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The marathon simmer session for my budget stew tested my sanity
I decided to make a cheap vegetable stew using all the odds and ends in my fridge. After chopping everything up, I realized the recipe said to simmer for four hours to develop flavor. Four hours! (I have a crew to manage tomorrow, so my evenings are precious.) I spent the entire afternoon watching that pot, and by the time it was done, I was too tired to enjoy it. In the end, the stew was delicious, but the time commitment left me questioning my life choices.
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jade_young687mo ago
Read an article about how Dutch ovens redistribute heat so efficiently, you can actually lower the simmer time. Something about the cast iron and lid creating a better thermal environment.
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phoenix_lopez7mo ago
A friend of mine was convinced his chili had to bubble for ages to taste right. He borrowed a Dutch oven for a big party and panicked when it reached perfect thickness in under two hours. That heavy pot just holds onto heat so well, it basically speeds up everything without burning the bottom. He spent the extra time stressing over toppings instead of stirring, which was probably for the best. Now he grumbles about how his old slow method feels like a waste of a good afternoon.
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maryc157mo ago
You mentioning the four-hour simmer gave me flashbacks. My 'brilliant' idea for from-scratch baked beans once trapped me in the kitchen for six hours. What saved me later was learning that a heavy pot and a very low heat can often mimic a long simmer in half the time. I just set it and forget it to do something less maddening, like laundry.
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