Interesting little factoid I didn't know re: Finger Steaks

17 years ago

Finger steaks

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Finger steaks consist of 2Â3" long by 1/2" wide strips of steak (usually sirloin), battered with a Tempura-like batter, and deep-fried in oil. Typically they are served with French fries and a buttered piece of thick toast. They are commonly found in restaurants, bars, and fast-food joints (either handmade or of the frozen variety) in Southern Idaho and less frequently in nearby states but are not well known outside the Inland Northwest.

Finger steaks are purported to have been first served in a restaurant setting at Boise, IdahoÂs "MiloÂs Torch Lounge" (aka The Torch) in 1957. Milo Bybee claimed to have invented finger steaks while wondering what to do with leftover tenderloin scraps when he was working as a butcher for the U.S. Forest Service in McCall. Bybee went to work as a chef at the Torch in 1946.[1] Others claim that Milo himself did not invent the recipe but that it was passed onto him by the original owners of The Torch.[2] Either way, Finger Steaks are somewhat of a local specialty in Boise with many different homemade varieties.

Their legendary origin is so closely tied to Idaho that one suggestion for the Idaho State quarter design was to "do something with the fact that Idaho is the home of finger steaks," submitted to the state arts commission on a napkin.[3]

Finger steaks were produced as a frozen food by B&D Foods, which was founded in 1972 to supply its Signature Finger steak to a chain of fast food restaurants[4], presumably the Red Steer, a now defunct chain of fast food burger joints in Idaho.

I love, love, love my finger steaks. I've been making them for years. And, surprise, surprise, the first place I ever had them was at the Torch Lounge in Boise. It was only about 1/2 a block from where I worked. I didn't know that's where they originated though.

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Comments (18)

crazykwilter
17 years ago
I don't know where they got their information. Probably from someone who has never been outside of Idaho!

Steak fingers are available anywhere people eat chicken/country fried steak. I've seen them in Texas, New Mexico, Azizona. Though they are breaded and not battered.

I've made them numerous times for DH.
casey_nfld
17 years ago
I've never heard of them before!
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Cherryfizz
17 years ago
I have never heard of finger steaks nor have I ever had chicken fried steak. LOL

Anne
iowagirl2006
17 years ago
Cows don't have fingers - neither do chickens...

LOL!
lilliepad
17 years ago
crazykwilter-I think the name and the way they are prepared is probably a regional thing.I never heard them called "Finger Steaks" before.Here in TX we call them steak fingers and I have eaten and made them for years.One of our best sellers when we had our little cafe a few years ago.Here we use strips of tenderized round steak.Never heard of using any other kind of steak.I prepare mine by coating the strips in flour,then dip them in buttermilk then dredge again in flour seasoned with salt and pepper,then deep fry in very hot oil until golden brown.I never use eggs in my coating/batter,some people do.I use the buttermilk/flour mixture for just about everything I deep fry.It makes an almost tempura like batter so Angelaid,that may have been what your Finger Steaks were done with.
Anne-You don't know what you are missing! Come visit me and I'll make you some of both.LOL
spudmom_gw
17 years ago
Well, angelaid, we are two peas in a pod, or potatoes rather!

First off, I used to work very close to the Torch, at Idaho First Data Processing at 27th.

I have been to the Torch many times, but not lately since it has changed the "type" of floor show they have, something to do with young women.

Probably my first finger steaks were at the "now defunct burger joint, Red Steer" where I spent lots of time in high school.

I like to make my own fingersteaks today, lite on the batter, with cocktail sauce for dipping, and of course, fry sauce for the potatoes, which is another Idaho thing.

Lynne
pattico_gw
17 years ago
We had them years ago on vacation in Cheyenne Wyoming.

We loved them...

And have been making them here at home since...

The kids always loved them.

We haven't had them in awhile....sounds good

patti
SadieSadie
17 years ago
This Wisconsin girl has never heard of finger steaks, either, but they sound good.

I found this recipe at allrecipes.com, claiming to be the original Milos Torch Cafe recipe.

Hugs,
SadieSadie

Here is a link that might be useful: Torch Cafe finger steak recipe
alisande
17 years ago
I never heard of them either.

And I never heard of New York Strip Steak until I moved away from New York.
jannie
17 years ago
Never heard of them but I'm game.
cathyid
17 years ago
Funny you bring this up Ang. They just ran a story about this in the Statesman a short time ago. Lots to read if you are interested, but this recipe and the Torch have been the topic of heated discussion for years. Been to the Torch many times, but it is now a Gentelmans Club, one of four or five if I remember. Maybe even in CDA if I remember. Anyway, they had a cook off because of this article, but as I remember no one had everyones support of being THE one. LOL
http://voices.idahostatesman.com/idaho_story_284062
angelaid
Original Author
17 years ago
spudmom - I worked at the Twin Dragon restaurant for years. Right behind The Torch. Before it was a "gentlemen's club" (as Cathy do delicately put it. LOL). The opened one up here a few years ago. Lots of beatings and stabbings surrounding that block now.
Here's how I make mine, sounds a little denser than the method lilliepad uses:

Batter for deep fried chicken or finger steaks

2 egg whites
4 tablespoons cornstarch
4 tablespoons soy sauce

Mix well and add chicken strips (boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1" strips) or beef strips (cube steak cut into 1" strips). Set aside.

1 cup of bisquick
2/3 cup of water
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds (if using for almond chicken or sweet&sour chicken)

Mix well and add to chic or beef mixture.

Mix together well (coating all meat) and deep fry until golden.

Serve with cocktail sauce or Bloomin' Onion Dip:

BloominÃ¢ÂÂ Onion Dipping Sauce
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons ketchup
2 tablespoons cream-style horseradish
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
Dash ground black pepper
Dash cayenne pepper
caflowerluver
17 years ago
Never heard of them before but I would try them.
Clare
oldrustybucket
17 years ago
Humh, these sound delic****ious!

But, out of curosity I googled Fry Sauce..never heard of it...but, to my amazement have eaten it many many times! A family friend subbed the combination of ketchup and mayo (mixed gently) for salad dressing at dinner one night upon discovering she was out of Thousand Island...a custom I have continued for years even when dressing was plentiful! My kids always asked for "Moms" dressing instead of that store bought stuff!

Read you can also add Horse Radish for that extra kick!
The things you can learn on KT!
Granlan_TX
17 years ago
Yum, I could eat a few right now with some cream gravy; that's the way we eat them in Texas..kinda like Chicken Fried Steak..pretty much the same process.
glenda_al
17 years ago
School lunchroom used to serve them. We called them "mystery meat sticks" :o)
maryanntx
17 years ago
Ditto what lilliepad said. I use regular milk but will try buttermilk next time. And like Granlan said, we eat ours with gravy.

The local Dairy Queen sells them, but they aren't very tasty.
lilliepad
17 years ago
Eeewwwww Maryann......DQ steak fingers are so gross!LOL They use to be really good but now they use the chopped and formed stuff and they are so expensive!
There's a place in Snyder,TX that is famous for their steak fingers.Several couples from our church use to drive up there (50 miles or so) once a month to eat steak fingers.When we had our cafe they came to eat and had steak fingers.They never went back to Snyder.They said mine were better.LOL That made me feel good.
If you don't have buttermilk and don't want to buy it just for the steak fingers,add some vinegar to regular milk.About 1 Tbsp. per cup of milk.Works just as well.

Interesting little factoid I didn't know re: Finger Steaks

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crazykwilter

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Interesting little factoid I didn't know re: Finger Steaks

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angelaidOriginal Author

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angelaid
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