how to test meat
Dear Mr. Marcus,
I'm a former steak house waitress and just thought I'd share a little tip with you. Just feel the meat. A well done steak is quite firm while extra rare will be fairly spongy feeling. I can almost guarantee you that any steak you've eaten in a restaurant was poked at by the waitress before she brought it out. Not that you'll be exposed to 40-50 plates of food in a night but you'll be amazed how easily learned the skill is, and it's accurate. We used to get a chuckle out of the girls that thought they improved their tips when they hogged the order register and put all the orders in at once. Sure the first few customers were tickled with the speed of the service, but then people started getting steaks that were medium instead of extra rare because they'd been sitting under the lights for 5 minutes or getting their food after someone who they'd ordered well ahead of. Nothing makes customers more irate and yes, they notice. New quicks learned quickly that their was no fury like a waitress whose steak had been cut tested on BOTH sides. And if a waitress said replate this with the cut side down you did not go whining to the boss because you wouldn't be back on the line until you learned how to cook a steak and time it's after-cooking.
Congratulations on your househusband status. I envy all the fun gadgets you spoke of. Lucky for me we don't do TV so the jealousy can't eat me too much alive. :0) But I can tell you this: there's nothing more disposable than ratty old towels you get for .10 at garage sales. You can use them several times before you take them to the base of the toilet or the vent hood and then toss them with much less capitalistic guilt, after all you've already increased their useful life.
Anyway, just thought I'd share.
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((¸¸.·´ .·´ -:¦:-Nora
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2 Comments:
But you'd be amazed--the first time you try the "feel" thing with thick steaks, you'll know exactly how done they are. First time. Neanderthal instinct, maybe.
Yes, ABSOLUTELY never cut into meat to test its doneness, especially steak. If you do that instead of using the meat thermometer, you let the juice out gradually/generally while cooking and specifically destroying the whole effect achieved when you let it settle for a few minutes after removing it from the heat (which is to let the juices spread throughout the cooked meat before you touch it with a knife at all, providing the juiciest and best texture when you cut into it once served).
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