Well Done Steaks
A Guest post from Our Man in the Kitchen
Well Done Steaks
Whenever I am asked what I do for a living I tend to find people respond in one of two ways, those who ask and those who tell. Those who ask fall into two categories, the ones who are genuinely interested in food and are a pleasure to talk to and those who want a recipe for lemongrass parfait and expect me to rattle one off the top of my head.
The ones who tell are the “My chocolate nemesis is to die for” brigade, the ones who have six hours on a saturday to make four creme caramels for their dinner party which qualifies them to bash every restaurant that hasn’t got three michelin stars.
One of the most common questions relates to Gordon Ramsay, am I like him, do I throw people out or do I cook well done steaks? The answer is yes I do cook well done steaks and I don’t have a problem with it (apart from when BSE hit the headlines and everyone thought overcooking was the answer to everything) what gets my goat is the ‘very well doners’, the “I’d like my steak cremated” or the hung-over wedding guest on a Sunday who wants their bacon “burnt” or “anihalated”-why?
I can understand a person not wanting to eat rare meat but what pleasure can be gained from choosing the most expensive item on the menu and asking for it to be utterly destroyed and then complain that it is small-well the reason that it is small is because it has taken an hour in an industrial oven to ruin it to your liking-sir!
If you want to be really popular in a restaurant then order a very well done but don’t have a starter so that after the waiter has explained there will be a considerable delay which you agree to-complain about the wait!!
Rod said,
September 8, 2006 @ 6:58 pm
Gordon may ask diners to leave but has he ever taken a member of his kitchen staff outside and punched them ?
I know someone who has
Still it is all some people understand and probably comes under the heading
‘verbal warning’
in the kitchen disciplinary handbook
Vahid , said,
September 9, 2006 @ 11:30 am
Hello Sirs ,
Nice to see great Chef back on site ,
I to have problems with the steak but only in UK ,
Back home we have the steak rare , it proper food for proper men .
I the other day have to cook for comedian ” well he think he is ” he want rare on one side and well done on the other
as he not sure how he like it !
I think he take the mikey .
I see also mention of a thumping , this happen in kitchen !
Back home I tell the chef always , you need to relieve yourself when you suffer the stress
get rid of the work load , he very happy then !
It always a big weight off his mind when he delegate as you say jobs to others.
Perhaps when you get the difficult customer you too should relieve yourself
have a deep breath , smile and delegate to
another member of staff !
I sure once you do this it become a regular habit in the kitchen ! ,
I hope this help , as you say i am always ready to offer a hand, i works very hard ,
Vahid ,
I work in kitchen today
Our Man in the Kitchen said,
September 9, 2006 @ 4:46 pm
Dear Vahid,
Thankyou for your concern but I am fortunate to be able to call upon the services of the Chapman Relief Agency who offer me staff with a very ‘hands on’ approach. Their strap line is ‘Chef Relief at the Flick of a Wrist’ They are very experienced, no job too small as they say.
ursula said,
September 9, 2006 @ 11:31 pm
Dear OMITK
There is a vacancy for chef on board (not to mention accountant, Captain and crew) after recent developments. Target practise is all part of the fun, slow movers need not apply. Urs (fourth yacht on the left, St Trop marina)
Our Man in the Kitchen said,
September 10, 2006 @ 4:41 pm
Ursula,
Thanks for the offer but I’ve heared about you rich women yacht owners, you get the chef to perform all kinds of extras which aren’t in the contract!
The Coxeman said,
September 10, 2006 @ 5:39 pm
Sounds like she may be interested in:
The Chef’s Special
Keep it Up!
The Coxeman