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Had a slow cooker beef stew debate with my sister last weekend and I'm still not sure who's right
So my sister swears by searing the meat first before tossing it in the slow cooker. She says it locks in flavor and makes the stew taste way better. But I've been doing it the lazy way for years just throwing raw beef in with veggies and broth and honestly I thought it was fine. Last weekend at her house in Pittsburgh she made a batch with pre-seared chuck roast and I gotta admit it was richer and had this deep brown color mine never gets. But here's the thing it also took an extra 30 minutes of cleanup from the searing pan and she had to rinse oil splatter off her stovetop. I'm torn between convenience and taste. Has anyone done a side by side comparison of the same recipe? Which side do you lean towards when you're in a hurry?
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jason731mo ago
Dude just sear the meat. Yeah its annoying cleaning up but the flavor difference is night and day. I did a side by side last fall with the same chuck roast and the unseared batch came out kinda grey and bland. That deep brown crust adds way more than just color, it totally changes the whole stew. Just line your stovetop with foil before you start frying.
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sagen361mo ago
and honestly the foil trick is a lifesaver lol. i used to dread scrubbing that crust off the pan but now i just crumple up the foil and toss it. also if you're really lazy like me sometimes i just sear in a disposable aluminum pan on the stove then throw the whole thing away when im done. not the most eco friendly move but hey it works when you're in a rush. the flavor difference is 100% real though, that maillard reaction is no joke.
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