Being relatively new to the cooking scene, unlike most of you, I wanted to be sure I was talking about "apples & apples", so to speak. So I did some checking to be sure I was going to be "on topic" in this thread.. I found these definitions (among others) on the net.
1.) "The filet mignon is usually 1 to 2 inches thick and l 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter."
2.) "...fillet, filet — a boneless steak cut from the tenderloin of beef."
3.) "The noun filet mignon has one meaning: small steak cut from the thick end of a beef tenderloin."
4.) "The tenderloin runs along either side of the spine, and is usually harvested as two long snake-like shaped cuts of beef. The tenderloin is sometimes sold whole. If the short end of the tenderloin is cut into portions before cooking, that portion is known as Filet Mignon, or the filet." etc. etc.
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Ref: Dictionary definition of filet mignon:
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2004, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. More from Dictionary
Food Glossary information about filet mignon
© 2002 HungryMonster.com™. All Rights Reserved. More from Food Glossary
WordNet information about filet mignon
WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University.
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I personally prefer other cuts of beef for my steaks... I'm not sure which I really prefer.. a ribeye, or "new york" strip, or a "t-bone" where I can have the best of both worlds. I have various reasons for preferring each... perhaps coinciding with the phase of the moon or the tides.. have to give it some thought which I'm not up to right now.
It might be interesting for someone to start a thread about tenderloin "roasts" and/or which beef steak is "best" and why... Everyone seems to have their own preference and reasons for it... there's another popular steak around here called a "hangar"? (sp?) .. a tougher cut of beef but supposedly with excellent flavor IF prepared properly...
If someone does, I'll probably kill the thread by posting to it later
I'm going out to poach some more Dungeness Crab before they molt.