Chef shares frustrating 'mistake' people make when ordering steak in restaurants

14 February 2023 , 17:00

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Joe Hurd has shared a steak mistake with the Mirror (Image: Lifetime Training)

It's Valentine's Day and as such many people will be heading out for dinner tonight with their significant other to mark the occasion and steak will likely feature on the menu at many places.

If you were considering ordering steak as the main course for your romantic meal, then we're sure you're in for a treat, but according to a chef, there's one big mistake many people make when they order it.

Joe Hurd, a TV chef and Italian ingredients specialist from Lifetime's Chef Academy, has controversially claimed that one of the most frustrating errors is when customers ask for their steak to be cooked medium-rare.

The chef claims medium-rare isn't a real thing (Getty)

The expert says this is because he doesn't believe that medium-rare is something that really exists.

Speaking to The Mirror, he explained: "There is no such thing as medium-rare.

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"There is rare and there is medium."

And don't even get him started on those who ask for 'medium rare plus'...

This comes after Joe shared the comment diners make at restaurants that always makes his 'heart sink' - and again, it was all to do with ordering steak.

The biggest no-no is a request that is often made at around 10pm when people ask "can we get a table for four please, but don't worry we all just want medium rare steaks..."

He admits hearing these words will always make a chef's "heart sink" as it's so close to closing time.

"Usually at this point in the evening service we tend to be breaking down our sections, turning off grills, wrapping, labelling, and cleaning. Something as simple to the customer as a post-theatre steak can mean turning a whole cleaned-down kitchen around and prolonging a shift by a couple of hours," he said.

"Of course, we will do it for you, but it does make your heart sink."

The chef also shared how it was 'demoralising' to see people drowning their plates in ketchup or mayo and it can be awkward when a customer wants their food to be 'cooked more'

"I am all for condiments and sauces, and to a degree, I think all restaurants should keep these handy. However, it's so demoralising to see your hard work drowned in a commercially-produced household product."

Joe added: "I'd always like to think that we cook meat, fish, vegetables, etc to a high exacting standard, and how it arrives on the customer's plate is how we would cook it for ourselves," Joe explained.

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"It's usually no problem to get something cooked a bit more, but it's never going to go down well with a chef."

Do you agree with the chef? Let us know in the comments below.

Courtney Pochin