The One Word You Should Never Utter When Ordering A Steak

The world of beef is awash in gatekeeping philosophies, from beans in chili to how well done (or not) you should cook steak. You're welcome to your own opinion on all of that. But there's still one word that should never leave your mouth when you're ordering a steak, not because of time-honored beef dogma, but because it can legitimately cause problems in the kitchen for no good reason. And that's the word "plus," as in "medium-plus" or "rare-plus" to indicate you want it cooked just over medium or just past rare, in other words, some mystery point just beyond what's indicated by just saying "medium" or "rare."

And I get it. You want your steak cooked exactly how you like it, but look at it from the restaurant's side. The steak doneness temperature guide for every preference exists for a good reason. Those aren't natural states of beef. It's a shorthand to help a busy kitchen cope with everyone's preferences and deliver what they want. Ordering your steak "plus" is ambiguous (how plus is plus?). And it's not remotely practical when you have 10 or more entrées on the grill and the difference between medium and medium-plus is literally seconds per side.

And it doesn't end there. In addition to it being incredibly difficult to keep track of which 20-ounce ribeye is which, once it's done, it may have to sit and wait for the rest of the table's food to get done, continuing to cook as it sits on the pass. As such, it's usually wiser to choose the predefined steak temperature you consider the lesser of two evils — one you'd be OK eating if it arrives at your table slightly over cooked (or even under cooked).

By now, you probably realize you're only going to get perfect steak maybe 15% of the time — regardless of how specific you are when you order — unless you're at a proper high-end steakhouse (and maybe not even then). But that doesn't mean you can't have perfect steak when you're paying a high price for it. As they say, you get what you pay for. 

There are different types of restaurants that serve steak. At a real, bona fide steakhouse like the infamous Cattleman's, you're forking over a hefty amount for the best steak around. With the kind of prices and bragging rights the establishment leans on, order it exactly how you want it and expect it to be done right. 

But when it comes to chain steakhouses like Texas Roadhouse, you shouldn't expect the same level of precision coming out of the kitchen. While they focus on steak and are very consistent, they still have to balance that with super high-volume service like you see at any non-steak chain restaurants. So you need to order with more grace, and an understanding of the situation in the kitchen. And at places like Chili's or Cheddar's, high-volume chains that don't even focus on steak but just have an option on the menu, maybe just order the chicken.

Another option is to learn to cook your perfect steakhouse-style steak at home. There are so many options to get the doneness, texture, and flavor you want. You can cook it on the stovetop or grill, broil it, sous vide and sear it, or opt for a reverse sear. Serve it plain, with compound butter, or slathered in steak sauce: There's no one to judge you and no one to please but yourself. And just maybe, cooking your own at home will help you appreciate how the "plus" in doneness isn't so easy to distinguish, let alone achieve.