With the arrival of autumn and the drop in temperatures, we crave slow-cooked spoon dishes that comfort the palate. Could you tell the differences between a stew, a stewing, and a cooking?
If certain dishes in our traditional recipes are characterized by something, it is by those long hours of cooking that cause the aromas to intensify, the sauces to thicken and the flavors to be enhanced. That is what happens when applying culinary processes such as stewing, stewing, and boiling, in the same way that our grandmothers cooked and whose recipes have been passed down from generation to generation until reaching our days. Take note of the differences between each of these processes.
What is a stew
Stewing is a culinary technique through which food is cooked for a long time and over low heat in a closed container so that we avoid the evaporation process and the juices, flavors, and aromas of the foods in the casserole are retained.
What is a stewing
Stewing consists of preparing foods by previously sautéing them with a little olive oil so that they are impregnated with fat and seasonings and then cooking them in a sauce for a long time and over medium heat. Unlike stew, stew is characterized by cooking all the ingredients together in an open pot.
What is a Cooking
Cooking, on the other hand, consists of cooking the food together in a pot with water. Unlike stew, in stew the ingredients are not sautéed before cooking, but rather the vegetables, legumes, meats, and sausages are cooked in cold water for a long period of time and with the heat at medium intensity.
What are the differences between a stew, a stewing and a cooking?
Although we see that a similar cooking process is used in the three dishes, we will see that the most marked differences between the stew, the stew, and the stew are in the ingredients used, the preparation of each of them, the cooking times, and Of course, the final result.
Ingredients: from vegetables to meats, fish and seafood
To prepare a stew, very tasty and fibrous vegetables, greens, and meats are generally used, so that when cooked in their own juice, they remain tender and are infused with the flavor of the rest of the ingredients. Potatoes, carrots, onions, and mushrooms are the most characteristic vegetables in a stew, in addition to meats such as beef or large game meats such as wild boar and venison.
If what we are going to cook is a stew, ingredients such as potato, tomato, and onion will be the base and a fundamental part of the dish. In addition, you can add other vegetables such as carrots, chard, pumpkin… And of course, all kinds of meats, fish, and even seafood to complete it.
In reference to stew, we could say that it is made up of three basic parts: the broth, which can be eaten alone or with noodles, legumes such as chickpeas or beans, vegetables of all kinds such as collards, cabbage, carrots… and finally the meats and sausages. Depending on the geographical area in which the stew is prepared, these ingredients may vary.
Preparation: open or closed lid?
The key to making the stew is to cook the food together and the most important thing is that the lid of the casserole is closed so that the food cooks in its own juices over low heat. In this case, we start with cold cooking and add very little liquid, just enough to cover the ingredients so that the flavors remain concentrated.
To cook a good stew, it is essential to cook all the ingredients in an open pot after having sautéed onion and tomato sautéed in olive oil. Furthermore, the rest of the ingredients are then sautéed in the sauce before adding the water or broth and letting everything cook together at a medium temperature, stirring from time to time. The secret is that as the sauce is reduced little by little, the flavors remain concentrated and the sauce thickens. The key is to use potatoes and smash them instead of cutting them so that as they cook, they blend well with the liquid and thicken the sauce naturally.
If what we are going to prepare is a stew, we will first have to place all the meats and sausages in the pot with cold water to cook them over high heat, uncovered, for a few minutes so that we remove the foam that is created on the surface. Next, after having emptied the water, we will add the legumes and cover with water again to cook the legumes (previously soaked) at maximum power. Generally, the stew is usually prepared in a pressure cooker in order to minimize cooking times.
Times: the stew is the longest
Depending on the recipe and ingredients, the stew will need more or less cooking time, but in general terms, it usually takes about 3 hours of cooking over low heat so that the meats cook in their own juices and They are so tender that they practically fall apart.
In stews, cooking times are greatly reduced since other types of meats are usually used that do not require long cooking periods to remain tender. 1 hour and 15 minutes will be enough to have a good stew ready to serve.
The stew, in terms of cooking times, would be between the stew, that has the longest cooking periods, and the stew, that is prepared much faster. To have a traditional stew ready, a couple of hours of cooking in the traditional casserole will be enough, and only 1 hour and 30 minutes if we choose to cook it in the pressure cooker.
Final dish: from the spoon to the overturns
After the cooking time required to eat a good stew, the result will be a tasty spoon dish with meat so tender that it practically melts in your mouth, as well as very pronounced flavors and a sauce with a thick consistency.
The stew, also spoon-fed, is characterized by a slightly milder flavor than the stew, and a slightly lighter consistency, although we must highlight that the sauce is not completely liquid.
As for the stew, it should be noted that unlike stew or stew, it is served in 3 distinct parts: The broth, accompanied by thin or medium thick noodles, a good dish composed of legumes and vegetables, and finally, meats and sausages that are usually accompanied with a good piece of town bread.