Adam Liaw puts his new beef stew through its paces to test which cooking method is best

Approximate power usage: induction cooktop 2kW, electric oven 3kW

One feature of braising is that a longer cooking time homogenises flavours, so a stew can often end up tasting quite boring. In these three methods (stovetop, oven and Japanese braising) the mirepoix is cooked to develop flavour, the meat is browned to add caramelisation before braising, and the larger vegetables are added later, allowing them to contribute their own texture.

These methods are the most hands-on, so it isn’t surprising that they produce a stew with the most dynamic flavour. If flavour is your top priority, pick one of these methods. 

Approximate power usage: 0.8kW

I should explain “Japanese braising” a little further as it’s the method I use most often for stews. Japanese kitchens are often small and don’t have ovens, so this is a clever way to achieve “low and slow” results without running the cooktop constantly. It was taught to me years ago as a popular technique for braising meat for Japanese curry, and it works exceptionally well.

The process involves a quick 10-minute simmer in a heavy pot, followed by 1-2 hours of standing, where the warm pot is wrapped in thick tea towels to insulate it, or slipped into an insulated shopping bag to retain heat, a process that mimics slow cooking. This simmer-and-stand process is then repeated two or three more times.

This method fits perfectly into a weekend routine, where you might be popping to the hardware store or running errands. You can spread the workload over the day, doing just a few minutes of “active” cooking at a time.

Beyond the excellent energy efficiency, those long rests between simmers allow the flavours to develop a complexity that you don’t always get from a continuous boil. For the best results, use a heavy pot – cast iron is best as it holds the thermal mass much longer.

Safety note: Please ensure you don’t have an open flame going when you insulate the dish like this!

Approximate power usage: 1.5kW

The slow cooker is by far the simplest approach, producing results remarkably similar to the classic method without the need for searing the meat or sauteing the mirepoix. My technique takes advantage of a common misunderstanding: while searing creates complex flavour via the Maillard reaction at high heat, those same reactions occur at much lower temperatures – they just take longer. If you compare the results, both stews are equally brown; the slow cooker simply achieves that depth over seven hours rather than 10 minutes.

The main reason slow cooker recipes are often criticised for lacking flavour is excess liquid. Because these units don’t allow for evaporation, the result is often diluted and insipid. The solution isn’t just to add less stock as you’d lose the necessary seasoning – instead, I use powdered stock cubes with only a small amount of water. This ensures the stew remains thick, rich and well seasoned.

My final tip for slow cooking is to cook it earlier. Stews taste better the next day because low-temperature Maillard reactions continue to increase the complexity as the dish rests. While there is a certain neatness to starting the cooker as you leave for work, your stew will actually be tastier if you kick it off the night before. Wake up to a finished stew, refrigerate it during the day and simply reheat it when you get home for a much deeper, more developed flavour.

Approximate power usage: 0.5kW

For sheer speed you can’t beat the pressure cooker. While it lacks a little of the textural nuance found in the slower methods, none of the other techniques can get a hearty stew on the table in under an hour. By following the same logic as the slow cooker – using stock cubes and less liquid to concentrate seasoning – you can produce an excellent, tender result even on the busiest weeknight.