/ck/ - Food & Cooking

[Anonymous No.19687552]

I've made very good beef stew a few times but I'm looking make it better. What do you guys do to improve your stews?

[Anonymous No.19687555]

Take the potatoes out and serve it on top of mashed potatoes instead, massively elevates the dish

[Anonymous No.19687558]

>>19687555
So just make mash separately or literally take them out of the near finished stew and then make the mash with the stew infused into it? Either sounds pretty good

[Anonymous No.19687615]

>>19687552
Spirits and herbs.

[Anonymous No.19687619]

>>19687552
Really basic advice but I see it's missing all the time. Stews needs a good amount of acid, either from (cooked out) wine or just straight up vinegar

[Anonymous No.19687623]

>>19687558
Yeah make a separate mash, you can definitely use the stewed potatoes but you’ll need to add some extra fresh ones anyway as the amount stewed will not be enough, make sure to make it a butter heavy whipped type mash. Since it’s served on top of the mash anyway I don’t think it makes a big difference to use stewed potatoes vs only a separate mash as it’ll take on the stew flavor anyway.
You can also thicken the stew a little bit using cornstarch with this method basically making it a more complex mash and gravy it’s awesome.
Also, peas in the stew are a great addition whether served on mash or on its own.

[Anonymous No.19687626]

>>19687615
>>19687619
I always use red wine to deglaze the pan after searing the meat so that's covered. Herb recommendations? I have fresh thyme, rosemary, and parsley as well as a bunch of dried herbs

[Anonymous No.19687633]

>>19687626
Add fresh parsley after stewing. Also, mustard seeds work well in stews.

[Anonymous No.19687637]

>>19687623
Nice, I'll try this. And I just happen to have some frozen peas
>>19687633
Will do, I'm making some tomorrow

[Anonymous No.19687641]

>>19687623
Here’s the last time I did it, left the stew a bit too watery that time hence the need for a little cornstarch

[Anonymous No.19687643]

>>19687641
Looks delicious. I don't have cornstarch, think I could just slowly work flour into it as a substitute?

[Anonymous No.19687651]

>>19687643
Yes flour works just as well

[Anonymous No.19687657]

>>19687552
I add gelatin to mine if it's not thickening up enough. Really gives it the "stick-to-your-bones" quality.

[Anonymous No.19687666]

Leek is a good option, doesn't turn into much like normal onion.

[Anonymous No.19687689]

>>19687666
*mush

Also, as an earlier anon said, gelatin is what makes stew really special. Usually you get it from the connective tissue, bones and skin, but you can also add a bit extra.

[Anonymous No.19687693]

>>19687689
>>19687657
How much gelatin are we talking? Just add until thickened, I'm guessing?

[Anonymous No.19687694]

>>19687552
Less is more. I skip all the gay shit like searing the meat, making a mirepoix, deglazing, any use of wine or cringe beer, etc. The meat gets stewed, then starchy veggies are added and stewed, then other veggies get added near the end, then seasoning and lemon juice at the very end. If you need more, you may be a homosexual. In fact, you'd have to be a raging cock hound to try and make stew "fancy" with a bunch of faggotry.

[Anonymous No.19687699]

>>19687641
yeah I've gotta try this nek time myself, seems like quite an elegant solution.

also I make slow cooker pot roast and have found that boiling the carrots and potatoes separately is much better as well (they don't get overcooked and lose their flavour) but now I'm going to mash the potatoes and do the same thing

[Anonymous No.19687701]

>>19687693
Gelatin does not really thicken the hot stew, but it makes the texture of the broth silky. Try one sheet first, don't overdo it.

[Anonymous No.19687715]

>>19687699
That image is making me hungry.

[Anonymous No.19687717]

>>19687694
Heckin' badass! How do I upvote this?

[Anonymous No.19687719]

>>19687694
fuck off insecure incel

Back on topic: My stew always has a lot of whole allspice.

[Anonymous No.19687749]

>>19687694
Your stew sounds like shit. Bland boiled meat and veggies. Who adds lemon juice to a stew?

[Anonymous No.19687755]

>>19687749
My guess is he's trying to add acidity without using "gay" wine or beer

[Anonymous No.19687759]

>>19687749
>>19687755
>have never heard of adding lemon juice to food
lol wtf? is /ck/'s advice actually worth listening to?

[Anonymous No.19687764]

Add a little flour and wine.

[Anonymous No.19687771]

>>19687759
That's not what anyone said, retard. Learn to read and then learn to cook

[Anonymous No.19687775]

>>19687771
huh? adding lemon juice is basic shit. you're gaslighting now because you know you look dumb

[Anonymous No.19687779]

>>19687775
>Who adds lemon juice to a stew?
>have never heard of adding lemon juice to food
These two statements are not the same, if you look closely. Again, learn to read.

[Anonymous No.19687831]

>>19687626
Rather use white wine for deglacing. For spirits try cognac/armagnac, calvados, madeira or sherry.
Herbs should be parsley, thyme and bay leaves while braising and fines herbs for garnish.
Just look into different French ragouts or garnishes for ideas.

[Anonymous No.19687914]

>>19687641
Nice, I'll try this, thanks for the suggestion anon

[Anonymous No.19687973]

I try to make my beef stew kind of french even though I don't actually know anything about french cooking. first I cook a shit load of onion until it starts to turn brown and then throw in some carrots and celery and tomato paste. I brown my beef in a separate pan and deglaze it with like half a bottle of red wine and then throw it in with the vegetables. then I dump in some shit from a bottle labeled herbs de providence or something and some bay leaves and simmer it for a while. then I put in some potato and mushrooms and simmer it some more. when I'm ready to eat it I mix in some flour combined with butter to make it thicker.

[Anonymous No.19687990]

>>19687552
A metric fuck ton of herbs and merlot. Don't even bother with any soup stock, just dump in a couple bottles of merlot.
Last time I made a beef stew, I hit it out a the park to where my wife even wanted to bring leftovers to work to show off. I lightly seared the meat, fried up some onions & mushrooms in dried herbs and a bunch of butter, then tossed everything into a crockpot with some carrots and potatoes with even more herbs and 2 bottles of merlot. Sage, rosemary, thyme, dill. Oh, and barley. Bitches love barley.
Had it on heat for almost 24 hours.

[Anonymous No.19687994]

Homemade stock.
Doubly better: swap 150ml of water out of every 250ml for tomato juice. Sounds weird, but it just tastes a million times better. It even works well if you use stock cube instead of homemade stock.
Triply better: mounted roux. When making the roux, once it's almost dark enough, add in your finely chopped aromatics and off the heat; keep stirring until the hissing stops.

[Anonymous No.19688028]

>>19687552
Focus on the meat. You want it perfectly tender. Serve it on some borderline whipped mashed potatos, like that anon said, probably with some parmasan, garlic, whatever. Simmer the sauce down slowly. Add tomato paste, actually wine, some retard said not wine but you need it, if you omit the wine best to do something else and not a stew almost. You want something really rich on the rich potato. Sorry for the blogpost I was just raped.

[Anonymous No.19688061]

Make sure to brown all the meat before hand, and brown your potatoes if you're not gonna do a mash like the other anon suggested! Basically you're gonna skillet fry the potatoes like pic related. You want a nice golden coat on each side. It's a bit time consuming but I really like it this way. I like bay leaves in the stew, I recommend the red wine and Worcestershire sauce.

Bit of an odd addition but I like adding a little bit of ginger oil to it sometimes.

Beef stew is on of those dishes that is extremely savory, it feels as if the flavors are really 'compressed' in a sense, if you're familiar with the perfuming terminology its like it's all 'base notes'. The addition of a tiny amount of ginger is like adding in a touch of 'top notes'. I think its possible I only feel this way because I'm not adding enough wine or acidity into the dish but it's just a suggestion.

[Anonymous No.19688068]

>>19687694
>I'm a shitty cook that's gonna act big and tuff to hide the fact that my cooking is shit

[Anonymous No.19688073]

>>19687990
>A metric fuck ton of herbs and merlot. Don't even bother with any soup stock, just dump in a couple bottles of merlot.
Almost that, I just cover the meat (beef neck) with boxed red wine but add a bit of stock when liquid is going low. Add some garlic, pepper, bay leaves, cloves and rosemary. Cooked on low heat for 4-5 hours, then add seared carrots, onions and mushrooms for 30 minutes, and add a roux if you want to ticked your sauce. The most important is to cook it long enough, don't listen to the so called 3 hours stew, it's shit.

[Anonymous No.19688076]

>>19687552
>sear your meat before you stew it
>throw in a bouillon cube or some beef bones
>add a dash of Worcestershire sauce
>use tapioca to thicken the sauce
>add a can of diced tomatoes
>add some chopped bacon

[Anonymous No.19688164]

Spoonful of marmite, glass of porter, fry the bay leaves a bit, cheddar dumplings on top.

[Anonymous No.19688211]

>>19687552
If you like celery or leek, they add a GREAT flavour, especially CELERY. Try sealing the meat (cooked on the outside, better if it's got a crust from being in very hot oil, and raw on the inside), removing it (set it aside on a plate) and then stir-frying onion and garlic for ten minutes until it gets translucid and yellowish. After that, add carrot and fry it for five minutes or so, add tomato paste/mashed tomatoes/tomato sauce and move it around, then wine, the meat plus its juices, celery, leek, bay leaf, stock or water and move it from time to time. Other spices should be black pepper (obviously), thyme, paprika can be good too, oregano, maybe cayenne if you want it spicy, and clove (not too much, very little as its flavour can be overpowering). The more you let it simmer and the more care you give it, the more tender it will get (aka don't use a pressure cooker if you want a REALLY nice stew, but you have to stir it and watch it for a long time). That's all.

[Anonymous No.19688244]

>>19687552
>>19687641
>>19687699
even if you don't want to make anything else separately I'd always do carrots separately because that's such a massive upgrade. just grab the smallest carrots you can get without paying ridiculous "baby carrot" prices and roast them in a pan.
it helps to boil them for a few minutes first (with the potatoes for example) but it's not a must as long as the carrots aren't too thick. I always do carrots and (pearl) onions in the same pan starting with some olive oil or clarified butter and add a little real butter and salt/pepper later.

your beef may not look like this but the carrots will

[Anonymous No.19688249]

>>19687552
Miso, fish sauce, anchovies. All add a lot of flavor to any stew

[Anonymous No.19688689]

>>19687552
Add a fuckton of hungarian paprika
Actually no, just make goulash instead

[Anonymous No.19688803]

>>19687626
What's a good amount for deglazing?

[Anonymous No.19688867]

>>19687552
Add mushrooms and also add some bacon to the stew.

[Anonymous No.19688888]

>>19687552
Add a spoonful of Marmite, I kid you not!
It really enriches a beef stew.

[Anonymous No.19688944]

I'll give you my guess
>t. pseudo-food critic
wine, and tomato would go a long way
the fried tatos is like the gift within the gift
pretty much, the meat has to be cooked enought that it'll melt, but in your mouth and not on the pot.
a little butter might go a long way, but oilve oil must stil dominate
oh, and grabb most of the part of the veggies and sauce and blend them, incorporate after

[Anonymous No.19688982]

>>19688944
>wine, and tomato would go a long way
Red wine, Yes.
Tomatoes, No.

[Anonymous No.19688983]

>>19687552
I switched from stew meat to burger patties to save money.

[Anonymous No.19689011]

>>19688982
>Tomatoes, No.
imo, it helps thicken the sauce and even contributes to it

[Anonymous No.19689036]

>>19687552
Make a rich, gelatinous stock from scratch using roasted shank and chicken wings.

[Anonymous No.19689037]

>>19689011
There are better ways to thicken sauces and tomato doesn't really belong in a beef stew, it changes the dynamic.

Yes, beef and tomato can work together but not in this stew. A decent beef stew does not require acidity, in fact, quite the opposite.

[Anonymous No.19689042]

>>19688888
>quints
YES. Any kind of super-savory substance like anchovies, Worcestershire, marmite and tomato paste is essential.

[Anonymous No.19689050]

>>19688944
>Pseudo Food Critic
>Thinks Tomato belongs in a proper berf stem

[Anonymous No.19689064]

>>19689042
>Any kind of super-savory substance like anchovies, Worcestershire, marmite and tomato paste is essential.

You don't seem to get it.
A small splash of Worcestershire or Marmite might be ok.

Tomatoes change the dish and Anchovies work better with Lamb, not beef. (I bet I can guess the next thing you say) Yes but No but Yes but Worce . . . .. it's not the same Anon.

[Anonymous No.19689070]

>>19689064
>doesn’t put tomato paste in the stew
You’re less than a nigger

[Anonymous No.19689088]

>>19689070
Why not add curry powder? or Chicken stock?, perhaps some sardines or Collard Greens?

Enjoy your stew anon, you will never know what a real beef stew tastes like.

[Anonymous No.19689139]

>>19687552
rutabaga, char the onions beforehand, dash of allspice, browned cabbage

[Anonymous No.19689144]

>>19687694
you are lazy and a bad cook

[Anonymous No.19689153]

>>19689064
Tomato should be part of every brown ragout.

[Anonymous No.19689190]

>>19689153
>ragout.
Do you put ketchup on your steak?
You probably do.

[Anonymous No.19689200]

>>19689037
the acidity is null if you do it right

[Anonymous No.19689227]

>>19689200
I'm a Bong, don't tell me about beef stew, I've been eating it probably before your parents were born.

Enjoy your Ragout.

[Anonymous No.19689228]

Vegemite

[Anonymous No.19689229]

>>19689227
Just because you've been doing something for a long time doesn't mean youve been doing it right

[Anonymous No.19689230]

>>19689088
Not that anon, but you sound as insufferable as an Italian.

[Anonymous No.19689258]

>>19689064
Anchovy is one of the main ingredients in Worcestershire sauce you idiot

[Anonymous No.19689492]

>>19689227
>bong thinking he can tell anyone anything about cooking
oi that's a laff

[Anonymous No.19689641]

>>19688244
Hah! I knew I recognized that image:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yZ_ZIzNXuE

[Anonymous No.19689671]

>>19689641
I don't think it's possible to make the beef (sauce) look like unless you run a restaurant but anyone can get the garnish right and even improve on that by using much more delicious mushrooms like oyster mushrooms for example

[Anonymous No.19689682]

Smoked cured pork, cubed, into your beef stew just kickstarts the stew so well. I always have a slab of smoked pork belly in mine. You do not need a lot of it.

[Anonymous No.19689810]

Little bit of Marmite really adds to it.

[Anonymous No.19689824]

I always add a good amount of Worcestershire. As other anons mentioned, acidity really adds to it.

[Anonymous No.19689828]

>>19687973
Pretty much what I do, although I sear the beef first in the big pot so I don't have to dirty two pans.

[Anonymous No.19689835]

>>19689064
Most retardedly low IQ post currently on /ck/.

[Anonymous No.19689922]

OP here. I follow a lot of your advice and I'd like to thank you all for your input.
The fresh herbs did a lot for the base of the stew and it smelled/tasted good before adding any other seasonings or vegetables. I also took someone's advice and added mushrooms that I dried out in water and then sautéed after. They were a huge improvement.
I made fun of the lemon juice but I went ahead and tried it at the very end and it did come across.
I was too nervous to add tomatoes but I will be trying that next time to experiment.
I did however take many of your advice and tried removing potatoes and making a bed of mash instead. That worked out really well and made the potatoes much more flavorful than they were in the stew
The one thing that did not work out was thickening with flour. I added about twice as much as I needed and as a result, the stew at the bottom of the pot was way too thick. The rest was great, though.

[Anonymous No.19690609]

>>19689922
nigger

[Anonymous No.19690616]

>>19687552
Pour a bottle of Guiness in there

[Anonymous No.19690631]

goddamn I fucking love stew

[Anonymous No.19690641]

>>19687552
>faggots still can’t make a good stew
*le sigh*

Make sure you add enough Worcester sauce to get the umami to come through. If all else fails you need to boost the flavour with some good IPA. Just a touch to balance out the acidity.

[Anonymous No.19690646]

>>19688244
Organic and farmers markets are a great place to find small produce. Everything at supermarkets is so fucking gigantic, its a chore to finish those foot long carrots and baseball apples.

[Anonymous No.19690929]

>>19687552
One word:
>Ketchup

[Anonymous No.19690964]

>>19690929
are you trying to trick people into rooning their whole pot of stew? i would have to separate a small portion and experiment with this because I imagine the vinegar/acidity will taste like shit. now tomato paste I could see working but I would put it early to cook in the pot and then deglaze

[Anonymous No.19691003]

>>19687831
I love madeira, added near the end of cooking. Also, it's nice that once you open it it keeps unlike wine which oxidizes quickly.

[Anonymous No.19691014]

>>19688803

most recipes will be around 8oz per 2lb of meat or so. being exact doesn't matter that much but to give you an idea

[Anonymous No.19691032]

>>19687552
Deglaze with a stout, porter, or red wine you would actually drink and add a star anise to accentuate the beefiness. The beers will add a richness & even a little chocolate flavor and the wine will also amp up the meat flavor and bring a slight acidity. Alternatively, you could add a little dark chocolate to the stew.

[Anonymous No.19691038]

Heavy cream

[Anonymous No.19691053]

>>19687552
Filter the stock through a young girls panties. Unwashed.

[Anonymous No.19691086]

what other ingredients should I put in beef and barley stew?

[Anonymous No.19691090]

>>19691086
chop up some rocket/arugula and toss it in just for the last 5 or so minutes of simmering. the fresh kick of bitey peppery tangy flavour fucking lifts that shit big time

[Anonymous No.19691112]

>>19688076
OH SHIDD!!
Chef White is ITT!
>canned tomaotoes
Nvrmnd...Nothing wrong with canned toms though.

[Anonymous No.19691115]

Guys I made the best stew I’ve ever fucking had and here’s what I did
>brown a large top/bottom round roast on all sides
>put it in the slow cooker
>add one beer (I used fosters as per my mom’s old recipe, specifies cheap lager)
>beef broth until covered
>salt, pepper, garlic powder
>let it ride overnight
>next day, pull the roast and let it cool
>pour the slow cooker basin into a large pot, reduce it until about 1/4 the volume
>put it back into the slow cooker
>peel your potatoes and carrots, cut them
>add them
>add a bag of mixed veg (peas and green beans for me)
>add regular v8 until full
>let ur veggies ride in the slow cooker until the potatoes are cooked
>hand shred your beef and add it
>give it an hour to let the flavors know each other
>taste for seasonings
Wa la.
It was amazing and ez, rich and hearty.
I suggest you all do it.

Any tips for chicken noodle soup would be awesome, I’m going to smoke some chicken thighs tomorrow and will be using them because I’m a visionary.

[Anonymous No.19691116]

>>19687641
this looks like watery trash and you should be ashamed of yourself

[Anonymous No.19691455]

>>19689922
Based op actually following up with results.

[Anonymous No.19691469]

>>19687558
>or literally take them out of the near finished stew and then make the mash with the stew infused into it?
>>19687623
>you can definitely use the stewed potatoes but you’ll need to add some extra fresh ones anyway as the amount stewed will not be enough,
That sounds awesome and easy.

[Anonymous No.19691782]

>>19690631
Nothing better than a good hardy stew.

[Anonymous No.19691784]

>>19687552
I like keeping the skin on the potatoes.

[Anonymous No.19691807]

>>19687558
separate mash and serve stew on top of it

[Anonymous No.19691815]

>>19690631
What is it that makes stew so good?

[Anonymous No.19691877]

>>19687555
Based and mashpilled

[Anonymous No.19692491]

>>19691815
>one pot dish
>doesnt require skill
>simplier the better
>use leftover vegies
>easy and quick to prepare for cooking
>you put it on fire and forget about it
>endless variations
>can be made in big quantities
>can be frozen and still is good
>is nutritious
>can be served with any carb
>everybody loves it
You cant go wrong with stew

[Anonymous No.19692539]

>>19687694
Nope. I always give my meat a good sear. Only takes 20 minutes or so and it increases the flavor and texture 5x

[Anonymous No.19692559]

>>19687641
oh yeah that looks like it's so much better dude

[Anonymous No.19693163]

I love making chicken stew, I'll just buy some cheap packs of leg quarters, throw them in my big Dutch oven skin side down and render all the fat out, sweat the veggies in the fat (usually some onions, bell pepper, mushrooms, sometimes celery or carrots), throw in some flour to get a nice thick roux with the chicken fat, add my stock and the leg quarters back in, and just let it simmer for a good hour or two to get all the gelatin from the chicken bones, then at the end I'll pull the chicken out, remove all the bones and shred the meat, throw it back in and add some peas for the last little bit of simmering.

I'll usually serve it over buttermilk biscuits, with the chicken skin that I pulled and crisped up under the broiler.

[Anonymous No.19693175]

>>19693163
Oh yeah obviously seasoning and herbs to taste. Must haves are tarragon and a good amount of black pepper, smoked paprika also works really well in it.

[Anonymous No.19693192]

>>19687552
My beef stew has always sucked until I stopped using shitty ass "stew cuts" of beef and went for some weird spanish sounding cut of beef and knocked it up from a 3 to a 9. Maybe that's somewhere to look for improvement.

[Anonymous No.19694657]

>>19693192
Any cut labeled in the store as being for a certain dish, is always made up of crap scraps cut into a shape for the dish to trick bad cooks. Beef stews should be starting from chuck unless you have a compelling reason to use something else.

[Anonymous No.19694660]

>>19694657
I use top round. idk wtf chuck even is (nor top round, for that matter) but chuck costs more so I don't use it for stew. If I buy chuck, I run it through my mincer a few times with beef bacon fat to use for burgers.

[Anonymous No.19694663]

>>19687552
Worcestershire sauce
fish sauce
soy sauce
dijon mustard
fresh rosemary
fresh organic carrots from my backyard
fingerling potatoes from my backyard

[Anonymous No.19694664]

>>19694660
Top round is a shitty cut that doesn't have enough fat for long stews.

[Anonymous No.19694736]

>>19691815
Its easy to make healthy and tasty and will feed you for like 3 days.

[Anonymous No.19694748]

>>19687555
Polenta is a strong contender as well

[Anonymous No.19694749]

>>19694664
>[not] enough fat for long stews.
Doesn't a lower quantity of fat make it ideal for long stews? You can stew the fuck out of It without it disintegrating into nothing by the end.

[Anonymous No.19694753]

>>19687555
Nah, I like how the starch of the taters affect the over consistency of the sauce

[Anonymous No.19694759]

I saw a video about a chef mimicking marco pierre white by putting prunes in his beef stew and served over mashed potatoes
Could be good

[Anonymous No.19694768]

>>19694759
Was said chef Scottish? Cockaleekie, a Scottish chicken soup, is often served with prunes (if not outright cooked with them).

[Anonymous No.19694789]

>>19694768
French, i think

[Anonymous No.19694792]

>>19694663
Worcerstershire sauce is so fucking good.

[Anonymous No.19694794]

Stew tastes so much better on the second day.

[Anonymous No.19694837]

>>19687641
You made soup bro. I'd still eat it though.

[Anonymous No.19695668]

>>19690641
Worcestershire is fucking great in any slow cooked beef dish. Gotta use the real shit though, the fake ones are all dogshit

[Anonymous No.19695695]

I once bought a whole beef tenderloin for a stew, thinking it was a roast. Only realized when I got home and was cutting it into chunks.

[Anonymous No.19695742]

>>19687694
>I skip all the gay shit like having culture and standards

[Anonymous No.19695748]

>>19687990
This. I've made stew on a number of occasions, and the one I could not keep out of my mouth had a full bottle of red wine, and a dash of tamari. I mean, obviously there was more to it than those two ingredients, but I was so proud of that one.

[Anonymous No.19695751]

>>19688164
>Spoonful of marmite
Very interesting, I would definitely try that

[Anonymous No.19695772]

Anyone here make stew with beef ribs?

[Anonymous No.19695801]

>>19695772
I have.
Great texture to the stew and fantastic flavour all round but I strongly disliked the sticky/slimy texture of the meat itself.

[Anonymous No.19695816]

https://www.seriouseats.com/all-american-beef-stew-recipe

Legit one of the best recipes that I know. It takes 4 hours and its incredible.

[Anonymous No.19695825]

>>19695816
Shilling websites instead of posting the recipie

[Anonymous No.19695840]

>>19687552
Shit nigga I dunno. I guess I try to build a decent consistency through making sure there is enough starch, either by mashing one or two potato pieces, or even by adding bread chunks earlier on in the process.

I try to add some flavor depth by browning the meat (I dont bother browning the veggies), and then some beer or wine for that acidity and hint of sweetness.

Also some herbs to build up the aroma.

Towards the end, I bring out the finishing ingredients, sometimes a bit of marmite, some worcestershire, or some tomato paste if I need to bump up the umami. Heck, even a bit of miso can make it interesting.

And that's it for me. I usually improvise my stews and they are usually good as long as I care about texture, acidity, sweetness and flavour depth.

Improvising food is fucking fun.

[Anonymous No.19695868]

>>19687552
All these people talking about adding potatoes for the starch. I just make what is basically a really tasty beef soup and then I melt some butter, add some flour, cook it on medium til it's brown and smells like popcorn and add it in, like I do when I'm making a pot of sarma or grah but without the paprika.

Let it thicken up over the next fifteen minutes to thirty minutes and you're laughing. Then you can serve it on mash without having to worry about there being no starch in the stew.
I also like to simmer my onions in worcestershire sauce to begin. Worcestershire and stout beer are the cornerstones to a good hearty stew.

[Anonymous No.19695869]

>>19687651
>>19687643
If you're gonna use flour, make a roux with it.

[Anonymous No.19696747]

>>19695868
>>19695869
you're supposed to use beurre manie or however it's spelled for stew

[Anonymous No.19696762]

>>19687626
I haven’t heard of adding dry parsley, but I like a pinch of savoury and you need a bay leaf while it’s percolating. Otherwise lots of pepper for me.
I’ve also heard of people adding one clove of star anise to cut down on the gaminess of the beef, can anyone verify?

[Anonymous No.19696769]

>>19688888
what witchcraft is this?

[Anonymous No.19696772]

>>19689064
Are you crazy? Tomato paste is full of amino acids that are super savoury. And if you fry the paste to golden brown with any mirepoix it adds huge depth

[Anonymous No.19696931]

>>19694663
the mustard sounds interesting, when do you add it in and how much? Do you brown it a little bit or something?

[Anonymous No.19696935]

>>19691115
interesting, that sounds good

[Anonymous No.19696936]

>>19689922
glad you had a good experience

I will try the lemon juice next time too

[Anonymous No.19696958]

>>19687643
Problem with raw flour is that it'll add a flour taste. Make a roux with the flour and cook it down a bit before adding it.

[Anonymous No.19696964]

>>19687555
That's what I do, and you're right, it's awesome! If I needed another vegetable, I'd add some broccoli, but that's pretty much it.

[Anonymous No.19697151]

>>19696747
I don't give a shit what I'm supposed to use, I just took the paprika out of zafrig and put it in my beef and guiness stew and it turned out real fucking nice.
I don't give a shit what some french faggot puts in his soup.

[Anonymous No.19697200]

>>19687552
>>19687641
>>19687699
>>19688244
I fucking hate cooked carrots so much. They get this weird bitter aftertaste now matter how they are prepared. Love them raw, though.

[Anonymous No.19697284]

>>19697200
I find them to be quite sweet. It is common, especially in New England around the holidays, to glaze roasted carrots with some maple searp. Maybe try that? It's fucking delishes.

[Anonymous No.19697306]

Have you tried adding a source of concentrated umami? It might sound a little weird at first, but in south east Asia stews use a lot of concentrated sources of umami like fish sauce or trassi (fermented shrimp paste). The trassi in particular can really elevate a stew, even if it's not an asian style stew. You won't actually smells or taste anything fishy, it will just increase the umami content of the dish (which is great).

Also, people underestimate the value of using meat with a little higher fat content. It's not just the texture and the taste of the meat itself, but as you stew the stew, the fat will render out and combine with the starchy sauce, making the whole stew a lot better.

Another thing that I like to do (but this is a whole different style of stew to be honest), is add a massive amount of onions, and then cook the stew until all the onions are dissolved. The trick here is to cook it with a lid on first (for like 3 hours), and then take the lid off, and let all the water evaporate. For some reason (I don't know the exact chemical explanation), as the water evaporates at this point, the onions and garlic start to dissolve, and will create a starchy sauce. There is no need to even add any other source of starch. You will have an amazing thick sauce, which is entirely made out of onions and garlic, and it is absolutely fucking amazing. Rosemary, thyme and paprika powder go really well in this recipe. Roast some potato wedges in the oven (olive oil, salt, rosemary/thyme), and serve the saucy stew on top of it.

[Anonymous No.19697828]

>>19687552
I like using larger vegetable cuts to the point where the vag pisces are about the same size as the meat pieces to improve the overall texture of the stew

[Anonymous No.19698590]

Heaping spoonful of tomato paste

[Anonymous No.19698635]

>>19696931
not that guy, but I noticed a real difference when I started adding dijon mustard. I do a couple of tablespoons, put it in when I'm deglazing the pan I seared the beef in.

[Anonymous No.19698795]

>>19687552
ALWAYS have bone marrow in it, use some boney cuts

[Anonymous No.19698832]

>>19687552
Always brown the meat first, dont crowd the pan too much, then remove and drop the veggies in, some tomato paste, careful not to burn it, deglaze with wine, drop te meat in again, stir untill its all covered nicely, add stock, cook it covered for an hour or two, drop the potatos in, cook another hour, uncover and cook untill its thick enough for your liking

[Anonymous No.19699397]

>>19687641
Just so you know if you cook corn starch or potato starch into stew it thickens once.
Once it's cold and you reheat the stew or sauce it loses the silky texture and turns crap.
Use flour

[Anonymous No.19699407]

>>19687552
My secret weapon for good beef stew is a teaspoon or two of Ajinomoto dashi powder.

[Anonymous No.19699440]

>>19687552
>elevates your stew to the next level

[Anonymous No.19699739]

>>19687552
Red wine and mushrooms.

[Anonymous No.19699773]

>>19697151
>I don't give a shit what some french faggot puts in his soup.
based

[Anonymous No.19699883]

>>19699440
Baste

[Anonymous No.19700363]

>>19699440
So what's the difference in brands for MSG? Price? Taste doesn't really feel like a factor in-between them.

[Anonymous No.19700365]

>>19687555
isnt that basically gulash then

[Anonymous No.19700370]

>>19687552
msg, fresh herbs ontop or maybe even melted herbbutter, and some dried roasted onions. You can buy them in bulk and they really add a nice touch to any meaty dish.

[Anonymous No.19700521]

>>19700363
I expect its similar to the difference between salt brands.

[Anonymous No.19700775]

>>19687552
Alright retards, let me give you the best beef stew recipe and instructions. Good for about 10 bowls.

Ingredients
2lb 1 inch cube beef (cut your own or take the lazy route and buy the pre cut shit from the store)
64 oz beef stock or broth
Cup flour
8oz red wine (I use cheap merlot)
4-6 peeled carrots
Celery (use what you want. I usually do 3 or 4 big stalks)
3 or 4 potatoes (yukon gold)
1 sweet onion
6tbsp red wine vinegar
6 bayleaf
Clove garlic
Salt, pepper, paprika, old bay

Instructions:
Coat your beef in flour with a lil pepper mixed in
Veggie oil in pot med high heat
Brown your meat
Remove meat
Turn heat down to medium
Put red wine vinegar and merlot in pot
Use wooden spoon to deglaze. Scrape as much of the meat bits as you can off the bottom of pot.
Put meat back in
Add your beef stock/broth, bayleaf minced garlic
Bring to boil then turn to a simmer covered slightly ajar. Simmer 1 to 1.5 hour
Add your chopped carrots, celery, onion. Add your seasonings of choice. I listed mine above
Simmer 30 min
Your stew will still be a little runny but will thicken up when you add your taters
Chop potatoes with skin on in 1 inch cubes and add to pot. Simmer 30 more min.
Turn heat off and let cool for 15 min. If not to your desired thickness continue to simmer. (It should be done by now)
Garnish with green onion if you want.
Serve.
Been using this recipe for about 10 years now. Share with senpai and friends and they love it.

[Anonymous No.19700919]

>>19688061
Terrible advice. The water cooks the beef and potatoes just fine. Browning things makes them very tough and gross. Waste of time meaningless effort.

[Anonymous No.19700927]

>>19687626
Cinnamons p good Everytime I tasted it in soup or stew

[Anonymous No.19700929]

>>19687552
add sage & smoked paprika

[Anonymous No.19701004]

>>19687552
i've never made beef stew and never craved it. but if I had to make it, I would add chili pepper to make it spicy. when I ate it non-spicy it was largely undesirable and bland in my opinion. or maybe my tastebuds are broken.

[Anonymous No.19701080]

>>19697200
I hate cooked carrots and raw carrots. I used to think that I just hated carrots in general but roasting them turns them into something else entirely

[Anonymous No.19702493]

>>19687552
Allspice, tarragon, sage and mace.

[Anonymous No.19702683]

>Every beef stew my mom made was with water and a seasoning packet
It still made me big and strong and I love her but damn do I want to try making a real fucking beef stew.

[Anonymous No.19702691]

>>19701004
>LOL if you don't have HOT SAUCE on your food can you even taste it? Bro maybe I'm just broken but you gotta toughen it up!! Garlic and herbs? Haha okay, but where's the BACON?

[Anonymous No.19702794]

>>19687552
cheap wine, brown the meat ahead of time, a bit of mushroom stock. most of all just don't fuck with it. let it cook fucking forever. bouquet garni or something along those lines go perfectly with beef stew.