There's something deeply satisfying about a piping hot cup of stew for lunch on a cold, blustery day. Stew is the ultimate comfort food that brings back memories of cozy childhood days when mom served fragrant beef stew for dinner. Mom probably had to spend a lot of time preparing her old fashioned stew in the kitchen. These days it can be a simple process to make stew in a slow cooker. With a little innovation and creativity, you can have slow cooker stew that's tasty and delicious. Here are some slow cooker stew ideas and tips:
Add some tasty flavor enhancers to your slow cooker stew.
To bring out the flavor of your homemade slow cooker stew, add a little barbecue or steak sauce for a rich smoky, taste. This is particularly tasty when added to beef stew. Wine also adds a nice flavor to homemade stews. Just don't overdo it by dumping in half the bottle or you'll overpower the flavor of your meat and vegetables. Add no more than 1/8 of a cup per half quart of stew. Believe it not, beer can also enhance the flavor of slow cooker stew. Add beer gradually and adjust the amount according to taste. Again, be careful not to overpower your stew. Another idea for adding flavor to your stew is to use the liquid from canned vegetables to enhance your stew. Simply save the liquid you drain from your canned vegetables in the refrigerator and add them to the slow cooker when you make your stew. This cuts down on the amount of salt you need to add.
How to thicken a thin slow cooker stew
Sometimes your slow cooker stew has a pleasing flavor but has a texture that's too thin. To thicken your stew, add a few teaspoons of cornstarch to a half cup of water and slowly mix this into your stew until you achieve your desired consistency. Another way to thicken stew just before you serve it is to add instant potato flakes a little at a time until it thickens.
Use stew cooked in a slow cooker to benefit the health of your family.
Hot stew is a great way to ensure your family gets sufficient vegetables in your diet. There's no limit to the number and types of vegetables you can add to a stew. Select vegetables with a variety of brilliant colors to provide your family with disease fighting antioxidants. With so many vegetables, you can go lighter on the meat and no one will ever notice.
Make stew once for lots of meals.
To save time, prepare a large pot of stew on Sunday and freeze portions of it to provide a healthy meal later in the week. It's a real time saver to be able to reach in the freezer and have dinner on the table in minutes. If you have left over stew, why not use it to make a meat pie? Buy a ready made, unbaked pie shell at your supermarket. Fill in the pie shell with stew and add a crust over the top. Bake it at 350 degrees for around forty minutes and serve.
As you can see, slow cooker stew can be a delicious and healthy family meal. It's easy to prepare and you can create lots of tasty variations by altering the vegetables and meats you add. It's a truly versatile meal.
