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Stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resulting sauce. You can buy this product in canned form or cook it by yourself.
Canned food does not have a full range of beneficial meat properties. Also, such a product may contain harmful substances and different waste products.
Professional chefs recommend choosing a convenient technology for stewing meat and making blanks at home to avoid unscrupulous manufacturers and sellers.
How do you make stew meat taste better?
You can do anything with meat products: stew, fry, smoke and bake. The main thing is that the dish turns out delicious and healthy. The easiest way is to put out the meat in a frying pan. To get a tender and healthy dish at the output, consider the following:
- Extinguishing time. Depending on the type of meat, the stewing process takes from 30 to 90 minutes. The older and tougher the meat, the longer it will take to cook.
- Extinguishing liquids. You can stew meat on water or in sauce (tomato, sour cream, soy).
- Meat for stewing. It is better to stew the femur, shoulder blades, and neck: it is good if the meat is semi-rigid. First, rinse it, eliminating the films, fat, and bones. Be sure to dry the washed meat with paper towels so that the water does not come into contact with the fat when frying.
- Stewing meat. It is better to stew meat in a deep cast-iron frying pan or an ordinary one, which has a non-stick coating and, if possible, a thick bottom.
Does Worcestershire sauce tenderize meat?
Worcestershire sauce is a cheap product containing the main ingredients for a meat marinade. It can give the stew spicy flavors and a spicy taste. It is a sweet and sour, slightly spicy fermented English sauce.
You can make it based on vinegar, sugar, and fish. However, take into account the high concentration of the sauce when calculating the amount. Often, only a few drops of this amazing seasoning are enough to completely transform the prepared dish.
Can this sauce make the meat more tender? Vinegar breaks down meat fibers. This helps to significantly reduce the rigidity of the product.
What do I do if my stew is too watery?
Sometimes the stew turns out to be too watery and spreads on the plate. How can you fix it? The product always becomes thick by the end of the cooking process.
Mix one teaspoon of corn starch with a tablespoon of water at room temperature.
Add the resulting mixture to the stew.
Then heat the product and cook it until the desired density is obtained.
Corn flour is an excellent gluten-free thickener. However, it thickens quickly enough, so be careful with the choice of proportions.
Why is my beef stew tasteless?
Beef has a strong meat smell, but little pronounced taste. To fix this, pre-marinate the meat in spices and seasonings. You can also grease the meat with mustard and leave it for a few hours. This additive helps to make the meat juicy and tender, as well as enhance the taste.
The process of cooking meat can also make the taste more saturated. During cooking the product, add ground black pepper and fresh herbs to the water.
Can you overcook beef stew in a slow cooker?
Cooking the beef in a slow cooker is the fastest way to make stew. However, even here you are not protected from overcooking the product. To prepare the product properly, do not use raw beef. First, fry the meat in a pan skillet for 5-7 minutes, then put it in a slow cooker for stewing.
Professional chefs also advise pre-chop and marinating the meat to make it tender and juicy.
Also, you should always brown ground beef or any minced meat in a frying pan before adding it to a slow cooker. It helps the meat not to stick together and not to release excess fat into the dish.
Can you fix tough stew meat?
During heat treatment, the fat in the meat melts, converting the collagen in the connective tissue into gelatin. This makes the meat juicy, and even the toughest cut acquires a delicate structure. If your stew turned out to be tough, you can fix it.
The simplest, non-mechanical way to soften the meat is to leave it in a “sour” marinade for a while. For this purpose, it is best to use fruit acids (kiwi and lemon). The processing method also affects the rigidity of the product.
To make the stew soft and tender, simmer it over low heat for a long time (about 2 hours). If the product still turned out to be dry and hard, then the only way to revive it is to extinguish it in liquid. You can choose a beef broth, any sauce, mayonnaise, or sour cream.
What can I use to thicken beef stew?
You can use various methods to thicken the stew. Professional chefs recommend adding natural liquids: starch water, cream, and liquefied gelatin. You can also reheat the meat and add a mixture of vegetables to it. Their juice will break down the meat fibers and make them softer. Another method is to add water to the pan and evaporate a significant part of it.
If you decide to add corn starch, carefully study the proportions. This substance thickens very quickly and can make your dish too dense. Drain about 1/2 cup of stewed meat liquid about 30 minutes before serving. Stir 1 tsp cornstarch and add it to the stewed meat.
How do you make beef cubes tender?
Beef cubes are pieces of meat cut into smaller portions, usually sold by the piece. Chefs often include them in the menus of restaurants or fast-food chains. The cooking technology is frying over high heat until a dark brown color appears.
For this recipe, choose the best beef pieces. Then follow the step-by-step technology of preparation:
- Heat oil in a large frying pan.
- Fry the beef on each side for about 5 minutes on each side.
- Cover the pan with a lid and simmer the dish for another 10 minutes.
If necessary, add more oil. To achieve perfect tenderness, season the meat before cooking to reveal the meat’s natural taste. After cooking, let it rest for a few minutes before serving.
How to cook stew meat by itself
You can cook your own stew in the oven. This is an easy recipe, familiar to everyone. To repeat it, prepare the necessary ingredients:
- pork tenderloin — 1 kg
- garlic – 4-5 cloves
- mustard – to taste
- mayonnaise – to taste
Step-by-step cooking technology:
- Wash and dry the meat with paper towels.
- Brush with mustard mixed with mayonnaise, cover, and leave in the refrigerator for several hours.
- Make holes 1.5-2 cm deep in a piece of meat with a thin knife.
- Cut the garlic cloves into 2-4 pieces. Stuff the meat with garlic.
- Wrap the meat in foil and place it in a frying pan. Bake the meat in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 1-1.5 hours.
How to cook beef stew meat
You can cook beef stew. This is a dense and tough meat that requires special heat treatment. To repeat the recipe, prepare the necessary ingredients:
- beef – 800 grams
- onion — 100 grams
- carrots — 100 grams
- flour – 2 tablespoons
- tomato paste – 1 tablespoon
- sour cream – 1 tablespoon
- spices – to taste
Step-by-step cooking technology:
- Wash the carrots and onions. Peel and cut into large pieces.
- Heat a frying pan and fry the vegetables in olive oil.
- Wash the meat and cut it into small pieces. Add the onions and carrots to the pan.
- When the meat is covered with a crust, add a glass of water and reduce the heat. Simmer until tender.
- Mix half a glass of water, sour cream, flour, tomato paste, and seasonings to taste. Pour in at the end of the preparation.
How to make beef stew meat tender on the stove
To make the beef stew soft and juicy, use a marinade. To repeat a similar recipe, prepare the necessary ingredients:
- beef chuck – 0.5 kg
- red wine – 100 ml
- onion – 2 pieces
- carrot – 1 piece
- olive oil – 1 tbsp
- butter – 80 grams
- bay leaves
- bell pepper
- balsamic vinegar
- salt and pepper
Step-by-step technology of preparation:
- Chop the beef and vegetables.
- Melt the butter, add onions and carrots. Fry them for 5 minutes.
- Add the meat and black pepper.
- After 10 minutes, pour in the hot beef stock and stew beef for 45 minutes over medium heat.
- Add salt, squeeze garlic through a press and turn it off after 5 minutes.
- Before serving, add the bay leaf to the dish.
How to cook stew meat fast
The fastest way to cook stew is to use a slow cooker or pressure cooker. To repeat a similar recipe, prepare the necessary ingredients:
- pork – 510 g
- sour cream – 210 g
- mustard – 50 g
- garlic – 4 cloves
- bell pepper
- vegetable oil
- salt, pepper
- paprika
- onion
Step-by-step cooking technology:
- Wash and dry the meat with paper towels. Cut the meat into pieces.
- Grease the pan with oil, add the beef, and fry for 20 minutes.
- Wash and chop the vegetables. Add them to the slow cooker and fry, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.
- Add sour cream, mustard, and crushed garlic to the appliance.
- Simmer the brown bits until the beef is tender.
- Season the stew meat with fresh herbs and spices.
Best way to cook stew meat
The best way to cook a stew is to make a pot roast. This comfort food will appeal to everyone. To prepare a dish, prepare the necessary ingredients:
- chuck meat – 1 kg
- pork fat – 50 g
- butter – 50 g
- red potatoes – 1 kg
- bell pepper – 1 pc
- carrots – 2 pieces
- onion – 2 pieces
- garlic – 2 cloves
- salt and pepper – to taste
Step-by-step cooking technology:
- Melt the lard in a saucepan, cut it into small cubes.
- Add the beef chunks there and fry until golden brown.
- Chop carrots, peppers, and onions. Fry with meat for 5 minutes.
- Add coarsely chopped potatoes, a piece of butter, 200 ml of water, spices, dried parsley, and salt. Do not mix.
- Cover with a lid, turn down the heat, and simmer for 40 minutes. Your chuck roast is ready!
Tips from professionals
Professional chefs have highlighted a number of tips that will help make your beef stew recipe more successful. Among them:
- Defrost meat only at room temperature. Other defrosting methods will make the meat tough and tasteless.
- Be sure to check the readiness of the meat with an incision. If you see white juice, the meat is ready.
- So that the meat does not lose its taste and juiciness, salt the product before cooking or 30 minutes before it is ready.
- For frying meat, the dorsal and back parts are most suitable.
- Do not cook the meat in large pieces, otherwise, it will remain raw in the center.
- In the process of cooking or stewing meat, the water gradually boils away, so top up only with hot boiled water. Coldwater makes the meat tough.
- Improve the taste of meat with lemon or lime juice.
- Do not cover the pan with a lid to give the meat a golden crust.
- To make the stew tastier, pre-fry it until golden brown, and then add a glass of boiled water.
- To prevent the baked meat from drying out, place a stockpot of water in the oven.
- To improve the taste of stewed meat during cooking, add carrots, onions, and parsley.
- To make the baked meat juicy and soft, smear it with sour cream or ready-made mustard.
Summary
Stew is an ideal dish for a festive or everyday table. You can cook it in various ways: in a frying pan, in the oven, in a slow cooker, or in a Dutch oven. The main thing is to properly prepare and choose the meat. It should be tender, juicy, and soft.
Professional chefs advise choosing pork or beef, pre-marinating the product in sour cream or mustard. Sauces made of sour fruits that break down the rigid structure of meat are also good.
Boiled potatoes, egg noodles, or rice are suitable as a side dish for stewed meat. If you are worried about the softness of meat, first bring it to a boil. Experiment with seasonings, spices, and cooking techniques to make the perfect stewed meat!