/ck/ - Food & Cooking

just remember to sear the beef in the pan/pot you will be making your stew in

anons?

>>10942827
yea that's the plan

and in case anyone wants to use a slow-cooker: you can sear the meat in a pan, and then fry the onions a bit in the tasty fat left over, should deglaze the pan quite well; in case it doesn't add a bit of stock or beer or even tomatoes

Idk lil nigga, a lot of beef stew recipes are painfully similar.
The one you just posted is basically what I do every time unless I want to empty my fridge or try out a spicy new meme ingredient.
Always put potatoes on mine, though.

>>10942740
You are missing flavorful liquid to cook your stew in. Homemade stock, red wine, or dark beer would be good choices.

Use red wine in it, for sure. The end result tends to be so good that it feels almost like. cheating

>>10942740
Potatoes are a must. They taste great and thicken the broth.
Make sure to drench and sear your meat chunks too.

There's really nothing to beef stew. A good one is done low and slow so the meat falls apart. Just make sure to skim excess oils and add your veg near the end. My favorite condiments to add to a beef stew is ketchup for sweetness, and worcestershire sauce for umami. If I want a deeper flavor I'll also add a small amount of coffee or dark chocolate.

>>10942959
>adding ketchup
>skimming flavour
>crunchy veggies
The fuck kind of stew are you making?

>>10942959
Cofee work really well in stew, gives a nice depth of flavor, and a bit of smokiness that works really well with the meat, and it doesn't make the stew bitter at all.

>>10942740
Make sure you brown the beef beforehand and deglaze it with beer.

>>10942740
I always include some beef neck bone in my beef stews, I find that the bone gives the stew a lot of body and flavor.

Of course always blanch the bones in boiling water and wash them afterwards in cold water to remove some of the blood and scum from it.

>>10942897
>>10942973
I wanted to try that today, was thinking getting some guinness and if for some reason I can't find any at the store I'll get some red wine

>>10942954
yea but I thought I'd make a lot of it and then make a different side every day; rice, mashed potatoes, maybe even some kind of pasta; I plan on making a lot of stew for next week so a bit of variation would be nice
but I agree potatoes work very well in the stew

>>10942959
I've actually tried dark chocolate once and it worked surprisingly well desu

but today I'm only gonna go as "wild" as adding some dark beer
oh and what's /ck/'s stand on some frozen peas in there for the color?

>>10942988
>oh and what's /ck/'s stand on some frozen peas in there for the color?
Nothing wrong with that. Just make sure you add 'em at the end of cooking otherwise they'll turn to mush.

>>10942965
>The fuck kind of stew are you making?

A beef stew, you ninny. Ketchup is basically just tomato--which is already a base for beef stew--and brown sugar with a splash of vinegar. You typically use it for the sugar content which will help cut the acidity and better enhance the overall taste of the dish.

That shit's cooking 101. What aren't you getting?

>>10943017
>you ninny
but anyway, there's nothing really wrong with adding some ketchup
adding tomato paste and a bit of sugar would accomplish about the same thing anyway

off to the store, hopefully I find some decent meat but I doubt it desu

>>10943017
I've never added sugar to my stew. Carrots and onions are more than sweet enough.

>>10942740
I use a typical beef stew recipe but half carrots and potatoes and add parsnips and golden beets in. It gives the dish more color and each bite is more diverse but doesn't change the flavor all that much.

>>10942740
>>10942872
What do you do with the garlic? Chop it fine? Crush it and remove after cooking?

>>10943118
I like to do 2/3 carrots 1/3 parsnips
The bitterness of the 'snips helps round the flavour

Which one?

Leek
Onion
Shallot

>>10943262
Onion, you pleb
Shallots and leeks are too mild and would get over powered by the beef

>>10943269

White
Yellow
Purple

>>10943277
Pungent yellow. Since you're going to brown them up nice like, the sweetness will come out

>>10943293

Young
Supple
Ripe

>>10943124
I usually chop it fine yea; I tried removing it after cooking and with big (deep) pots that was more trouble than worth

>>10943118
parsnips is a good idea anon

>>10943262
onions; shallots are better kept for finer sauces and pasta or salads

Quarter some button mushrooms and throw them in. Also lardons.

Is beef stew in a divot of mashed potatoes the best way to enjoy it?

>>10943430
Nah, put taters in the stew and eat it with some nearly stale bread

>>10943440

You sure about that, hommy?

this is what we're working with today anons
gonna see if I put all the carrots in and wing it with the celery, probably about half of what's in pic related
I know I'll get what on for the choice of meat but that's about all I could find and it was expensive as fuck as it is...

plan is to prep the meat, then onions+garlic, Guinness on top of onions, throw meat+onions and garlic+carrots in, add tomato paste and "stock", cook, halfway through add celery, near the end throw some peas in, and that should be it

>>10943490

>garlic
>celery

>>10942740
Here's mine. You'll need:

Beef stew meat
Potatoes
Carrots
Onion
Celery (can be left out)
Peas
Tomato Paste
Worcestershire sauce
Paprika
Italian herbs
Salt & pepper
Oil

Brown your meat in matches to ensure a good crust and not overcooking the meat. Salt and pepper, then move to a mixing bowl while the other batches cook. Add tomato paste, apple cider vinegar (go easy here), paprika, herbs, and a little extra drizzle of oil to the beef and stir thoroughly. Wrap in foil and set on the middle rack of your onion, cook at 250 for 4 hours.

When it's done, cut the corner of your foil packet and drain all that liquid and fat out into a container. Put both your meat and your reserved juice into the fridge.

Once they've set up after a couple of hours, skim the chilled fat off of your juices. Add to a stew pot and let melt, then add sliced onion (and celery) and cook until onion is translucent. Add diced carrot, potatoes, and whatever cooking liquid is left over (add a little stock if needed) and then cover and cook until potatoes are tender. Re-add your chilled stew meat along with a bag of frozen peas and stir together until meat just comes up to temperature and peas are warmed through.

The meat is fall-apart tender, the acidity and tomato from the braising liquid offer an element you don't always get from a standard stew, and this bad boy is the perfect complement to fresh buttered biscuits.

so far so good, fond looking good

fast forward and the onions are done, I forgot to hold the garlic until a bit later but eh
Guinness in, didn't go too hard on it, about 250-300ml I think
the whole bottom is deglazed and smelling rather nice if I do say so myself
I have a good feeling about this :3

Filled this up til almost covered with "stock" and gonna let it cook at a gentle simmer for 30 minutes or so, check for seasoning, and then add the celery
another 30 minutes more after that and should have done

in pic related I added thyme, rosemary, cayenne powder, and tomato paste

OP.

I am hereby challenging you to a beef stew showdown.

My meat is currently in the freezer chilling so I can cube it. I'll be posting back later.

>>10943722
them mushrooms are mighty raciss there anon

but sure, we'll be beef stew buddies :3
rules are that you absolutely must have at least one glass from that bottle of wine

I'm on standby with the celery and the other Guinness (in a horribly inappropriate Belgian beer glass)

stew status update
gonna add the celery
I think I have more liquid than I want so I'll cook without the lid for the next half hour and see how it's looking
some more salt and pepper added, and even a bit of ketchup because I know /ck/ loves ketchup :^)

>>10943778

The pact has been sealed

I'm going to eat everything in this thread.

>>10943868

Browning my cubes

>>10943899
not my beer you won't
you can get a table at Dorsia with those dubs tho

>>10943868
I'm so jelly of that meat desu

>>10943912

Cubes browned. Veg going in, scrape up some of the meat caramelization, then deglaze with wine and add tomato paste and meat back in with thyme. Potatoes will get added 1 hour from now, peas prior to finish.

>>10943962

Veg getting happy

>>10943977

Deglaze

>>10944006

Meat, paste, thyme

>>10944017

Low and slow for the next hour or so.

Your move, OP.

>>10944023
>>10944017
looking good anon
I think I should've gone with more paste, might've helped with thickening

carrots will be more done than the rest, but the meat needs some more time

I read that it helps thicken if towards the end I crank it up to high for 10-20 minutes instead of the simmer it's at right now

>>10944052

Don't crank it up, you'll just over cook everything. Just leave it uncovered while cooking so the liquid cooks down. Alternatively, get some flour and mix in a few tbsp of your stew liquid to temper it until it's runny, and stir it into the stew. It's an on-the-fly way to thicken stuff up.

>>10944023
>Low and slow for the next hour or so.

make the 2-3 (if you want to do it right anyways). also you want to cook out the tomato paste before deglazing. ideally you want to add it after you've prepared the mirepoix (you can add it in the mirepoix or the empty pot if you are readding the mirepoix after). cooking the tomato paste is essential to mellowing out the can flavor by caramelizing the sugar in the paste. 5-6 minutes and then deglaze before adding in the meat and broth.

>>10943912
season your cubes

>>10944103

They were dredged in salt and flour before browning.

>>10944129
salt and flour aren't fucking seasoning

>>10943977
don't add your mushrooms in the mirepoix. the whole point of mirepoix is to create caramelization which you will then deglaze. mushrooms don't contribute to this, infact they hinder this by releasing liquid. they don't even benefit from being included this early in the stew anyways since they cook so quickly. fuck leave the mushrooms out until like 30-40 minutes before you take your stew off the heat (put them in the last batch of veg you add to the stew).

>>10944134
>salt isn't a seasoning

>>10944067
fine, I went with the roux way
thickened nicely but I have some left over roux

anyway, mine is almost done. tastes great, a bit hotter than I wanted it but very rich and comfy, so I added the peas, gonna give it another 10ish minutes and then let it sit for a bit before nom
not gonna eat too much because it quite late over here
I have some darker bread for it, might make some mash tomorrow

>>10944145

There was already caramelization there. Additional wasn't needed. Doing it twice in the same pot is like trying to reinvent the wheel.

>>10944052
stew thickens up not from the roux or the tomato paste but by the break down of the potato and carrots and release of the collagen from the meat. this is why you cook low and slow. and additionally you should not add ANY veg except for the mirepoix, some potato for thickening purposes and a small portion of your chopped veg in the stew when you begin the reduction. add the veg in stages with the majority towards the end of the 2-3 hour cooking process, so you will have recognizable veg by the time the meat has broken down.

>>10944099
>>10944145
>>10944158

literally you right now

>>10944154
>Doing it twice in the same pot is like trying to reinvent the wheel.
>he doesn't understand the concept of cooking in layers

mfw

you are SUPPOSED to perform parallelization as well as spice adjustment at EACH STAGE of cooking. you SHOULD start with the mirepoix to begin forming the fond. this will flavor the beef which you brown after removing the mirepoix. you spice the mirepoix, and you spice the beef prior to and during browning (salt pepper and then brown with herbs). you deglaze with wine and then readd the mirepoix and a portion of the veg along with the browned meat, you add the heated broth and you do initial spicing of the broth. after the broth has reduced and last of the veg added you spice correct AGAIN. COOKING IN LAYERS is the foundation of french cuisine

In addition to thyme I'll use a bay leaf or 2 and a bit of rosemary. If I'm adding potatoes it's the last 30 minutes and for the last 5 minutes I always throw in some frozen peas, corn or green beans, whatever I have around. I make the roux a bit differently by pushing my aromatics aside moving the pot so only the empty space is over the burner and adding equal parts butter and flour then stirring a few minutes before slowly adding my beef stock.

>>10944172
>cooking in layers

You're not using that phrase correctly, and it's hilarious.

>>10944183
says the guy who can't even prepare a simple mirepoix correctly

>>10944166
soup nazi was great desu

>>10944186
>>10944183
>>10944172
>>10944158
>>10944147
>>10944134
this was supposed to be a comfy thread anons
s-stop fighting and eat your stew(s)!!

>>10944172
Idiotota, you brown your beef, remove and add the mirepoix on a gentle saute with salt and pepper which leeches juices which allow you to scrape up the fond from browning the beef. You have the steps literally reversed which might satisfy the palate of an inbred southern Cracker Barrel patron, but won't fly with real humans.

>>10944204
>he doesn't even understand the purpose of mirepoix
>it's obviously not caramlizing the veg
>it's obviously not flavouring the meat from the caramalization created by the veg
>it's having the veg be fucking sponge
>because there's nothing like biting into a piece of celery and remarking how much it tastes like beef right?
>all classic french chefs are doing it wrong

mfw

>>10944204
This coming from the guy who doesn't even season his beef properly before searing it...

>>10944217
Escoffier says to brown the meat first then the mirepoix you fucking ponce

>>10944230
his beef bourg recipe doesn't even use mirepiox and the purpose of browning meat first in his time was to render the beef tallow. obviously when you are using processed oils like we have now that's not necessary.

>>10944186

Mirepoix doesnt belong in beef stew. Celery is the oddity.

>>10944252
>doesn't enjoy the peppery bite of celery in the broth

tastelet detected

tomato paste doesn't belong either, if you are adding it as a thickening agent you are doing something wrong.

>>10944260

Google.com

Might want to fact check before you shit post. Make you look a whole lot less dumb.

Well mine is done
bon appetit, other stew anon
it turned out much better than expected/I was used to making
points for improvement:
- add veg a bit later, at least the carrots
- ease up on the hot peppers and cayenne powder
- a bit less peas perhaps
- find a butcher

>>10944264
>Google.com

it's pretty clear that's where you got your culinary sense lel

I only like stew when it's so thick that it is basically a sauce not a soup. Am I a tastelet?

>>10944306
I'm somewhere in between on that, what I realized with >>10944271 was that a good way to "test" if it's really thick enough (for me) is to put it in a bowl and see if it just flows towards the edges
which in my case it didn't all that easily so I was good to go
soupy stews go better with rice/mash as a side, I imagine
tastelet is a forced meme btw
rate my stew desu
is it THICC enough?
>for you

>>10944306
Not at all. If I'm in the mood for an extra thick stew, I take out a few of each vegetable and some broth into a bowl or pot and use an immersion blender until it's smooth and re-add to the stew. You can do it in the original container too, but you run the risk of macerating your stew into a paste (and no stew is good without some chunks).

>>10944293

Better than your moms guidance, where you're apparently getting your information from.

>>10944335
your mom actually. and she told me your stew sucks

>>10944023
fellow stew comrade I demand progress pic I'm already done with my meal
>mfw

My usual stew recipe is:

>waxy potatoes
>meat, beef or pork
>carrots
>broccoli
>green beans
>onions
>garlic
>stock
>papripa, marjoram, basil, a little dragon and parsley for spices
Makes for some tasty stew

>>10944271
That looks thicc af

>>10944377
For goulash my recipe is

>waxy potatoes
>2 red bell peppers
>2 yellow
>meat, again beef or pork
>lots of papripa powder
>garlic
>onions
>stock
>some black pepper

Let simmer until the broth is nice and thick

>>10944386
it was
I overate

>>10944411
nice digits and
>goulash
that's one thing I haven't tried yet but I'll write that list down
is it basically the same process as a regular stew but with loads of peppers instead? about how late into cooking do you add the peppers?

>>10944368

Got my tatoes in, just cooking it down to thicken up now. Another 30 minutes or so.

Protip: add 1/2 teaspoon of allspice to the pot, it's nice in beef stew. Also a couple dashes of worcestershire at the end.

>>10942740
secret is deglazing the pot with either red wine or a really dark beer and then fill with a bit of nice beef stock and let it simmer at least 3-5hours depending how big hte beef chunks are.

>>10944447
stews are indeed the real waiting game
I'm not leaving til I see some served stew

>>10944465
everyone talks of worcestershire and I wanted to drip some in but when I found the bottle it said it expired a year ago so I passed
went with a bit of ketchup instead and I can say it was a good idea, a bit of sweetness did it well

Calling it.

>>10944556
nicely done anon, a bit runnier, looking good, suits the fluffier bread
enjoy

>>10944556
good stuff, fuck the peas tho, use more variety of root veggies.

>>10944586
peas are qt

>>10944594
I love peas but not in a hardy stew. Fresh peas sauteed in butter with some mint is amazing

>>10944641
>mint in anything
ugh

>>10944641
but anon just look at how smol green and qt they are

>>10944678
Use celery root the big white veg too and any root veg you like excepts beets msybe parsnip is great. Parsley root etc. And peas are cute but dont fit in a stew

>>10944678
I'd definitely eat that

>>10944807
I-it's not like I want you to eat me!! b-baka~~!!

>>10944847
Guess I have no choice then!

1 1/2 lbs chuck cut into 1" cubes
2 cups carrots peeled and cut into similar size
2 cups parsnips peeled and cut into similar size
2 large yellow onions chopped
5 large potatoes cut into 8ths
2 tbsp crushed garlic
3 tbsp tomato paste

sprinkle beef with s&p and brown in batches in a dutch oven. pour off excess drippings, reserving 1 tbsp. return the drippings to the pan and saute onions till they start to brown, add crushed garlic and saute to fragrant. add tomato paste, scraping up the brown bits and cook till combined. return meat to the pan along with all the other veggies and 64oz of water. bring to a boil and lower to simmer. cook until the potatoes are done.

if you want boring ol' beef stew, add 3 tbsp of butter to a small frying pan over medium heat, after the butter stops foaming add 3 tbsp flour, stir to combine and cook for 1 minute. remove the stew from the heat, add the roux and wait 5 minutes. return to the heat bring to a simmer and cook til thickened. serve with crusty bread and creme fresh/sour cream.

if you want delicious curry though, a 2 tbsp cayenne pepper, half a grated fuji apple and stir til combined. remove from heat, add half a package Golden Curry roux extra hot, half a package Java Curry roux extra hot and half a package Vermont Curry roux medium hot and let it sit for 5 minutes. Add enough water to resubmerge the vegetables, return to the heat and simmer till thickened. serve with rice and raisins.

>>10944807
>>10944991
miyako a cute

>>10946540
I still don't get how curry became such a big thing in Japan; I get the feeling it's only really eaten at home, rarely saw them on menus when I was there

>>10947122
Gotta go to curry restaurants senpai

I don't like curry. I don't want my stew to be spicy. It detracts from the real flavor of the stew.

>>10947142
desu I'd never been that interested in Japanese curry; I've tried a few and they were fine but nothing amazing
but damn those places for students with a ramen ordering machine...oh man so much noodles; and with cheesy old-timey pop classics, and the machine was old and had no pictures, just writing, and only a few students inside; food was damn cheap (unless you went for fancy toppings but nobody really did)
best experience ever
I miss Japan ;__;

>>10947153
some spice I like, it sort of warms you up even more

>>10947190
That's what I don't like. It's an artificial warming sensation, more like heartburn than real warmth. I don't like it.

ok anons I wanna make some mash
literally never made mash
what's the butter to potato ratio? I have about 125g of butter and 1kg potatoes in total (pic related is only 500g)
is 5 to 1 ok? Chef John said 3 to 1 but I think that'll end up too creamy for my taste
also, is milk absolutely needed? I don't have any in the house and I'm not gonna go to the store just for that

well this is what I'll be working with, I think it should be fine for ~500g worth of potatoes
I got another 2 of these blocks just in case

>>10942740
lmao look at this faggot using spices

spices are just used to mask bad quality meat hehe

>>10942897
>red wine
>cooking
Soy boy faggoT!

>>10942988
>dark chocolate
u some kind of nigger mutt 56%?! why not use WHITE chocolate, offical chocolate of the WHITE MAN

>>10943490
>vegetables
fuckin vegan faggot hippie

>>10947190
Japan is a fine nation

whitepowerr heil hotler

If I'm making a pressure cooker beef roast, would I season the meat before searing or after deglazing the plan?

>>10947911
what a most appropriate name you have anon
but 4 (You)s are 4 (You)s can't say no to that

as for the topic at hand, 135g butter to 500g of potatoes was a pretty good ratio
I think 150g might've gone a bit better but that's for next time when I have more butter to work with
nicest lunch I've had in a while

>>10948404
before searing
always season the meat before cooking it, I think this goes regardless of the way you're going to cook it