I made the following recipe, and I am pretty sure I followed all the steps down to the letter. However, the end result was... quite bland. The meat and vegetables were tender, but it just seemed bland, and I'm really wondering what I did wrong...
http://www.budgetbytes.com/2013/01/chunky-beef-stew/
No mention of salt throughout the whole recipe. Just gives an 'adjust salt' as an afterthought right at the end. Adding salt right at the end wont have the same effect as seasoning the food as it cooks.
>>7182952
This.
This recipe probably needs quite a bit of salt, and it's difficult to do that when you're just "adjusting". Probably a teaspoon or so, but I don't know. I'm a bit of a salt fiend.
>>7182963
Definitely needs to salt the meat and possibly a small pinch with the veggies.
Though maybe she uses very salty bouillon cubes, so if yours are less salty that might be the issue,
>beef stew enhancer
I also add a half spoonful of chicken or turkey fat to the soup, it just makes it so much richer.
>>7182952
>>7182963
You guys are probably right. The recipe seemed 'right' except that it was missing something, some kind of flavor. I added a bit of salt as I was eating, but as you said, it doesn't do the same effect as when it's added during cooking. I only added very little (about two dashes) when actually cooking.
Shame, now I have a whole bunch of leftover bland beef stew.
>>7182973
Many people say stew is better the second day. Give it another go, it might be better.
Another option is to try and get more flavour in to the sauce. Strain the sauce in to a pot, reduce it, add seasoning, add wine, herbs, anything you have that could add build the flavour. Its probably too late for getting flavour in to the meat and vegetables, but the sauce is easily adjusted.
>>7182984
Well, at the least, I now have a couple days' worth of a hearty, filling, and relatively nutritious - if bland - stew.
>>7182937
Throw more spices and shit in it.
I like to include dried chilis in my beef stew for extra funs.
>>7182937
Throw some cumin in that shit, hell some smoked chili powder is always good too. Some cilantro too probably. Fuck all that lame ass thyme bullshit.
>>7183008
>throw some cum in that shit
I've been spending too much time here.
>>7183008
Cumin, chilli and corriander in a beef stew? What an embarrassingly poor suggestion.
>>7182995
It's worth adding some salt to the already prepared stew. If you're going to be reheating it, a similar process to cooking will occur, I think.
Too many carrots. For 1/2 lb beef you only need 1 at most. Potatoes just suck flavour out of any dish. Best to serve them fried as a side dish. Did you eat it with rice? Rice actually brings out the flavours of lots of foods hence why it's so popular as an accompaniment.
