Stewing is a simple way of cooking for a delicious meal. Put ingredients in the pan, add herbs and spices and after a few hours you can enjoy a home-made stew. Stews are very tasty in the winter with warm vegetables and a good piece of simmering meat. But stews are also nice to eat in the summer. Interested in the technique of stewing? Find out more in this blog!
The technique of stewing
The essence of stewing is to slowly cook meat, fish or vegetables in liquid. For this, you should preferably use a cast-iron skillet with a thick bottom. This allows the heat to be properly distributed in the pan and the ingredients to cook slowly. Keep the heat low, preferably on the lowest burner of the gas stove or on a small fire. The liquid in the pan should only just be allowed to move.
The possibilities of stewing
Stewing is an easy cooking technique. However, there are a number of things that are important when making a stew. Be careful when adding liquids such as beer or wine. These acids can affect the meat and influence the flavours in the stew.
When it comes to ingredients, there are many possibilities for making a stew. A full vegetable stew or simply a pan of stringy meat, it is all possible. You can sear meat briefly before stewing and then let it cook slowly in the casserole. Add complementary herbs and season the stew. A very fine casserole to use for this is the Dutch Oven by The Bastard. This cast iron pan maintains its heat for a long time, which makes stewing easy.
Stewing is possible on any fire
Want to make a stew but do not have a fire in the garden? You can also prepare a delicious stew with a garden fire. A good example of an excellent garden fireplace is the BonFeu BonTino. This garden fireplace comes standard with a grill grid on which you can place the casserole and stew a tasty dish. Besides the garden fires, you can also use a tripod to make a delicious stew. Put the tripod above an open fire and hang a stew pot on the hook. In this way, you can prepare a delicious stew even with the simplest of fires.
Although stewing is a matter of patience, it is important that the pan does not get too hot and cook too fast. Therefore, the Core thermometer pro of The Bastard is a very handy tool to check the temperature of the meat. The thermometer has a fast response time so you can quickly switch and lower or raise the temperature of the fire until the perfect temperature for your stew is reached.
Tips from the chefs
In addition to the explanations we have given about stewing, there are also 3 chefs who would like to share their tips and tricks with you.
â—Š Tip from chef Axel van Lent: "Watch out for strongly seasoning your stew. The longer it is on, the more it cooks down, which makes the taste stronger!
â—Š Tip from chef Armijn van Nierop: "Use the technique of stewing when preparing a papillotte, for example. Make an aluminium foil packet filled with sugar snaps, mangetout, green asparagus and anchovy butter and braise it on the BonFeu."
â—Š Tip from chef Bart van de Wal: "Choose the right piece of meat to prepare, short rib, sucade or thick plate are all different types of meat with different preparation. Good preparation is half the work and ultimately yields the best result."
Enthusiastic? Try it yourself!
Whether it's super cold outside, or wonderful summer weather, making a stew is possible all year round! If, after reading this blog, you've started to crave a delicious ratatouille or a variation on the stews? In our assortment you will find many articles that will help you prepare a good stew. Take a look at the page for stews. If you order before 5pm today, we will send your package the same working day.
