Would you like to learn how to make stew? Homemade stew is a great way to turn a tough cut of meat into a tender and succulent meal. Stew can be an inexpensive way to nourish your family and friends, depending on the ingredients you select. Read on to learn how to make stew step by step.

To make stew, meat is browned, combined with vegetables and seasonings, and simmered in liquid until tender. If you'd like a thicker stew, you can simmer the stew uncovered, allowing the liquid to cook down, or thicken the gravy at the end with a blend of 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water. You can also toss the meat with flour (use 1/2 cup for 2 pounds) before browning. The flour coating will help to thicken the stew as it cooks.

You'll need 2 pounds of stew meet, 4 cups of vegetables, 4 cups of liquid, and seasonings of your choice to make stew that serves 6 people.

Stew Meat

Stew is generally made with tougher cuts of meat, such as the shoulder or leg meat from beef, pork, or lamb. If you use poultry, or a tender cut of meat such as tenderloin, reduce cooking time to 1 hour.

The meat should be cut into bite sized pieces.

Stew Vegetables

• Stews generally include long cooking vegetables such as onions, carrots, parsnips, turnips, and potatoes. If you are using tender vegetables, such as green beans or corn, add them 10 minutes before the stew is done.

Stew Liquid

You can use water, stock, wine, beer, fruit juice, or a combination as the liquid for stew. If you use canned tomatoes, they should be counted as part of the 4 cups of liquid, not part of the 4 cups of vegetables.

Stew Seasonings

Aside from salt and pepper, stews usually contain a bay leaf and other herbs and spices that work well with the meat and vegetables being used.

1. Brown meat in 4 tablespoons of fat (butter, shortening or oil) for every 2 pounds of meat.
2. When the meat is browned, remove it from the pan.
3. Drain any excess fat, and add long cooking vegetables to the pan.
4. Cook for 5 minutes.

1. Add 1 cup of liquid and scrape up the browned bits at the bottom of the pan.
2. Return the meat to the pan and add the remaining liquid and seasonings.
3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 2-3 hours, until meat is tender.
4. Add potatoes vegetables towards the end of teh cooking time, depending on how long each needs to cook.