Is it an insult to the chef if one puts steak sauce on their steak?

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Where I'm from, if you put steak sauce on a steak & I have had to from time to time, it is usually because the steak doesn't taste that good without it. I am also a cook in a restaurant & have cooked steaks there for 10 years now. We have 2 bottles of A-1 & 2 bottles of Heinz 57. They last a long time. Our steaks are that good. You have to start with a good quality steak & don't, I mean DON"T over cook it. Medium Rare has the most flavor. After I turn it over, I brush with butter & sprinkle with California Style Garlic Salt with Parsley & Montreal Steak Seasoning. I make my own bleu cheese butter that some order with it , but as an accompaniment rather than a way to disguise the steak.
Would I be offended if one puts steak sauce on a steak I have served. Prooooobably not, because I know some people have eating fetishes, like my husband eating ketchup with potato chips, but I would ask them "What is wrong with your steak?" I would wonder what I did wrong to the steak to make you put that sauce on it.
Start with a good steak such as rib eye, cook it med rare & season it right & you will probably do away with the steak sauce. Hope this helps....Show more

How could a multi-million dollar selling item be bad. Many people have to have sauce with their steak. That is why there are so many sauces to choose from. It would only be an insult if you commented that it was bad or dry. I would reccomend trying the steak by itself first though. Many chefs even use steak sauce. All foods should be eaten the way you like them best. If that includes adding some spice to a food for you to enjoy it, do it....Show more

Short answer: no with a but....long answer: yes with an if. It's not "wrong" to put A-1 on your steak because its YOUR steak, BUT keep in mind that it is in fact rude and against dining etiquette to add anything at all to your food without tasting it first. It is a an insult to the cook. Flavors and ingredients used in A-1 steak sauce are used as a marinade and are also used in moderation (unlike most A-1 users I have observed) Acids such as vinegar, citrus juices and wine are used as a marinade to help tenderize steaks and work well for bringing out natural flavors due to proper tenderization. As a post-cooking seasoning, the acids don't have a chance to work on steaks the way they do when using them properly. There is a reason that places like Ruth's Criss don't have A-1 on the table. If you drench your steak in A-1 then you don't like steak, you like A-1 and should probably just get a burger instead. Otherwise, use moderation....or just use it the way it works best: as a marinade....Show more

It depends on the steak, setting, and chef.
If the chef is someone you are familiar with and who you know won't mind obviously proceed. If the chef is someone you don't know all that well, i.e. a friend's parent than probably refrain if no one else is.
Also, consider the steak first. If you are eating a USDA choice dry aged sirloin, a filet, kobe beef, skirt, etc. then refrain from seasoning beyond mild salting.
It is probably safe always safe when dining among friends, unless the chef is overly insecure about the food and has tried his or her hardest to prepare a meal while they are not generally predisposed to cooking....Show more

It depends who the chef is - and how the steak is prepared.

If it is regular 'at home' steak, just grilled with no special seasonings - then go ahead.

If you are dining in a fine steakhouse, try the steak first - really give it a chance. The chef usually has it prepared to maximize the flavour of the meat to how it should be - try to enjoy that. (Especially if it comes with a bearnaise or peppercorn sauce...or a hunk of herbed butter on top...mmm.)

We are creatures of habit, and so are our tastebuds. If YOU enjoy a steak with steak sauce, by all means go ahead. You are the one who has to eat it.

Bon Apettit!...Show more