Video:Tips for Making Beef Stew

Transcript:Tips for Making Beef Stew

Hey guys, Greyson Ferguson here for About.com. Today we'll be discussing tips on how to cook oven beef stew.

Tips for Buying Meat for the Beef Stew

It all begins with the meat. You want beef chuck cubed into small, one-inch sections. You can typically find the beef chuck already chopped up at your super market. If beef chuck isn't available, you can use basically any other beef type, if there is a specific cut you desire. Just make sure to cube the meat to ensure equal cooking time.

Tips for Adding Vegetables to the Beef Stew

Any vegetable combination can be used with this stew, including onions, tomatoes, peppers or squash. Just make sure to cut all the vegetables the same size. If you don't, some of the veggies will under-cook while others overcook.

Coat the meat with flour before cooking. The flour is going to help lock in the juices into the meat. This isn't essential though, so if you're looking to cut out a few calories from the stew you can remove the flour.

Leave the skin on the potatoes to cut down on your prep work. Peeling potatoes is extremely time consuming, plus the potato skins adds a new texture to your stew.

Tips for Cooking Beef Stew

Cook the mixture for 2-1/2 hours in a dutch oven at 350 degrees. Periodically check up on the stew to make sure nothing is stuck to the sides. You can also use a slow cooker set on medium heat for the same duration of time.

Tips for Storing and Reheating Beef Stew

The stew also makes a good topping for mashed potatoes. You can refrigerate the stew in a resealable bag or tupperware container for up to 1 week. You can also freeze it for up to 1 month.

In order to reheat the stew, simply put it in the microwave and set on high for 3 minutes. Depending on how old the microwave is, you may need to reheat the soup a little longer.

Well there you have it. To learn more, visit us on the web at About.com.