Best Way to Reheat Beef Stew

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Simmering away on the stove is a big pot of beef stew, filled with carrots, potatoes, celery, beef tips, and broth just to name a few things.

The aroma is making the entire house smell delicious and you can't wait to dig in. Is your mouth watering yet?

Beef stew is a hearty meal that has literally everything you need in it for one meal. It has plenty of protein and lots of veggies mixed into it and it tastes amazing!

But when you make a pot of stew, you're guaranteed to have leftovers. There's just no way around it. So, can you save the leftover beef stew and reheat it later?

Can you freeze beef stew and then thaw and reheat it? You'll be glad to know that beef stew stores and reheats very well. Store your beef stew in the fridge for a few days or put it away in the freezer to reheat later.

No matter your intentions with your beef stew, there are viable options for reheating your stew rather than letting it go to waste.

Keep reading to learn the absolute best ways to store and reheat your beef stew. You will be glad you stuck around!

Storing and Reheating the Best Beef Stew

Beef stew sure makes a great meal. It's a perfect option in fall and winter when you want something to warm you from the inside out.

The best part is, it's a fairly simple meal to create and a little bit goes a long way.

If you're concerned about having too many leftovers, we're here to help. There are options for safely storing and reheating your leftovers.

Beef stew also is easy to freeze so that you don't have to burn yourself out on days of leftovers.

Beef stew is a filling option that has a lot of veggies as well as beef tips or round roast pieces. You get your protein and vegetable servings for the day in one warm bowl of beef stew.

You can even make ahead and freeze if you like to prep and freeze meals for convenience. I use these storage containers from Amazon to freeze batches of stew ahead of time, and then can easily reheat it!

A pot of beef stew stretches much farther than you might think. There's simply no way to only make a few servings.

Most of the time, you end up with far more than you can eat in one sitting and you will probably have enough leftovers for 2-4 meals as well, depending on your family and serving sizes.

Beef stew is a relatively inexpensive meal to create and it's a versatile option because while there are specific veggies that are recommended, you can include whatever veggies you prefer.

Get creative and personalize it to your tastes or what you have on hand to use!

So the question remains, what is there to know about storing and reheating your beef stew? Let's start by covering some of the upsides and downsides of reheating your beef stew. Below are some lists to break down this information for you.

The Upsides to Reheating Beef Stew

• You don't have to toss out leftovers.
• Stew can be made ahead and frozen and still reheat well.
• Stew can be reheated in the microwave, on the stove, or in a crockpot.
• The overall flavor of stew can improve once it has been stored and reheated because it gives some of the more tame spices and vegetables a chance to intensify in flavor.
• Stew is rich in nutrition and makes a great quick meal when reheated.

The Downsides to Reheating Beef Stew

• When reheating, you should portion out only what you think you will use. Reheating multiple times begin to lose flavor or taste burnt.
• If you are freezing your stew, your thickening agent could separate. If making ahead, leave this out until time to heat the stew.
• The fat or grease of the stew may separate from the stew mixture or thicken on top. This is easy to remove as you are reheating.
• Reheating can make your potatoes soft or mushy.

Now that you know some of the basic pros and cons of reheating your beef stew, let's dive a little deeper into the details and discuss storing your beef stew and the best methods for reheating your beef stew as well.

We've put together a guide to instruct you as you reheat your beef stew in order to make storing and reheating your stew a simple process.

We hope this guide is helpful to you during soup and stew season and that you find the details handy for reheating beef stew.

Detailed Guide to Reheating Beef Stew

Reheating your beef stew doesn't have to be challenging. It can be a bit time consuming as the best ways to reheat do require some cooking time. However, there are options for whatever time frame you might need to stick to.

Beef stew is the perfect fall/winter meal option. It's easy to put together or make ahead of time and it's quite simple to store up leftovers and reheat them for future use as well.

Be mindful of the tips for thickening and cooking slowly to avoid losing flavor or burning the stew.

How to Store Beef Stew

First things first, you can't reheat beef stew if you do not store it properly. You can store your stew for leftovers in a couple of days or freeze it away for reheating in a couple of months.

It is not recommended that you reheat your beef stew multiple times.

Take the time to reheat your stew the right way, as well as storing it the proper way and you surely won't be disappointed with the way it turns out!

1. To store beef stew that has already been made, let it cool completely. Place the stew in a sealing container (I use these whenever I store soup, they're perfect for freezing or refrigerating) or cover it tightly and place it in the fridge. You can store stew this way 3-5 days.
2. Store leftover stew in the freezer. The primary option for this is to place the stew in a freezer bag or a plastic container that seals well. Stew can be stored in the freezer for up to 6 months.
3. Make beef stew ahead of time and freeze for future use. Don't add the potatoes or the thickening agents until you are ready to prepare and serve.

How to Reheat Beef Stew

You've stored your stew away and now it's time to pull it out.

Whether you froze leftover stew, made stew ahead and froze it, or you are pulling leftovers out of the fridge you can primarily follow the same simple steps and reheat the stew in the microwave, on the stovetop, or in a crockpot.

1. Microwave
   • Use a microwave-safe dish with a lid (I love these bowls from Amazon). Place the stew in the microwave for 3 minutes.
   • Stir the stew every 60 seconds. Stirring the stew throughout the heating process will allow the stew to heat evenly rather than leaving areas over or undercooked.
2. Stovetop
   • Place the stew in a pot on low temperatures. You may need to add some broth or water to allow appropriate moisture for your stew.
   • Let the stew simmer until warm, stirring often. It will only take about 15-20 minutes to reheat the stew. Be careful not to overcook
3. Crockpot
   • If you simply don't have time to mess with the microwave or stove, place your stew in the crockpot (I use this one).
   • Set it on the low setting and make sure that there is plenty of moisture in your stew to prevent burning. Add water or broth if needed.
   • It is best if you are able to stir the stew on occasion as it heats, but you can warm the stew in the crockpot on low for 2-3 hours.

If you are pulling your stew from the freezer, you can allow it to thaw. Be sure to add your thickening agent and potatoes if you prepped your meal and froze it rather than reheating leftovers.

You can also reheat your stew in the oven in a casserole dish, but it does make it less soupy.

Following these steps and methods will help you have the best reheated stew and the various options allow you to reheat your beef stew with whatever method will work best for you.

Related Questions

We hope you find the information in this guide to be helpful for you when you store or reheat your stew. We want your stew to be tasty and delicious when it is reheated.

If you still have some questions, we invite you to take a look through our frequent questions below and see if they might be helpful to you.

How Do I Prevent the Stew From Forming a Layer of Grease or Fat?

Because of the properties of the stew, you most likely will not be able to avoid a layer of grease or fat developing on your stew when it is reheated.

However, you can let the substance rise to the top and then remove it from the stew and continue reheating and eating.

Is One Method Better than the Other for Reheating?

The recommended method for reheating is to simmer the stew on the stovetop as this brings out the flavors the best.

However, it is a close second place to microwave the stew as well. Using the crockpot is a convenient option, but your stew is more likely to burn or lose flavor.

Up Next: What To Serve With Beef Stew

Jaron

Hey, I'm Jaron and I'm a self-proclaimed food expert and author of this website! I'll be honest with you, I started this website because someone told me I couldn't and I needed to prove them wrong. Along my journey, I actually really fell in love with writing about food. I hope you found value from whatever article you read, and if you have any remaining questions, don't hesitate to contact me!

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Source: https://foodsguy.com/reheat-beef-stew/

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