The make-ahead cook: 8 smart strategies for dinner tonight

by Christopher Kimball

Ready-to-Cook Meals

Make-Ahead Stews and Braises

Oven-Ready Casseroles

Ready-to-Serve Entres

One Grocery Bag Makes Three Dinners

Big Roasts Plus Creative Second Meals

Easy Slow-Cooker Favorites

Big-Batch Suppers

Copyright 2014 by the Editors at
Americas Test Kitchen

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

AMERICAS TEST KITCHEN
17 Station Street, Brookline, MA 02445

Library of Congress
Cataloging-in-Publication Data

The make-ahead cook : 8 smart strategies for dinner tonight / by the editors at Americas Test Kitchen.

pages cm

Includes index.

EPub ISBN 978-1-940352-10-7

1. Dinners and dining. 2. Make-ahead cooking. I. Americas Test Kitchen (Firm)

TX737.M366 2014

641.555--dc23

2014014386

Manufactured in the United States
of America

10987654321

Distributed by Americas Test Kitchen
17 Station Street, Brookline, MA 02445

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Master Recipe Listing

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PREP AHEAD: READY-TO-COOK MEALS

REHEAT AND EAT: MAKE-AHEAD STEWS AND BRAISES

BAKE AND SERVE: OVEN-READY CASSEROLES

FROM FRIDGE TO TABLE: READY-TO-SERVE ENTRES

SHOP SMART: ONE GROCERY BAG MAKES THREE DINNERS

THE SUNDAY COOK: BIG ROASTS PLUS CREATIVE SECOND MEALS

COME HOME TO DINNER: EASY SLOW-COOKER FAVORITES

STOCK THE FREEZER BIG-BATCH SUPPERS

REHEAT AND EAT: MAKE-AHEAD STEWS AND BRAISES

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EASY OVERNIGHT BEEF STEW

Easy Overnight Beef Stew

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SERVES 4 TO 6 TO PREP 1 HOUR 15 MINUTES STORE UP TO 3 DAYS TO FINISH 1 HOUR 20 MINUTES

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: The appeal of a rich-tasting beef stew is undeniable, but developing the layers of flavor that are the hallmark of a great stew along with fork-tender beef requires lots of stovetop attention and hours of cooking. We set out to reengineer our classic beef stew recipe so that we could do the bulk of the work on day one and simply finish it the next day. Our hope was to make the most of the cooling time to tenderize the meat and the overnight rest to allow the flavors of the stew to develop further. We usually start by cutting up a big chuck roast, but this time we reached for boneless beef short ribs, which deliver big beefy flavor, require less prep, and turn tender faster than chuck roastbig advantages for this make-ahead stew. And rather than browning the meat in several batches, we saved time by throwing all the meat plus the onions into the pot at once. Although the meat didnt brown all over, this method left a good fond on the bottom of the pot, which was all we needed to build a flavorful base for our stew. After deglazing the pan with red wine, we added a portion of the broth to the pot and simmered the stew for just 30 minutes before taking it off the heat to cool. After 45 minutes of cooling time (during which the meat continued to cook), we added some chilled broth to quickly finish cooling the stew enough to store safely in the fridge. Adding the vegetables the next day ensured that they were bright and fresh. And since our stew needed additional cooking time, we found the fastest strategy was to bring it to a simmer on the stovetop and then transfer it to a preheated oven where it cooked through gently in less than an hour. See the that follows the recipe.

	cups chicken broth, plus extra as needed
	pounds boneless beef short ribs, trimmed and cut into -inch pieces
	onions, chopped
	tablespoon vegetable oil
Salt and pepper
	garlic cloves, minced
	teaspoons minced fresh thyme or teaspoon dried
	tablespoons all-purpose flour
	teaspoons tomato paste
cup dry red wine

TO FINISH AND SERVE
	pound Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
	pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
	cup frozen peas
	tablespoons minced fresh parsley

TO PREP

Refrigerate 3 cups broth. Combine beef, onions, oil, teaspoon salt, and teaspoon pepper in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring often, until released beef juices nearly evaporate and meat begins to brown, 20 to 25 minutes, reducing heat if necessary to prevent scorching.