SC stew help for bloke please

mrbadexample

Rikki wrote:

The swedes are a swine to cut. Be careful

I'm a bloke. I have a big knife. What could possibly go wrong?

How big a dice do you recommend? And I'm still not sure about that parsnip...slice like a carrot or dice like a swede?

nic82

squeaky wrote:

A stick blender is a wonderful thing, takes up very little room and Curry's do some for less than a fiver.

Signed, Tempatations'R'us

Tesco do a brill one too...it's Tesco value and cost £4.97.

I hate onions and it's fab at whizzing them down into nothing (I know you have to have onions for flavouring, but can't stand biting into them...I'm weird, I know...so my blender is great.)

MrsB_2

Keep all your root veggies about the same size (about 1.5 cm square) - you dont want them big cos by a strange twist of logic, root veggies take longer to cook in a slow cooker than meat does. Dont panic however!! This doesnt mean you need to put them in at different times - just chop the veg small and you'll be fine.

Parsnip - whatever shape you can get it into, wont make a lot of difference.

jan59

Ref cutting swedes:

Need a robust knife - not some wimpy thing. Chop off top so that you get a nice flat surface. Stand it on the flat side, then make slices down, about half inch each. Then turn each sllice on its side and peel off the skin. Pesky thing doesn't roll about on the chopping board/surface, endangering digits........

Also, please ensure your hands are floured before shaping the dumplings...... it could put you off for life.........

Just my opinion but I think that Knorr stock cubes are much nicer than Oxo.

Absolutley right Kitikat - I think there's a lot less salt in them. Better for the ticker.

mrbadexample

Dora_the_Explorer wrote:

Knives? Take a tip from street food stall operators in far flung places - they use a mini machete to deal with everything from jointing an elephant to splitting a pea.

Oh yeah....I want one of those! Like Ken Hom's got. He's pretty nifty with it too.

Rikki

I slice my carrots, cube the swede and divide the parsnip into three. All should be roughly the same size. Your choice. 1" cubes maybe.

The parsnip does help add flavour to a stew. Cook it if you don't like the taste don't serve it.

elona

If you ever want to make things really simple - get a pack of frozen stew veg and use that with any meat you like , a can of chopped tomatoes and enough boiling water to cover the mixture - add a stock cube.

I have used a pack of frozen veg, a ham stock cube, dried peas that I soaked overnight - bunged it all together with boiling liquid - voila - pea and ham soup - you can use a potato masher to make it less chunky. Even DH likes the soup.

mrbadexample

Rikki wrote:

divide the parsnip into three.

The parsnip does help add flavour to a stew. Cook it if you don't like the taste don't serve it.

Which way? And if it goes in it'll get eaten.

ariba10

If you want a stew in a hurry and don't have fresh meat, a tin of corned beef is good.

Rikki

Half way down through the diameter an then vertical through the larger piece. three pieces.

Its hard to explain in words