Every Way To Cook Stew

When it's winter, chilly outside, or you just need to feel some foodie love, then it's time for a stew. It's a classic dish that's nourishing comfort food at its best. Enjoy hearty beef stew with melt-in-the-mouth meat. Savor flavorful root vegetables that make you feel all warm and cozy inside. And if you're feeling up to some extra time in the kitchen, you can make things as fancy as you want, perhaps with the addition of a nice wine.

Even if you've got a favorite stew recipe to turn to, you might want to consider new tricks like adding a secret ingredient or using a different meat. There are also different alcohols that you can add to stew, as well as ways to make your dish go further. And what about adding some new twists with spices, herbs, or even dumplings? Here is every way you can cook stew.

However you cook stew, and whatever meat and vegetables you use, the fact remains that you make a stew by cooking the ingredients over a long period. You don't need to be a culinary whizz to know that this means leaving your pot of goodies simmering on low heat for a while. Stew is a Sunday favorite. You get up and after a leisurely breakfast, you listen to the radio as you chop carrots and brown meat before lazing with the weekend papers. By dinner, it's time for an end-of-weekend glass of vino and a warming bowl of tenderness. Sounds great, but If you don't have oodles of time then you can speed the process up (via Certified Hereford Beef).

To make beef stew you usually need time for the meat to tenderize and all the juices permeate the rich gravy. The general idea is that the longer you leave your pot stewing, the better. But there's a way to an even simpler, no-fuss dish. The secret is to use beef that's already cooked. Try buying already-cooked brisket or make enough in a pot roast that you've got some left over. You can also add steak or perhaps some shredded or pulled meat that's remaining after a fajita dinner. Cut the brisket against the grain and add to the other ingredients for a meal that's ready in less than an hour.

Generally speaking, you can cook a stew on the stove or in the oven. The choice might come down to practicalities, such as whether you need to keep one method free for other dishes. Or it might be decided upon because of the pots and pans that you have to use. While a stew in the oven gets it out the way, a stovetop stew is easier to keep an eye on as you just need to lift the lid and take a peek, topping up with liquid if necessary and giving your culinary cauldron a good stir from time to time.

Commentors on Stack Exchange note that cooking on the stove can be preferable if you want to thicken a stew via evaporation. A stew in the oven is less likely to do so, especially with a lid. You can also start on the stovetop and then complete stewing in the oven. On the stove, the stew at the bottom of the pan might burn if you don't stir enough too, and on a hot day, it may add extra heat to an already steaming kitchen. Foods Guy states that stews are cooked with more liquid than casseroles, for longer, and are ultimately best cooked on the stove.

If you love beef that falls apart in a stew then you might not be bowled over by a meat-free bowl of this hearty winter warmer. However, don't dismiss a vegetarian stew just yet. Success here is all about choosing the right combination of ingredients. The key is to include a vegetable that's robust enough to withstand the long stewing process, so you don't end up with a thick soup or a bowl of mush.

You don't have to limit yourself to just one tradition, either. Stew is ubiquitous, meaning there's a variety of this dish pretty much everywhere in the world. Forget meat and potatoes in gravy for a moment and open your Dutch oven to our West African peanut stew. The filling part of this recipe is sweet potato. Add fire-roasted tomatoes and spinach for a vibrant burst of color and silky texture. Fry spices, onions, garlic, ginger, and jalapeño to elevate this stew, which happens to be vegan. You're not going to miss the meat in the slightest once you bite into those soft sweet potatoes.

If you picture a stew, then chances are that you're seeing tender pieces of beef in a rich brown broth, perhaps with some carrots and other vegetables, as well as some pillowy dumplings. When it comes to cooking, you might have this stew down so pat that you don't even need a recipe. Yet beef isn't the only protein you can use here. The truth is that there are plenty of meats that stew to silky-soft perfection.

A classic that results in tender perfection is our Irish stew, which uses shoulder of lamb. A good tip is to stew lamb at a low heat setting so that any fat rises to the surface and can be skimmed off. Otherwise, the stew may become unpleasantly greasy. Low heat also works well, as lamb tends to cook more quickly than some other proteins. Another option is our Brunswick stew made with shredded chicken and pulled pork.

You don't have to add alcohol to a stew, but it helps! Some stews call for a hearty, full-bodied wine such as Pinot Noir in beef bourguignon. Meanwhile, a coq au vin made with chicken demands red wine, too, and perhaps a splash or two of Cognac. Meanwhile, seafood stews are more likely to suggest white. But why stop there, especially since there are so many great ways you can cook with alcohol? Consider other food traditions outside your own if you need some inspiration. For example, in Belgium and some parts of France, a beef stew known as carbonnade is made with beer (via The Washington Post).

You might want to make a carbonnade using a Belgian-style beer and serve it with wide, velvety noodles. Add the beer just before the stew cooks in the oven and begins to caramelize the onions. A hearty stout like Guinness can likewise take your stew to the next level by deepening the color, adding a malted barley aroma, and giving your stew a delightfully toasted taste.

Check out any stew recipe and, along with the main ingredients such as meat, vegetables, and stock, you'll soon learn that herbs play an essential role in creating a stew's flavor. While you may want to sprinkle those herbs in bits and pieces, if you're making stock or flavoring a stew, there's another way that allows you to add flavor without leaving in stems and leaves, known as a bouquet garni. This is a selection of fresh herbs that have been tied together or encased in a cotton muslin bag. With this method, you simply add the bundle to the pot, let the flavors infuse throughout the stew, and then take it out before serving.

You can use budget-friendly dried herbs in a bouquet garni, although you'll definitely need to put them in a muslin or cheesecloth bag to keep everything contained. Dried herbs can also help to create a more intense flavor. Dried or not, if you want the flavors of herbs like rosemary or thyme without actually eating the stems or other bits, a bouquet garni is ideal. Try different herbs together and create your signature bouquet.

Stewing meats can take hours, largely because the cut of meat that's usually used to make a beef stew isn't the same as what you'd cook if you were looking to enjoy a steak. Stewing breaks the meat down so that you get a soft, fall-apart texture. However, there's a great way to use fresh meat that doesn't take quite so long. Simply try our 30-minute lamb stew. You can also use ground beef here. Once you've browned the meat and added the other ingredients the rest of the stew only needs a 20-minute simmer. Why? Because you're using ground lamb instead of cuts that need to break down slowly.

Try a similar TikTok hamburger stew by frying minced garlic with ground beef. Add bone broth, a can of tomato soup, chopped tomatoes, and potatoes, plus a dash of Worcestershire sauce and some Italian herb seasoning. Throw in a couple of bay leaves, simmer and that's it. Or you might craft a Lebanese-style ground beef stew made with spinach, lemon juice, garlic, and cilantro (via TikTok). What about a Korean stew suggested by @chungeats on TikTok? Make it with Spam, enoki mushrooms, and green onions, as well as tofu, gochujang, soy sauce, gochugaru chili powder, and garlic. Add ingredients like kimchi, hotdogs, and ramen noodles before simmering to perfection.