How to Make Stew [Hardcover]

Cook's Illustrated Magazine (Author), John Burgoyne (Illustrator), Christopher P. Kimball (Introduction), Editors of Cook's Illustrated Magazine (Author), Jack Bishop (Author)

Book Description

Series: Cook's Illustrated How to Cook | Publication Date: 1999

An illustrated step-by-step guide to beef, lamb, pork, chicken, seafood, and vegetable stews

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Stews warm and comfort, but are too often carelessly made. To the rescue comes How to Make Stew, a concise guide. In fewer than 100 pages it provides illustrated, step-by-step instructions for preparing perfect meat, chicken, seafood, and vegetable stews--recipes, tips, and information that all cooks can use.

Asserting the importance of cooking any stew at temperatures below the boiling point, the book then provides useful data on ingredients and equipment. Chapters based on the main protein ingredient, or on vegetables, follow, with master recipes and variations. Thus "Meat Stews" provides a basic blueprint plus recipes that include Beef Stew with Bacon, Mushrooms, and Pearl Onions; Irish Stew; and Pork Stew with Prunes, Mushrooms, and Cream, among others. Seafood lovers will want to try Sicilian Fish Stew and vegetable fans will love Spring Vegetable Stew with Fennel and Asparagus, one of a number of delicious vegetable-based recipes. Throughout, underlying techniques are explored and illustrated (useful charts depict the provenance of various animal cuts), and sensible tips abound (avoid packaged stew meat, which may be made up of irregularly shaped end pieces from different muscles, for example).

A true primer, the book is part of the Cook's Illustrated Library series. Like the magazine, the books are dedicated to presenting tried-and-perfected recipes and cooking techniques in a concise, approachable way. --Arthur Boehm

Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Boston Common Press (1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0936184299
• ISBN-13: 978-0936184296
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,968,837 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Go For it!, October 27, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: How to Make Stew (Hardcover)

I've had this book for awhile, and finally decided to try it out. I followed the recipe for Beef Stew with Mushrooms, Bacon, and Pearl Onions ( and yes I tweaked it some, cause I can...), and it still came out great.

This book offers sensible information about the qualities that make a stew a stew. It offers a general format for making a stew, and I found the recipes to be flexible. I added some extras to the above recipe, and still enjoyed my end-product very much.

I initially made this purchase, because of the quality of product and information that Cook's Illustrated has provided me over the years. I find that the information is precise and simple enough to improve anyone's cooking level. C.I. will help you simplify the choices made in purchasing items ranging from cookware and appliances, to cookbooks and various food items/products. Thank you.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good info but not much of it, April 14, 2010

By 

E. Adams "eternal student" (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: How to Make Stew (Hardcover)

Like another buyer mentioned, I was surprised at the small size (about 5 by 7 inch and not much over 1/4 inch thick). It's less than 100 pages. Still, the recipes I've used were good and it's changed my method of prepping meat for stew.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good fish stew recipe, February 9, 2010

By 

Luz M. Molina "Luz" (National City, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How to Make Stew (Hardcover)

I was surprised by this book's thin, small size. It is 96 pages and about the size of a paperback novel. Still, the information inside was what I was looking for. I've used the Fish Stew recipe several times, with satisfactory results. I'm guessing this book is part of a set of "How to Make..." titles by the Cook's Illustrated folks. I'll glady pay for more of these little guys to continue my collection.