FOOD NEWS
The Simple Hack That Will Upgrade Your Next Stew
By Crystal Antonace
When cold weather rolls in, it’s natural to turn to a warm bowl of stew for comfort, and a 2008 psychology study even proves a link between physical warmth and psychological warmth. Apart from its comforting abilities, stew is a dependably delicious meal that makes for excellent leftovers, but there may be a gray area when it comes to its methods of preparation.
The New York Times claims that all you need to make the classic beef stew is a large stock pot and an oven, though whether it has to be covered is still up for debate. If you can't decide whether or not to use a lid, the Great British Chef's YouTube channel has a great tutorial on how to use parchment paper to cover your pot.
In the video, it instructs you to cut a piece of parchment paper larger than your stew pot and shape it until you're left with a round piece just wide enough for your stock pot with a quarter-size hole cut right in the center. The parchment round evenly releases steam and is faster and more reliable than its heat-holding counterpart.