I honestly can’t think of any.
I have seen a restaurant somewhere where they said on the menu they don’t take responsibility for the steak if you order it well done. I think those are the places that will burn it.
Or well-done customers get the worst cuts. (I’ve heard that)
No it’s not…and it’s a policy at every good steak house anywhere near where I live. My husband also prefers well done steak. When he goes to a restaurant, he orders medium or medium well…because they won’t do well done.
Frankly, I think his well done steak is HIS food crime.
I think that it’s a shame customers can’t get their steak or other meat cooked to the “temperature” they prefer. It’s really the job of the cook to make it however it is requested, IMHO. I used to like my steak more well done but now I settle for medium because I’m OK if it’s medium rare or medium well, but I prefer some pink and not too much dark red. H is OK with medium too because he always hopes it will be medium rare and he will get more of it. Haha!
I expect chefs/restaurants not allowing well done is the exception, rather than the rule. I don’t doubt that some high end steak houses and/or chefs have such a rule, but the overwhelming majority of restaurants/chefs do not. I’ve ordered well done steaks, burgers, and other meats throughout my life. I’ve never had the request rejected, or even had a waiter suggest there is anything negative about the request.
Regarding meat preparation food crimes, I regularly cook frozen salmon filets in the microwave. Through trial and error, I’ve found that salmon is one of only a small minority of fish types that prepares well in the microwave.
Not where I live. We have very high-end steak houses here and my daughter is always able to get it cooked the way she wants.
The restaurant she was at was a small one with a limited menu, so not a traditional steakhouse menu. When she was told that she couldn’t get the filet cooked the way she wanted, she said there were only a few other mains to choose from, none of which she liked, so ended up with a salad and an appetizer.
Well, there are “cooks” and there are “chefs,” and chefs tend to be a haughty, judgmental lot. Though I agree that a patron should be able to get what they want, there are several reasons many chefs do not want to overcook a fine piece of beef:
Loss of flavor: The high heat required for a well-done steak cooks out most of the meat’s natural juices and flavor compounds.
Tough texture: Overcooking causes muscle fibers to contract and tighten, leading to a chewy and tough eating experience.
Inability to appreciate quality meat: A well-done steak masks the quality of the cut, making it difficult to distinguish a high-grade steak from a lower quality one.
And that is definitely true. A chef is not going to waste prime meat on a preparation that removes the distinction.
A true chef considers himself an artist (and honestly some of them really are). I used to go out with an artist. He refused commissions to do things like paint portraits of pets because he saw that as debasing his art. Of course, there are always plenty of artists who are happy to take those commissions. I guess this is kind of similar - the chef wants to be proud of what they produce. If people don’t like it they can go elsewhere I guess, and that is a risk the chef takes.
They do get the worst cuts even at like a chain like Outbacks. A nice thick cut is meant to be cooked rare or medium rare. That way you get a nice sear on the outside and a nice rare inside. If you order well done you’ll have a thinner piece of meat (and it gets tougher–still same weight). They make it so all the steaks come to the table at the same time (at least at Outbacks).
I can see where a chef says no to a filet. The restaurant would get a review saying the filet was “tough and inedible”
Not to get too off subject but perhaps a restaurant with chefs who feel strongly about “no well done” could note this as an “*” on their menu next to the steak or otherwise options??
This is commonly noted on the menus of high-end restaurants everywhere we’ve lived.
As fascinating as this is, perhaps steak preparation can be its own thread
Don’t even get us started! hehe
But it IS the biggest food crime.
LOL, may as well.
I love mustard on a pretzel - I think that is pretty normal (I think they give you mustard packets when you buy one).
I will often put mustard on pizza crust (when is down to dough) because to me, it is the same idea as putting it on a pretzel.
Not sure this counts, but I like fake maple syrup better than the real thing. Specifically Log Cabin brand.
Me too! Real syrup is too sweet for me.
My mom has always made her maple syrup by boiling sugar and water and adding maple flavoring. That’s what I grew up with, so I like it (hey, it’s sweet), but now I prefer the sap. Funny story: When our son was little, he was staying at my mom’s, and she told him she was going to make syrup for his pancakes. While watching, he kindly informed her, “Grandma, that’s not syrup. Syrup comes from trees. Do you have tree syrup?”