The politics of ordering a steak

I guess it’s time to post another blog...In the past month or so it’s been a bit hectic in my flat as one evening I decided to cook chips in hot oil and fall asleep resulting in 2 fire engines outside my building and a trip to hospital...certainly not the way Mum did things!

Anyway, now everything is right as rain...

So lately I have been training as a chef in a French brasserie in order to further understand how a professional kitchen operates. The menu consists of your classic French dishes including Escargots de Bourgogne au beurre à l’ail as well as Foie gras de canard maison mi-cuit and of course Tartare de boeuf façon. The menu proves to be popular with entertaining city types in Central London however by far the most popular dish is l’entrecôte Ecossaise (Scottish ribeye).

One of the skills I have been taught is knowing when a steak is rare, medium or well done without tearing it apart to see inside. This got me thinking how people react when stating how they like their meat cooked...

Blue...I once heard a customer say “I like my steak killed and then dragged through a warm kitchen, that’s cooked enough for me!” The ‘blue’ customer is always modest about his/her choice. He/she knows what they are getting into and will be quite experienced in the ‘steak eating/ordering’ field.

Rare...People who order a steak rare like to make a huge point of it as if they are somewhat proud of themselves. They will also pass comments to other people at the table if they order a steak well done and express their disgust (generalising here massively but you get my point).

Medium rare...34% of Londoners will order this way making it the most popular choice. M/R is respectable whilst not too daring if the consumer is still a little squeamish.

Medium...Play it safe, go medium...

Medium Well...dangerous territory now. When you start ordering over medium you will get judgemental stares from your other diners and also you waiter/waitress. I believe that more often than not these customers just don’t realise what they are missing out on. Next time you have a nice pink steak insist on making our M/W friends try it...they might just convert.

Well done...A swear word to chefs. During my training in the kitchen I have been instructed to “throw the steak on the grill and forget about it!” The cost of a decent steak in London is anywhere between £15 and £30 (sometimes more) depending on where you go. It’s usually the priciest item on the menu. In my opinion eating a well done steak is like setting fire to money...neither are enjoyable experiences! One other point about a well done steak is it will hold the rest of the table up due to the fact that all the dishes will arrive at the same time. A well done steak takes a while to cook therefore the table will wait making you more unpopular.

As a child I was taught basic table manners...elbows on table...asking to be excused...not slurping a drink...etc...however it was later in life when the old man introduced me to a rare steak, a lesson in life that I wish was taught at a much younger age!