On the subject of food, Kevin Han and I were talking about techniques on cooking meat without cutting to see the "doneness" of the meat. So I did some surfing and found a blog that explained exactly how K.Han explained it.
We found out with the Impossible Question this morning that women have taken over the Q-ing in 40% of Canadian households. Here is how to make the perfect steak without cutting into it. NEVER cut into your steak, it drains out all the flavour. Also, let it rest for 5 - 10 mins before you eat it. Enjoy!
(from http://huffpuffblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/honey-is-that-steak-done-yet.html)
1
Raw Steak Doneness
Poke your steak and remember how it feels. By "poke" I really mean gently press your finger on the steak. Take note of how squishy and how firm it is when you poke it. To get an idea of what raw meat feels like, poke the fleshy part of your hand below your thumb while it is relaxed and open.
Step 2
Rare Steak Doneness
Touch your thumb tip to the tip of your index finger. Now touch the fleshy part of your palm underneath your thumb. This will give you an idea of what rare steak feels like. It should feel pretty squishy. When you are doing this you don't want to squeeze your fingers, you just want to touch them together.
Step 3
Medium Rare Steak Doneness
Touch the tip of your thumb to the tip of your middle finger. Then touch the flesh underneath your thumb This will give you an idea of what medium rare steak feels like.
Step 4
Medium Steak Doneness
To see what medium feels like, touch your ring finger tip to the tip of your thumb. Touch the flesh below the thumb and take note of how it feels.
Step 5
Well Done Steak Doneness
Now with one hand touch your pinky fingertip to your thumbs tip. With the other hand poke the fleshy part of your palm underneath your thumb. This is how you tell if your steak is well-done. It should feel pretty firm.
Step 6 
Steak
If you need to, touch the steak and then do the finger test again. It will take practice to get good at this. The finger test is a thermometer free way of checking steak doneness. When you are well practiced it is an easy and quick way to tell how well done your steak is.
Steak
If you need to, touch the steak and then do the finger test again. It will take practice to get good at this. The finger test is a thermometer free way of checking steak doneness. When you are well practiced it is an easy and quick way to tell how well done your steak is.
On the subject of steak, if anybody is looking for a fancy, expensive, anniversary dinner type place, Ruth's Chris Steakhouse is one of your choice. My dad introduced me to this last Christmas and paid for me and Soy. The ambiance of the place is very nice and relaxing, perfect for a quiet evening dinner. They have a very cool wine cooler on display with changing lights that helps create the mood. Servers are attentive and very friendly.
I think the best thing about this place is the atmosphere. The food is good, 4 star level, but nothing amazing. Something I have tried before. When I was there, Soy and I got the couple menu, which consisted of 3 course meal each costing around..$90 minus the wine she got. However, keep in mind that the menu is limited. I tried the seared tuna, the signature steak, and the chocolate cake, while soy got the same except she got artichoke dip, which was a minus for us. The cool thing about this place is that the steak comes out sizzling with butter still melting. They cook the meat, melt the butter, and just for the heck of it, add another chunk after it comes out of the oven.
So if you're in for some nice evening out and have 2hundred dollars laying around and some good wine, this is an option.
Quick Facts:
Ruth's Chris Steak House
website: http://www.ruthschris.com
cost: anywhere from 25-300 dollar depending on the menu and what you get
sitting: indoor and outdoor
food: steak and anything relating to steak
unique: very cool interior design
rating: 3.5 stars
recommendations: the couple menu
