Braising and Stewing Cooking Techniques

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Introduction

Braising and stewing are similar cooking techniques, which are different in terms of liquid usage and heat intensities. Stewing uses medium to low heat and submerges ingredients in liquid, such as broth. The food is slow-cooked for the entire duration of the process. Braising utilizes dry heating on high heat, followed by wet heating on medium or low heat.

Braising Recipe

Instructions

Cut the beef into large chunks.
Heat olive oil in a skillet over high heat. Brown the beef chunks. Then remove them and set aside.
Cook the onions in the same skillet until they are fully cooked (or translucent).
In a Dutch oven pot, begin layering the ingredients in the following order; 1/2 browned beef chunks, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, then half the sautéed onion and half the garlic (pressed).
Repeat step 4 with the remaining beef chunks.
Add the red wine and water to the meat and place the lid on top. Place the pot onto the cooktop and bring it to a boil. Place the pot into the oven for 1 1/2 -2 hours at 360 Fahrenheit. Cook until the meat is fully cooked through. (Dina, 2018)

In the case of the braised beef recipe, the core elements of the cooking process are reflected in the source. Braising is a combination of dry and wet heat, where large pieces of meat are dry cooked first in the high heat as shown in the recipe. The following steps involve lowering the heat and adding small amounts of liquid, such as wine and water. Therefore, ingredients, primarily meat, are dry cooked in high heat and then placed into small amounts of liquid in medium or low heat. In other words, the proper technique is applied with the use of high and dry heating, which is followed by wet heating in a liquid without full submersion. In addition, large pieces of meat are used since the giving cooking method is most suitable for such sizes.

Stewing Recipe

Directions

In a large dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, heat oil. Add beef and cook until seared on all sides, 10 minutes, working in batches if necessary. Transfer beef to a plate.
In the same pot, cook onion, carrots, and celery until soft, 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook until garlic is fragrant and tomato paste has darkened, 2 minutes.
Add beef back to dutch oven then add broth, wine, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and bay leaves.
Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and let simmer until beef is tender, 30 to 45 minutes.
Add potatoes and simmer, covered, until potatoes are tender, 15 minutes.
Remove bay leaves. Stir in peas and cook until warmed through, 2 minutes. Season stew to taste with salt and pepper, then ladle into serving bowls and garish with parsley. (Abraham, 2022)

In the case of stewing, smaller pieces of meat are used, and they are wet cooked from the start. It is a slow cooking technique that focuses on preparing tougher meat pieces in a broth. The presented recipe sears both meat and vegetables in medium heat, which is later placed into a broth, wine, sauce, and other ingredients. When the boiling temperature is achieved, the heat is reduced, where the food is seasoned. This is the moment when slow cooking begins since the stew sits in such a state for 30-45 minutes. Vegetables are added after the latter step and stewed for another 15 minutes.

Conclusion

In conclusion, braising utilizes high heat and dry heating, which is followed by a medium to low wet heating, and the liquid amount is low. Stewing uses medium to low heating from the beginning, and it fully submerges ingredients in the liquid. The latter is slow-cooked for longer durations with subsequent additions of vegetables.

References

Abraham, L. (2022). Best-ever beef stew. Delish. Web.

Dina. (2018). Braised beef. Simply Homecooked. Web.

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