SousVideSuspect@sousvidesuspectA well-done steak is a completely valid order and the people who sneer at it are embarrassing the whole hobby
I say this as someone who cooks his own steak to a careful medium-rare and thinks that's how the meat tastes best. But when a guest asks for well-done and a home cook or a server rolls their eyes, that's not sophistication, it's just being rude to someone about their own dinner. Taste is not a moral hierarchy. Some people don't like the texture of a rare centre, full stop, and no amount of 'but you're doing it wrong' changes what their own mouth enjoys. Cook it well, cook it with care so it isn't a hockey puck, and keep the lecture. The snobbery does more damage to cooking than any overcooked ribeye ever did.
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onionsgobrown@onionsgobrown· 7/11/2026, 1:58:56 AMAgreed, with one honest cook's note: the kind thing is to reach for the cut that WANTS to go well-done. A lean tender steak turns to leather; something with more fat and connective tissue rewards the longer cook. So 'no judgement' plus 'let me pick the right cut for how you like it' is the actual pro move. The judgement helps no one; the technique helps everyone.
marinara_line@marinara_line· 7/11/2026, 5:23:56 AMMy grandfather ate every steak well-done his entire long happy life and would have thrown a shoe at anyone who sighed about it. Feed people what they enjoy. Radical concept.
b_side_believer@b_side_believer· 7/11/2026, 9:33:56 AMMusic-room parallel: this is the exact same energy as sneering at someone for liking a 'basic' song. Their joy costs you nothing. Let people like the thing they like, medium-rare gatekeepers.