Is Beef stew without red wine still good?

Question

I’ve never cooked beef stew before but I want to try. A lot of recipes I’ve looked up have red wine and I’m a bit unsure about using it. Neither me or my family drinks so I’m worried adding wine will ruin the whole dish together. However a lot of recipes recommend using it since it gives the stew a deeper flavor and makes the meat more tender and I don’t want to miss out on something potentially amazing.

Does the stew taste different with red wine? Can you taste the red wine when it is used? Is the stew still good without it?

Answer 1

I’ve never cooked food containing wine even if it’s supposed to as I hate alcohol. The food is always delicious. I don’t know anyone other than drunks that use alcohol in food.

Answer 2

I guess

Answer 3

I don't think so.

Answer 4

I've never made a beef stew or a Bourginion with wine added, I'm not a fan of red wine at all

My friend always uses a beef & veg cuppa soup mix in her stew, and some 'Oxtail soup' [canned] in beef bourginion, I've had the oxtail soup in the bourginion, and its very tasty.

Answer 5

I use red wine if I have it around, but I find that long slow cooking using cheap cuts ( not fillet etc, it will dry out), adding a good quality stock cube like Kallo, hard herbs like thyme, rosemary and bay, garlic, orange peel, some balsamic vinegar and a spoonful of something sweet like cranberry sauce, will do the trick to get a rich gravy.

Adding fried baby onions/shallots,whole baby mushrooms, carrots etc towards the end of cooking will add flavour as well as nutrition.

If you use a slow cooker, the meat will be tender but the gravy a bit watery as it doesn't evaporate- just drain off the juices into a pan and reduce, taste and add seasoning etc then add back in before serving.

I love a good beef stew in the winter, I add herb dumplings sometimes, and serve with creamy mashed potatoes, sweet roasted parsnips and carrots, sauteed spinach, spiced cabbage- whatever's looking good in the market at the time.

Enjoy! No need to use alcohol if you don't like the idea.

Answer 6

Put a tablespoon of ground ginger root in the beef stew. You will find the stew tastes better than it would with red wine.

Answer 7

The alcohol cooks out and evaporates so you won't notice it. Wine is there for flavour and it won't taste of alcohol at all. There are also beef stew recipes that use beer.



And also those that use no alcohol. A good beef stock will make a nice stew, and you could make that by making some up from stock cubes according to the instructions. Another thing I've done is use water with a shake of Worcestershire sauce. The sauce is very strong and concentrated so you don't need much, only a teaspoon or two. And of course either of these options are much cheaper than wine!



Wine won't make the meat more tender - it's long slow cooking that does that. And on that point, don't use expensive beef. Cheap is actually best! Use stewing steak. Normally this will be from the leg or shoulder of the cow where the muscle will have done a lot of work during its lifetime and that makes the meat tough. No good for cooking it quickly but long slow stewing is just what it needs - that melts the connective tissue into the gravy and leaves you with lovely tender beef.

Answer 8

Sure. You can substitute for the wine.

Answer 9

I don't drink wine or hard liquor, but keep both to cook with. The alcohol cooks off, so use it.

Answer 10

Of course. The red wine adds a little flavour and a little colour, that's all, same as any seasoning. Seasonings in recipes like beef stew are entirely a matter of personal taste. What the recipe says is only a guideline. Use more or less of any seasoning, according to what you like. If you don't care for wine, you might not even like what wine adds to a stew anyway, though unless you use a lot of wine it's hard to tell there's wine there. I often use tomato in some form in beef stew. Tomato paste or diced tomatoes add some colour and flavour.

Answer 11

Sure, but use a recipe that doesn't call for red wine because then you'd be leaving out a vital ingredient that balances the flavours in that particular recipe. My mother never used any alcohol in her beef stews and they were very nice. She liked to put whole peppercorns, whole allspice, and a large bay leaf in hers to give depth of flavour. With beef stews I think the most important thing is to cook it low and slow so that the meat is really tender. After you brown the beef the stew should barely simmer. If you have a slow cooker it's hard to go wrong.

Answer 12

I've never used red wine in stew

Answer 13

red wine adds lovely flavour. The alcohol in wine cooks out and just leaves the flavour. You don't need much, maybe 1/2 cup added in the sauce.

Answer 14

I do it both ways and both ways are good. Red wine is traditional, especially with Boeuf Bourguignon and it does change the flavor but it really doesn't taste like wine. I actually prefer to use white wine so the flavor is not so heavy and when you dribble a little, it doesn't stain (like red wine) nearly as bad. I might use half wine and half beef broth for the liquid.

Answer 15

Make it however you like it. The "gravy" in my beef stew is Lipton onion soup mix and a can of tomato sauce. No flour and no wine (yuck!).

Answer 16

You don't need the red wine, stew is fine without it. You really can't taste the wine - red wine does help break down the tissue of less-tender cuts of meat. But the meat will be very tender if you cook it slowly for several hours (I use a slow cooker).



One ingredient that makes a great stew is bay leaves - take them out before serving but they add a wonderful flavor. As does onion and garlic.

Answer 17

It's still good without the wine but not as good as with wine.

Answer 18

it won't "ruin" the dish, it just adds another layer of flavor. I NEVER use wine in my stew when I make it at home but many beef stews and soups recipes call for the addition of wine and when I was still actively a chef, I used it..its good, just a bit different.

Answer 19

You can find thousands of beef stew recipes on the Internet, every one being slightly different. Mine is made with porter beer.

Answer 20

You can make it without wine. We have beef stew from time to time [mainly in winter months, not this time of year]. ] We never add wine. Like another correspondent has mentioned, we use tomato usually in the form of instant soup, which adds colour and improves flavour.

Answer 21

You can make it with out the wine. You will never miss it. I would much rather drink wine than cook with it.

Answer 22

You can cook it without wine, but if you do put wine in, all the alcohol evaporates during cooking, so there is nothing to worry about in that regard.

Answer 23

The alcohol cooks out.

Answer 24

There are plenty of good recipes that do not use red wine.

When I make regular beef stew, I rarely add red wine, as I use a slow-cooking method.