What differentiates a stew from a casserole?

[Ihopeyourcakeisshit]

Only asking as an acquaintance was most keen to inform me that she has never served her kids stew.
She drops into conversations how she reads The Guardian and listens to radio 4, so I wondered if it was a snobbery thing as I did establish that she will serve a casserole.

There isn't a difference

My DD eats casserole but not stew

Maybe casserole is supposed to be cooked in oven? Not sure the word casserole is more upmarket than stew though.

I always thought the difference was a stew was done in a pot on the hob/in a slow cooker and a casserole is done in the oven.

I cook a stew on the hob without a lid and a casserole in the oven with a lid

Stew is yummy, casserole is vile!

I think if it has more liquid it's a stew, less liquid then it's a casserole.
I eat both, listen to R4 and R3, and read the Guardian and the Telegraph, Private Eye, LRB, and The Spectator.
I'm educated to PG level, mc, but not snobbish. Don't have a loo brush, or zoflora.
Does that help at all?

Does she ever eat Irish Casserole then?

I really don’t think there’s a difference. Interesting to see other posters answers though!

Don't know about an Irish casserole but she has bandied about a bourguignon.😄

I thought stew was simmered on the stovetop but casserole was cooked in a dish with lid in the oven

Hmm. I have got a pork and beans concoction simmering in a slow cooker atm. How should it be classified?
It has mushrooms, onions and apples in it too.
Will be serving it with rice as I forgot to buy potatoes. Don't know if that is relevant.

It's exactly the same thing. A dish that's cooked long and slow. Casserole is French for the name of the dish you cook it in.

I think stew is cooked on the hob, and casserole is cooked in the oven. And don’t get me started on things like American ‘tater tot casserole’ or noodle casserole which are baked dishes, not a casseroles at all!

For top Ponce marks, she needs to go on about cassoulet...

Oh no. I stand corrected! Wiki's definition

I was always taught a stew was cooked on the hob with the heat coming from the bottom whereas a casserole is "baked" in the oven,in a closed container, so the heat is all around it.Not sure if it matters or makes a difference to the final outcome?Somebody needs to use identical ingredients and cook half as a stew and the other half as a casserole and tell us if there's a difference!

A stew has carbs cooked into it, like taties barley or dumplings. Preferably all 3.

Here's a dictionary definition:
'.
a kind of stew that is cooked slowly in an oven.'

Stew on the hob and casserole in the oven.

I'd serve stew in bowls and casserole on a plate.

it's all in the consistency.
a casserole has a binding element (noodles, rice, potatoes) and stands firm when cut (in this regard lasagna would be considered a casserole).
stew on the other hand is a hardy version of a soup, more fluid and would require it's own bowl.
soup is the thinnest of them all even though often the same ingredients.
it's all about proportions.

Thank you cake, made me laugh. I make stew, I have a pint of cider, read the Sun and watch ITV but for casseroles, its theTelegraph, glass of Merlot and BBC4.

For me, the difference would be practical, @Wellcolourmehappy - when I make a casserole, I leave it in the oven at a low temperature for hours - sometimes more than 6 hours - and it needs very little attention, other than a check every coup,e of hours, and adding a bit more stock if it is getting too dry.

This results in a rich gravy, and meat that is meltingly tender and delicious.

I don’t think I could do that on the stove - I think the mixture would catch on the bottom of the pot, and would need a lot more attention - stirring it to stop it catching - which I wouldn’t want to do for hours.

And my casseroles don’t have rice, potatoes or noodles in, cannot be sliced, and get served in a bowl.

It is a culinary minefield!

well Have you just volunteered for that culinary experiment?
Perhaps i should ask the preppers, at least they'd have a couple of meals for the freezer.

Whatabout stovies?