I always dredge the meat in seasoned flour. It's for creating the roux.
I don't flour the meat, for two reasons:
1. I prefer the taste of browned meat, not browned flour. With floured meat you get both, but without the flour you get just the taste of browned meat.
2. Most of my stews or casseroles are thickened with blond or tan roux, so I don't need the flour at the beginning.
This is strictly a personal preference, I am not suggesting my way is "better".
Agree. I never use flour for stews or soups. The fond that develops on the pan bottom can contain a lot of darkened or burned flour, and doesn't develop the flavor of just browned meat. Flour will burn at a lower temp than meat.
When the liquid is added and you effectively deglase the pan, I don't want a lot of cooked flour taking away from the flavor.
Just the way I always saw it done at home. Not better or "right".