At what point is a beef stew being overcooked?
I made beef stew last night in my slow cooker. At seven hours I felt like it wasn't ready so I set an alarm to wake me up at ten hours and moved it into the fridge around 1 AM.
Let's say I left it in the pot the whole night, would 17-18 hours be too much? Is there such a thing as overcooking stew, and how long does it take until you reach it?
Best Answer
If you're cooking low and slow, with enough liquid, you'll end up with a style of stew called ragoût. The trick is to not add the vegetables during the cooking, unless they're either something that you want to break down, or you've added enough acid to the cooking liquid to prevent onions and potatoes from fully disintegrating.
Personally, I prefer to take pot-roast to this stage, as it's what I grew up with.
You might not get the 'cooked to rags' quality of the meat, as you may not have agitated the meat before cooling. In the Good Eats episode 'Stew Romanace', Alton Brown cooks the meat, then lets it cool so it'll firm back up. It's possible that this might happen in your case (although in his, he drains the liquid before cooling).
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Quick Answer about "At what point is a beef stew being overcooked?"
As much as we like the idea of a stew that sits on the stove all day long, too much time will result in dry beef and mushy veggies. It depends on how much stew you're actually making, but the sweet spot is about 2–3 hours.Does beef stew get more tender the longer it cooks?
The long, slow cook time leaves lean meat, like sirloin, tough and chewy, while tougher cuts, like chuck, break down and become really tender. Follow this tip: Stick with using chuck meat. As it cooks, this cut breaks down wonderfully and rewards you with tender, delicious bites.Is chewy beef overcooked or undercooked?
Undercooked steaks fail to melt the fat in the beef and are quite chewy. Additionally, undercooked beef might cause an upset stomach or even food poisoning. Overcooked steaks burn through all the fat and end up being hard, dry, and chewy.Does stew meat get softer the longer you cook it?
There is no point where meat gets tougher when being slow cooked, what happens first is that the collagen breaks down, then the proteins start to denature. Generally once the collagen is all broken down is the ideal time to take it out, any longer and the meat itself starts to break down.How do you know if stew meat is overcooked?
Beef for slow-cooking will become overcooked at a much slower rate. It will take around an hour to become tender, and then will become even more tender for several hours if cooked low enough. It will be overcooked when it falls apart too much or becomes dry in texture. Test with a fork or taste it throughout cooking.Huge Mistakes Everyone Makes When Cooking Beef Stew
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