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You're not going to see "PROOF" until someone sits 1000 people (or whatever N needs to be to make the study valid) down and does a double blind taste test.
That's never going to happen.
But it sounds tasty.
You're not going to see "PROOF" until someone sits 1000 people (or whatever N needs to be to make the study valid) down and does a double blind taste test.
That's never going to happen.
But it sounds tasty.
All I'm saying is that no one was even arguing about this until a (medium rare-preferring) chef brought up the practice and explained it in a scornful matter. That's what makes me skeptical.
All I'm saying is that no one was even arguing about this until a (medium rare-preferring) chef brought up the practice and explained it in a scornful matter. That's what makes me skeptical.
Skeptical of what? That it happens? You have at least two chefs in this thread confirming it, and if you want go read Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential, he talks about the practice as well ...
In fact I quoted that section of Bourdain's book in an older thread here, so I dug it back up. Here is what he had to say in that classic book of his:
"Saving for well done" is a time-honored tradition dating back to cuisine's earliest days: meat and fish cost money. Every piece of cut, fabricated food must, ideally, be sold at three or even four times its cost in order for the chef to make his "food cost percent." So what happens when the chef finds a tough, slightly skanky end-cut of sirloin that's been pushed repeatedly to the back of the pile? He can throw it out, but that's a total loss, representing a three-fold loss of what it cost him per pound. He can feed it to the family, which is the same as throwing it out. Or he can "save for well-done" - serve it to some rube who prefers to eat his meat or fish incinerated into a flavorless, leathery hunk of carbon, and who won't be able to tell if what he's eating is food or flotsam. Ordinarily a proud chef would hate this customer, hold him in contempt for destroying his fine food. But not in this case. The dumb bastard is paying for the privilege of eating his garbage! What's not to like?
It seems I need to be concerned every time I go to a restaurant - if I order the fish special on Sunday will the chef think I'm a "rube" because no one in their right mind would order fish in a restaurant on a Sunday - it's OLD. And since I'm a rube let's just give him the stinkiest piece of fish.
Also, everyone knows only "rubes" order the special cuz the chef is just trying to get rid of something that isn't popular. Don't worry about that "special" - just toss it on the plate, after-all a "rube" ordered it.
And only a "rube" would listen to the server's recommendations cuz the chef has ordered way too much of one thing and not enough of another and hopes the server can trick the customer into ordering what needs to move. "I have two "rube" cube-steak, I mean custom filet specials - well-done."
I've kept my mouth shut on this whole "well-done is for fools" thread, but I'm thinking the "rube" is the chef who thinks he/she is in control.
I say to every chef listening - pray your only problem is having to serve those who order a steak well-done. Heaven forbid the customers catch-on to the real game going on behind the scenes. You have opened Pandora's Box in your open disdain for paying customers.
It seems I need to be concerned every time I go to a restaurant - if I order the fish special on Sunday will the chef think I'm a "rube" because no one in their right mind would order fish in a restaurant on a Sunday - it's OLD. And since I'm a rube let's just give him the stinkiest piece of fish.
Also, everyone knows only "rubes" order the special cuz the chef is just trying to get rid of something that isn't popular. Don't worry about that "special" - just toss it on the plate, after-all a "rube" ordered it.
And only a "rube" would listen to the server's recommendations cuz the chef has ordered way too much of one thing and not enough of another and hopes the server can trick the customer into ordering what needs to move. "I have two "rube" cube-steak, I mean custom filet specials - well-done."
I've kept my mouth shut on this whole "well-done is for fools" thread, but I'm thinking the "rube" is the chef who thinks he/she is in control.
I say to every chef listening - pray your only problem is having to serve those who order a steak well-done. Heaven forbid the customers catch-on to the real game going on behind the scenes. You have opened Pandora's Box in your open disdain for paying customers.
I'm thinking you're right! I mean how in hell do you know what's best when you're actually given different quality cuts according to your choice! Like the "tip well"... or we'll spit in your food threat! May the real "rubes" step forward!
Skeptical of what? That it happens? You have at least two chefs in this thread confirming it, and if you want go read Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential, he talks about the practice as well ...
No, skeptical of people being able to tell the difference.
You are mixing up your statements. There are palates that are better able to distinguish flavors and there well may be more flavors in a med rare steak. But, to state that the additional flavor is superior is not a given. More flavor <> superior taste. The amount of flavor and distinguishing ability in a palate may objective but taste is subjective. For me, mint ice cream has much more flavor than vanilla ice cream but, since that flavor is a nasty, nasty thing, it is inferior.
Bravo! Well said. Everyone who feels the medium/rare meat has more flavor don't realize that it is EXACTLY that flavor that is unpleasant to those who like meat well done.
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I mean how in hell do you know what's best when you're actually given different quality cuts according to your choice! 
Like the "tip well"... or we'll spit in your food threat! 
May the real "rubes" step forward!
