Difference Between Pot Roast and Beef Stew

With food being a basic need, people have adopted different ways of cooking it, to suit different preferences. Innovation and creativity among people have contributed in a great way to a variety and easy ways of making food, whereby one ingredient can be incorporated into many diverse dishes. For example, beef meat can be made to many dishes, such as pot roast and beef stew, just to name a few. 

What is Pot Roast?

Pot roast is a type of dish made by cooking meat in one whole piece. To keep it moisturized, it is served with a little gravy of its own. Due to the bigger size of the meat, it takes longer to cook and is cooked slowly for the meat to get tender. It can, however, be made with any type of meat, including chicken, turkey, and pork, but most people prefer using beef. 

What is Beef Stew?

Beef stew is the most common type of cooking meat. It is a combination of small chunks of meat whereby vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, and peppers are added to thicken the soup. Due to the smaller chunks of meat, it takes less time to cook. 

Similarities between Pot Roast and Beef Stew

• The basis of both meals is meat
• Both have added vegetables, although cooked differently

Differences between Pot Roast and Beef Stew

1. Meat Size

While pot roast is made by cooking a big piece of meat in gravy, beef stew is made by cooking small chunks of meat with selected vegetables. 

2. Added Vegetables

Vegetables presented in pot roast are not cooked in it but serves the purpose of presentation. Beef stew, on the other hand, is cooked with vegetables, which makes the gravy thick. 

3. Cooking Time

Because pot roast involves cooking a big piece of meat, it requires a longer time for the meat to be tender. Beef stew, however, involves cooking small chunks of meat which takes lesser time to become tender.

4. Amount of Gravy

Pot roast does not have much gravy as not much is needed to make the meat tender. On the other hand, beef stew is meant to be a stew with beef meat, so the amount of gravy in it is a lot. 

5. Cooking Method

Most people prefer cooking pot roast in the oven, to enable even cooking of the meat. Beef stew, however, is cooked on top of the cooker until it’s well done.  

Pot Roast vs. Beef Stew: Comparison Table

Summary of Pot Roast vs. Beef Stew

The method of cooking meat definitely depends on a person’s preference. Both pot roast and beef stew meat cooking methods make delicious meals and also offer a variety of methods of cooking meat for meat lovers.

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