I love making a stew on Saturday.  I start from morning right after breakfast, so I have a good many hours for the stew to slowly simmer.  Making stew is a very old cooking method.  And the basic reason for this method is to break down the connective tissue in cheaper and tougher cuts of meat in order to make it edible.  This can only be done with the long slow simmering. 

You would only stew meat that has connective tissue.  This meat comes from the animal that gets a good workout, such as the foreleg or rump.  So, you could never stew a filet mignon because there is little connective tissue and this cut of meat is already tender. 

Every step of my stew making is inviting.  From tossing the chopped onions and celery into the stewpot and listening to the sizzle, to dissolving the tomato paste in water and of course hearing someone who’s entered the house ask “What’s cooking?  It smells so good”. 

Stews begin in different ways.  Some cooks brown the meat first by sautéing it in a little fat and then adding liquid and turning the fire down for a very slow simmer.  Other cooks start the stewing without the initial browning. 

There are many kinds of stew pots including earthenware, but I like a heavy stainless steel casserole or a stainless steel slow cooker that captures moisture very well and seals in the flavor.

 I also love that you can never make too much because stews are wonderful the second time around.

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Braising is the most common combined cooking method.  You first sear what you are cooking in your stainless steel cookware, then add liquid to the pot or skillet, cover and simmer.  You can do this either in the oven or on top of the stove.  You would use a casserole or a roasting pan for this. 

As the dish cooks, the cooking liquid and whatever you are cooking will develop lots of flavor and a nice luxurious texture.  The results are often called stews, so sometimes people call braising stewing, although with stewing you don’t necessarily sear the food first.

Braising is most commonly used to slow cook tough pieces of meat, short ribs, brisket, veal, shank and so on, but you can also braise fish, chicken or vegetables.  Only, the cooking time will be shorter. 

Technorati Tags: cooking method