The either/ors of foods

This started out in another topic area but I think deserves one of its own.

There are somethings a waitperson should ask a customer specific to the item ordered. With an order of liver, the customer should be asked "medium rare or medium well done?". With a waffle order, the customer should be asked "crispy or soft?".
These two questions avoid dissatisfaction. People like these two items either one way or the other. Serve medium rare liver to someone who eats it medium well and it can disgust them. Serve medium well liver to someone who prefers medium rare and the liver is inedible. With waffles either you like the softness to caress your mouth or you want the crunch. This two way dilemma would make a great discussion point in itself. What others are there?

Do you want your red wine, that's stored in a hall behind the ovens, warm or slightly chilled.

Often one gets a choice of soup or salad.

I agree George. I also agree with Carl on the temp of the red wine.

How about:
Scrambled eggs, soft or dry
Fried eggs... I wish there was a better descriptor for easy over, over medium, etc....I like mine over medium but with the yolk cooked almost to a gel state. I rarely get it the way I want.
Toast, light or dark
Bacon, crispy or with a little wiggle left in it.
Salad, chopped and tossed or dressing on the side
Pie, warm or cold

Realizing this doesn't fit into this thread necessarily, I also have a thought about sauces. When the item is crispy, such as a chicken piccata or duck l'orange, I think the sauce should be served underneath the item or separately.

How about:
Scrambled eggs, soft or dry
Fried eggs... I wish there was a better descriptor for easy over, over medium, etc....I like mine over medium but with the yolk cooked almost to a gel state. I rarely get it the way I want.

Generally, eggs are/should be cooked on an egg grill with the temperature at 250-275 degrees F.
An over easy egg is turned over for about 20-30 seconds. Just enough for the white to become white.
An over medium is turned over ans served when the white has just become solid. The yolk is still runny.
Over well is turned over and cooked until the intact yolk is cooked and solid
Over hard is when the yolk is broken and then turned over. The egg is cooked until all is cooked solid.
An egg with it "eye closed" or basted is never turned. The hot cooking oil is spooned over the top of the yolk
Scrambled, well is scrambled. It usually is taken off the grill while still runny. It continues to cook on the plate before it is served (Especially under the heat lamps of the line.).
These are the standards of all the restaurant chains who serve breakfast.

How about:
Scrambled eggs, soft or dry
Fried eggs... I wish there was a better descriptor for easy over, over medium, etc....I like mine over medium but with the yolk cooked almost to a gel state. I rarely get it the way I want.

Generally, eggs are/should be cooked on an egg grill with the temperature at 250-275 degrees F.
An over easy egg is turned over for about 20-30 seconds. Just enough for the white to become white.
An over medium is turned over ans served when the white has just become solid. The yolk is still runny.
Over well is turned over and cooked until the intact yolk is cooked and solid
Over hard is when the yolk is broken and then turned over. The egg is cooked until all is cooked solid.
An egg with it "eye closed" or basted is never turned. The hot cooking oil is spooned over the top of the yolk
Scrambled, well is scrambled. It usually is taken off the grill while still runny. It continues to cook on the plate before it is served (Especially under the heat lamps of the line.).
These are the standards of all the restaurant chains who serve breakfast.

I don't suppose any of those chains add a little cream to scrambled eggs...

What about poached eggs? Is there a choice in how to prepare them?

[Jenise]

Until reading this, I didn't realize to what extent we rarely eat out anymore for the kind of meals in which either/or choices are common. Coffee shop/diner/luncheonette kind of places are where these choices abound. If we're out and hungry at lunch we usually go ethnic. Breakfast is the other meal where this kind of thing is common, but it's the rarest of all for us to eat out. I'm not usually hungry in the mornings, so it's an on-the-road type of occasion and when we do I usually peck around the a la carte items in order to avoid things like eggs and waffles. I also tend to order in a way that anticipates the questions they're going to ask so that they don't have to--coffee is always "black coffee" and I add "hold the spread" to every sandwich order so no discussions are required.

But speaking of that, this country needs to standardize a term like "hold the spread" or "hold the sauce". I'm annoyed that every time we order a burger out, we have to have an entire conversation.

"One cheeseburger, please, hold the sauce."
"We don't use a sauce, we have mustard, ketchup and mayonnaise."
"Hold those too."
"So you want it dry?"
"Yes, if that's what you call 'no goop'."
"Should we leave out the lettuce, tomato and onion too?"
"No, I want the vegetables."

And then about a third of the time, they leave out the vegetables. Even had one leave out the cheese once, and argue with me about it. Why would I order a cheeseburger if I didn't want cheese?

I don't suppose any of those chains add a little cream to scrambled eggs...

What about poached eggs? Is there a choice in how to prepare them?

No cream is not added. Poached eggs are simply done in a sauce pan full of water that is kept at the proper poaching temperature, which I have forgotten.

I have also seen basted eggs done in a small pan - never flipped, as you say -- but a spoon of water is drizzled around the edge and a lid put on, briefly, to catch the steam and make it cook the top.

I have also seen basted eggs done in a small pan - never flipped, as you say -- but a spoon of water is drizzled around the edge and a lid put on, briefly, to catch the steam and make it cook the top.

That's how my dad used to do eggs. I keep meaning to try this myself, as I like my eggs with a runny yolk.

I have also seen basted eggs done in a small pan - never flipped, as you say -- but a spoon of water is drizzled around the edge and a lid put on, briefly, to catch the steam and make it cook the top.

That's how my dad used to do eggs. I keep meaning to try this myself, as I like my eggs with a runny yolk.

I've done it. It works. Simpler than true basting but it solves the big problem with sunny side up.

I have also seen basted eggs done in a small pan - never flipped, as you say -- but a spoon of water is drizzled around the edge and a lid put on, briefly, to catch the steam and make it cook the top.

That's how my dad used to do eggs. I keep meaning to try this myself, as I like my eggs with a runny yolk.

I've done it. It works. Simpler than true basting but it solves the big problem with sunny side up.

I've done the lid thing, but failed to add the water drizzle. Will try next time. But I have become partial to poaching; love the creaminess of the yolk under that procedure.

An over medium is turned over and served when the white has just become solid. The yolk is still runny.
Over well is turned over and cooked until the intact yolk is cooked and solid

I like it between these two. I don't want my yoke entirely runny, just a little bit runny and gelled around the edge. I guess I should just stay home for breakfast! LOL.

Until reading this, I didn't realize to what extent we rarely eat out anymore for the kind of meals in which either/or choices are common. Coffee shop/diner/luncheonette kind of places are where these choices abound. If we're out and hungry at lunch we usually go ethnic. Breakfast is the other meal where this kind of thing is common, but it's the rarest of all for us to eat out. I'm not usually hungry in the mornings, so it's an on-the-road type of occasion and when we do I usually peck around the a la carte items in order to avoid things like eggs and waffles. I also tend to order in a way that anticipates the questions they're going to ask so that they don't have to--coffee is always "black coffee" and I add "hold the spread" to every sandwich order so no discussions are required.

But speaking of that, this country needs to standardize a term like "hold the spread" or "hold the sauce". I'm annoyed that every time we order a burger out, we have to have an entire conversation.

"One cheeseburger, please, hold the sauce."
"We don't use a sauce, we have mustard, ketchup and mayonnaise."
"Hold those too."
"So you want it dry?"
"Yes, if that's what you call 'no goop'."
"Should we leave out the lettuce, tomato and onion too?"
"No, I want the vegetables."

And then about a third of the time, they leave out the vegetables. Even had one leave out the cheese once, and argue with me about it. Why would I order a cheeseburger if I didn't want cheese?

I agree. Ordering fast food is an exercise in frustration. Our first day home in the desert, Len didn't have any toddy coffee made, and I was dying for a good cup of Joe, so made a special trip to our neighborhood Starbucks. Len likes his iced coffee almost black and with no sweetener of any kind. Since I was bringing it home to him after a quick stop for groceries I ordered it without ice figuring he'd pour it over our own ice at home and it wouldn't dilute it on the way home. The Barista asked if I wanted anything in it? I said, "No, nothing at all." Well, it was full of ice. I didn't feel like having them do it again, so brought it home. Well, he almost spit out his first sip...Yep, it was sweetened, too.

Ordering from Starbucks is its own argot... "double no-fun latte", "iced venti soy zebra mocha", and so on.

Ordering from Starbucks is its own argot... "double no-fun latte", "iced venti soy zebra mocha", and so on.

I point and tell them, "This size. I don't speak Starbuck."

Ordering from Starbucks is its own argot... "double no-fun latte", "iced venti soy zebra mocha", and so on.

I point and tell them, "This size. I don't speak Starbuck."

Brava!