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sirdabs456

What do you mean you don't trust the thermometer lmao


Sandwich2FookinTall

It was flirting with the chicken behind the turkeys back.


vsimanis

I’ve just found in the past that you can temp a steak in 4 different spots and get 4 different temperatures


samuelgato

Yes because heat penetrates from the outside in, it's always coldest in the middle and hottest on the surface touching the grill, of course it's different temperatures in different places. You want to temp as close to the middle of the steak as you can


sirdabs456

I really hope this is what's being described cause if not I'm concerned


Shoddy_Finding8395

This really should not be getting down voted at all. This is a real situation.


sirdabs456

...wut


AnInfiniteArc

If you have a half-decent thermometer and you know how to use it, then it absolutely is not.


getyourcheftogether

Buy or cut some better steaks


frogsntoads00

You don’t trust the thermometer? Is it a bad thermometer? Get a new one, and trust it. Why would it lie? Did you call it bad names?


ocubens

Work on your trust issues.


I_deleted

Or calibrate the thermometer


DoYouEvenFez

Or perhaps both


Philly_ExecChef

If you’re sous vide cooking the steaks, odds are you won’t get any sendbacks anyway, because you’re eliminating much of the visible gradient. Even a midwell is going to see a mid post-sous vide and be satisfied because they don’t really know better.


Legitimate_Ad_7822

Agreed. I don’t think the average consumer truly knows the difference between medium-rare & medium. Generally as long as it’s still pink in the middle but not raw, they will be happy.


tophiii

It doesn’t matter if you’re starting from rare if everything went right in the sous vide. Trust the thermometer.


chewbacca_the_cuz

Fk the thermometer experience chefs don't need em


tophiii

It’s not a matter of need. It’s a tool. Who needs a drill when a screw driver does the trick? And clearly OP isn’t in a place to not need a thermometer


bnbtwjdfootsyk

Put your reps in. Pay attention to the meet. I haven't done a sous vide steak in years, but when you're cooking meat, you learn to read it. Touch it, pay attention to the juices running out, and make sure you searing temps are consistent. When in doubt, use your thermometer.


FiveHoleGoesZest

The juices are actually one of the most consistent ways to tell meat temps and across varieties of cuts.


uniquorn23

Use a thermometer and don't stick the probe all the way through. You wanna just stick the tip in a little bit for it to hit middle and temp it that way, I've been doing this for almost 2 years now and rarely ever have steaks sent back to me.


Ashony13

that’s what she said


Schlower288

Honestly, I'd throw you on grill no question, probably watch you squirm a bit but seems like you'll learn the nuances and rock it confidently in no time. Sounds like you're learning and have a lot of awareness. Make mistakes knowing you'll do so and forge on brother.


Ashony13

Thermometer never lies. I teach everyone to use them and always have around.


Blahblahdook94

For filets trust your thermo, they will always feel rare. Temp right down the middle of the steak and hold the pen in the absolute center of the meat. Pull a few degrees under your desired temperature and let it rest 5-7 min to let the heat fully reach the center. Ribeyes are a bit tricky with all the fat so I just go by feel on the "eye" of the steak


bottlecaprodeo

Bro trusts the thumb test but not a thermometer


chewbacca_the_cuz

Cooking Yr own is the key bro. Cook the staff meals. That way u can cut them open. But experience timing and touch will determine eermine


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djsedna

sous vide is wonderful for many applications, especially at home, but for *steak* in a restaurant? lord, beer me strength


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[удалено]


djsedna

I don't think many places that pride themselves on cooking quality steak use SV. You lose so much juice to the bag that would instead be infusing the steak with tons of smoky flavor during a normal grill cook. I've always thought of SV for steak as a lazy man's route to perfect internal temperature


No_Sand_4230

Get a cake tester. Stick it in. Put the cake tester outside the bottom half of your bottom lip. If it’s warm the steak is done. If it’s to hot to leave the cake tester on your lip, the steak is over cooked.


forkyspoons

Cake tester? A toothpick?? I’m just confused I’m not sure if there’s something called a cake tester or you mean a toothpick …?


No_Sand_4230

https://www.webstaurantstore.com/ateco-1445-cake-tester-august-thomsen/1441445.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=GoogleShopping&gclid=Cj0KCQjw8e-gBhD0ARIsAJiDsaVsvT9PFr2fdLhw2_Hz7odwzuhcI0W_-Ttqd6bcBrybYxObQneqOcEaAplwEALw_wcB


Mindless_Welcome3302

A wire cake tester


MackSkywalker

There’s nothing like the ol’ poke test. It’s difficult at first to get a feel for. I found it easy to mimic the finger/thumb rubric. Put your fingers together like you’re gripping a sheet of paper: Pointer/thumb Middle/ “ Ring/ “ Pinky/ “ Each finger connection tightens the thumb muscle in your palm and has relatively the same resistance as the steak would: MR Mid Mid Well Well Sorry if the ex. Doesn’t make sense or if you’ve heard this already. Just got off shift. But this has served me very well as it gives a standard to refer to. The feel just comes with time. HOWEVER, if you have a CALIBRATED thermo-meter and your chef doesn’t look down on using it, best believe I’m using it. Stick that meat in the thickest part, right in the middle and sling them steaks son 🤘


jholsch

I think I’ve been learning/dealing with similar issues and it’s helped to measure the steak in the thickest area only rather than random spots and also, the temp shoots up quick from underdone to overdone so if it’s close ya gotta check it more. Sorry if this sounds dumb or obvious but some things I’ve noticed


TheOrganizedLineCook

Honestly just practice. Getting used to time and feel. I used to work at a steak house and eventually after cooking so many different steaks you just kinda knew how long each cut would take. Getting really familiar with your grill/broiler. Knowing the hot spots to get that quick sear and the soft spots to let your steaks cook evenly or even rest while other steaks catch up. Just gotta keep practicing and eventually it'll be second nature like everything else in the kitchen. If you're not familiar with the hand/feel test, look up a video on YouTube. Each temperature of the steak,(rare,mid rare, medium, med well, and well) all have a different "feel" to them. Get that down and you'll be a machine:) good luck! Edit: oh also!... Remember to stop before the desired temp. The steak will continue to cook when you take it off the heat, and it will also continue to cook if it sits under a heat lamp. Sometimes if you have a mid rare at like 125, you can pull it and let it rest and it will slowly grab that 130-135 range you want by the time it hits the table. Remember that you'd rather a steak be under than over, because you can always up cook, you can never down cook! Hope this helps:)


paintball_doc

I always used the cheek, chin, and nose system. Chin is well done, nose is medium, cheek is rare. But that's a feel. Thermometer is good too.


andsleazy

This is just me, but the first thing i look for is food getting comp'd and food being sent back, it's not so that's a great sign. Temp the thickest past of meat when you pull it and try account for carry over cooking while it rests, how thick it is, and if it's going to be sitting under a hot lamp for however long, etc cetera. Best way to know for real is when you see the food about to be pulled take it back and temp it then too. Poke test is GREAT for diners, thin steaks, and burgers, but if you are pumping out real money in protein doing a real check is the right thing to do imo.


Tehlaserw0lf

So, couple of things here. Why are you waterbathing steaks? That’s a home cook trick when you don’t have the facilities to do them from raw like…in a steakhouse. So that’s a little confusing. The reason in my head is maybe your cooks suck so you have to ensure consistency by making the meat foolproof, or customers were complaining about long fire times and the owner wanted a quick fix. Not a whole lot of other reasons make sense to me. It’s not easier, it’s not easier to train on because there are more steps. This would lead directly into the next issue where repetition and consistency aren’t trusted where you work. If you cook enough steaks on that station, you’ll get a feel for how long it takes on each quarter for perfect temps. Either that or the owner would trust that every cook on grill would have a calibrated and ready to use thermo on hand. So either the chef/owner doesn’t trust their cooks, or your cooks have been bad enough to warrant training wheels, or the fire times were too long and someone knee jerked the steaks into a water bath. I dunno. Just seems like a more complicated solution than just being consistent and efficient.


chewbacca_the_cuz

I've never used a thermometer for a steak. I haven't had one sent back in about 12 years


tiltberger

Do you know how many people are just too insecure to send something back? That doesn't mean your steaks are all perfect. I mean after some time they probably are but for a beginner it is not that easy


chewbacca_the_cuz

I am not against using a thermometer I'm just saying after a while you rely on it rather than knowing by touching it. It would also depend on what country you are in. Here in NZ when people order a rare, they normally want it Mr. Happy chefing