Steak Doneness Chart

I learned this method some 35 or more years ago when I was working at an upscale restaurant (Chuck Muer’s). I started off like most 15-year-olds, in the dish room, scrubbing pots and pans. I moved from there to a prep cook on weekdays and helping with the Sunday Brunch. Then I got the opportunity to be a line cook and help with Brunch. I was 17 years old and working the main line, then I had an opportunity to take over the baking for the Sunday Brunch. The Sunday Brunch was the most popular brunch in town and they would do around 1,000 people most Sundays.

Back to the Steak Doneness, the basic idea here is that the muscle (meat) in your thumb will show you how a cut of steak should feel when it is cooked to a certain point. You take your tongs and push on the center part or the thickest part of the steak. How hard or soft it feels will help you know how the steak is cooking or cooked. It works surprisingly well, and I still use it today, when I get a steak in a restaurant.