To Add water or not to a stew?

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bmoraisey

Assistant Cook
Joined
Nov 1, 2009
Messages
1
I am cooking beef stew ...
Receipe states to brown meat and 3 cups of water and simmer for 2 hours..
What do you do when the waters get low..Add more? receipe does not say? Help!
 
The short answer is Yes....add more as needed. ~~~ Cooking on a slow simmer with a lid on hopefully the evaporation will be minimal. How much other "stuff" (vegetables) you add will have an effect too...Personal preference comes into play as well...How "soupy" do you like your beef stew...I don't want to make soup, but I don't want it to be dry either...somewhere in between....HTH

Enjoy!
 
Sounds like you were simmering it uncovered. Would recommend simmering for the better part of the two hours with a cover on the pot. Then cook uncovered until the desired consistency is achieved.
 
I usually start with extra liquid to be on the safe side, that way it stays moist and has plenty of "juice"! I had to make my own beef stock using water a time or two during a personal challenge I like to call "use what I already have". Sometimes I add bayleaf and spices and make my own recipe. I'm bad at following exact instructions when it comes to cooking. When I use beef stock with my herb regimen it usually turns out the most flavorful. So flavorful in fact that I have been known to make stew two nights in a row!
 
Use stock, a cover, and don't cook it at more than 200f. [200f. is plenty hot....you generally have two choices - Fast or good...pick one]...$; >..
 
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