. This does make the meat tougher. I recommend checking out any of Harold McGee's books for anyone who wants to understand the science behind it.

So my point is, from a chef's perspective, when they cook a steak well-done, they aren't cooking it the way to best showcase that ingredient. And like, PudgieBelly said, they often find it an insult to their talent. Chefs often see themselves as artists, and most people don't realize how much time goes into the creation of a single dish.

BUT, as much as it may irritate a chef, a good chef still realizes he's in the hospitality industry and the best way to make money is to accommodate your customer. A good chef will have no problem making any sort of concession for a customer, no matter how much they may disagree.

I like your answer. Very informative and very diplomatic.

I, myself prefer it medium well done when I go out. When I make it myself, I make it well done. My brother, on the other hand, loves it rare. When we go out, we tease each other on the way we prefer our steaks. He tells me I destroy the deliciousness of my steak while I tease him that his "steak" still moos, laugh.gif. What irates me are the waiters who speak out. That's one way of getting tipped less.

  

I completely agree! Like I said, in the restaurant business, your customer is what keeps you afloat. Why would you argue that you know better than them? They're the ones paying your bills, you should do whatever they ask and keep your opinions to yourself. I saw a few good examples for this at the restaurant I'm interning at this summer. The chef told me, "You don't open a restaurant to cook the food you want to cook--you open a restaurant to make money." So true!

Also, a waitress came back visibly frustrated because she had a vegan customer and this is certainly not a vegan restaurant. The chef joked to give her some pork, but then off the top of his head he created a beautiful vegan dish just for this customer with fresh asparagus, ramps, peas, mushrooms, and rice. That's what being a chef is all about.

But I will still hold fast to my opinion that a rare or mid-rare steak is where it's at. Oh, and not to be a pain in the ass, but the idea of searing meat to seal in the juices is actually a myth. Here's an interesting video from Harold McGee:



I'm really not trying to be annoying or snobby or anything, I just love this stuff. I think food science is so interesting.