Help - beef stew lacks flavour

[ImpYCelyn]

I was hoping for a nice rich stew, instead it's a bit weak and watery. It's been in the slow cooker since 12.30, and first portion will go to DS in 45mins-1hr.

What can I put in it to bolster the flavour a bit please?

I used beer and veg stock (don't have low salt beef). There's pots, carrots, broccoli and shallot in it, as well as the beef.

Thanks in advance :)

Did you coat your beef in flour before browing? That usually thickens the gravy. Broccoli will just turn to mush, won't it? If still too thin, make some dumplings to soak up the liquid. In fact, just make them anyway. And do not forget the red cabbage. God, I love stew.

I was trying to do a beer one, I normally do wine. I'm going back to wine after this, it's much richer.

It's tasting fine now, thanks.

I actually quite like broccoli in it though Maybe I've just gotten used to it, though. I'll try without next time and see if it's better.

The dietician told me to keep salt low for a couple of years. I'm not that strict about it though, I just use low salt stock and try not to add salt directly to his food. But other than that he gets it as we have it, so I do use worcester sauce and soy sauce when required.

I coated in flour. I think I didn't allow for the slow cooker not evaporating liquid.

The broccoli isn't mushy I wouldn't eat it like that. It went in several hours after the rest, and on top.

Up to a year they can normally have 1 gram of salt per day. If you look at how much salt is in the stock cube, then divide by 8 (or however small his portion is) you'll see it doesn't add up to much. A pinch of salt is about a gram, I think?

Then up to 3 years they can have 2 grams in a day.

Did you brown the meat before adding water?

Brown sauce and a about 2-3 generous pieces of orange rind.

Leave out the broccoli. Not nice in casseroles.

Next time half the liquid you put in the SC - I put only about a TBS in with whatever I'm cooking as the SC will make its on and you can easily add liquid later if needed. You avoid watery stews then.

A TBS? Oh my goodness, I totally overdid it, no wonder I had problems.

It tasted really nice in the end though :)

Thanks all :)

Just to add, when i make stews or tomato sauces I always put celery in. Don't ask me what it does, but you can't taste the celery, it just adds a savoury saltiness really. And it bulks it up a bit.

Yep to celery. Also spice up leftovers the next day with splosh of Reggae Reggae sauce.

Celery is good - I put that in bolognaise too. I know it sounds mad not adding liquid but the SC makes so much and that's how you get the concentrated flavour.