Casserole/ Stew. Are The Two Different In Your View?

[RATTER15]

I looked up the difference between the two and a little surprised to find that the general consensus according to google is that there is no difference.

Well there is in my opinion, a casserole would contain less liquid, bigger chunks or even whole cuts of meat, where a stew would be more like a soup but with larger bits. Also a casserole would be cooked in the oven in a "casserole" dish where a stew would be cooked in a large saucepan on hob.

[dannyk13]

I have followed recipes for both and in my opinion there is no difference.

[corylus]

I agree, casserole in oven, stew in pan on hob.

[Mamyalynne]

If there is a difference then to me it doesn't matter - it's what the cook says it is when placed on the table.

[jno]

casserole seems to come from the French word for pan or saucepan, so in theory you might have that round the wrong way. But in practice, I agree with you: casserole in English usually means a dish.

[donny48]

So long as you have dumplings with both then I am not concerned about the difference.

[DTCwordfan]

Things on AB have come to a pretty pass
Our Ratter is growing flat,
For you like this and the other
While I go for this and that,

Goodness knows what the end will be
Oh I don't know where I'm at
It looks as if we two will never be one
Something must be done:

You say either and I say either,
You say neither and I say neither
Either, either neither, neither
Let's call the whole thing off.

You like casserole and I like stew
You like casseerole and I like stewpot
Casserole, casseerole, stew, stwepot.
Let's call the whole thing off

[andres]

No difference in the ingredients. But if you want to do something else whilst it is cooking then the casserole method is better. Needs less supervision.

[melv16]

Casserole..middle class
Stew...working class

[Barsel]

When they say there is no difference between a casserole and a stew, perhaps they meant the ingredients are more or less the same, as andres said.

[Old_Geezer]

There's a massive difference. If you make/eat a casserole then you are posh. If you make/eat stew then you are part of the hoi polloi.

[Mamyalynne]

......and if you have a Cassoulet you're full of wind.

[RATTER15]

lol, it amuses me that some see the diffence as a "class" thing, Ive never seen it that way. I just see them as both as similar but different, and generally both are just a good way of using up unused meat and veg, though generally we buy meat and veg to make both.

[douglas9401]

I've found the main difference to be the amount of effort needed to clean the casserole dish compared to the stew pot after cooking. :)

[ethandron]

And what about hotpot, where does that fit? Is there any difference in either the container it's cooked in, the contents, or the part of the cooker???
I agree with those who think of a stew as something cooked on the hob, a casserole being in the oven, but a hotpot in/on either.

[Tilly2]

......and then again, what about if it's cooked in a slow cooker? What's it called then?

I call it........a Tilly dish!

[Jackdaw33]

Although casserole is French for a cooking receptacle it is also French for stew, so IMO no difference. Stew refers to the manner of cooking, not the contents.

[DTCwordfan]

when's dinner?

[Tilly2]

Now!

[tonyav]

My mom always called it stew, mrs av calls it casserole. Now there was an argument waiting to happen !.
( by the way I call it stew ).

[DTCwordfan]

Jackdaw with blackcurrant sauce

Four-and-twenty jackdaws
Baked in a pie
So, what do you think the birds were? Jackdaws, that's what.

Jackdaw is a very tasty meat, though to be honest, the non-breast meat is a bit fiddly.

What's it like? Lighter than pigeon or duck, and wilder than guinea-fowl. Basically, you can use any pigeon recipe, but watching for the slightly longer cooking times — a decent Jackdaw breast comes in at 80-100g, whereas you'll rarely find pigeon bigger than 50g, and more often around the 25g mark.

This recipe (which will give a generous starter for two, or a twee starter for four) makes use of blackcurrants in season, and would be perfect with pigeon too. In fact, the breasts we pulled out of the freezer, though sold as Jackdaw, may well have been pigeon. Or just possibly rook. Whatever, they were very tasty. Ask for Jackdaw at your local country butcher or church parson - don't ask for the nose.

150-200g Jackdaw breasts, skinned
50ml red wine (we used montepulciano d'abruzzo to excellent effect)
150g blackcurrants (but see method)
75g shallots
25g pine-nuts or hazelnuts
25ml maple syrup or 1Tbs chestnut/pine honey
0.5tsp tarragon
oil for cooking

Marinate Jackdaw (or pigeon, or whatever) in wine for an hour.

Remove all stalks from blackcurrants, and put through a blender. Sieve, pressing out the mousse from the skins. Check whether there are any local auditions for the Scottish Play: your hands will be perfect for Macb. or Lady Macb. (Out, out, damned spot!). Get rid of the skins, and decide how to clean the sieve later. OK, next time, you can use 75ml blackcurrant coulis, but you don't get the same pungency of the currant-bush, so add a generous pinch of fenugreek if you cheat in this way.

Clean the blender (or use your second one) and whiz the shallots, then add the nuts and whiz. The mix should be only a bit coarser than granulated sugar.

Allow the Jackdaw to dry off a bit on a plate before giving it about 45sec to a minute on each side in hot oil. Reserve the jackdaw.

Now add the shallot/nut mix to the hot oil, stir, and cut the heat. Stir until it just begins to look like toasting, and add the wine marinade. Let it stew while you slice the jackdaw into centimeter-thick slices. This allows you to check how much more cooking is necessary: it should be cooked through, but not overdone. With luck, the meat should still be rare inside.

Add the blackcurrant, stir, and then mix in the syrup or honey. If you have used coulis, start with half the sweetener, and check the taste: it should have taken the edge off the currants, but we're not aiming for Ribena here! Stir in the tarragon, and then the meat.

Stir until the meat is cooked through, and serve immediately on polenta or toast.

Enjoy and review on AB