Why I Cook Stew in the Oven (Not on the Stove)

Stews are the perfect comfort food for January. They’re loaded with creamy vegetables and fork-tender meat that can only come from a long, slow cook. Most stew recipes begin and end on the stovetop, but a simple change of cooking location can make a better stew. Instead of letting a stew cook away on the stovetop for hours, try this: When your stew is ready for its slow simmer, cover it, then move it to the oven for a long, slow cook.

Oven-cooked stews are better for two reasons.

• Hands-off cooking: One, you don’t have to monitor the heat of the stovetop for hours, stirring and covering for the 2 1/2 to 3 hours most stews require.
• More even cooking: Second, oven-baked stews heat from all sides rather than just from the bottom, which results in faster, more even cooking.

Start the stew on the stovetop in an oven-safe pot (a Dutch oven is ideal, but not required). Brown the meat, sauté the vegetables, and bring the liquid to a boil as you normally would for a stew recipe.

Once everything is simmering away, cover the pot and move the stew to a preheated oven. Recipes will vary in their suggested temperatures for oven-stewing, but I’ve found 300°F to be ideal for meat-based stews. Check the pot every hour to make sure that everything is cooking evenly and avoid over-cooking. Because the pot is heating from all sides, the stew should cook a bit faster than the recipe suggests.

Read more: What’s the Difference Between a Stew and a Braise?