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I'm following a recipe for a pork rib ragu that calls for one onion, 2 carrots and one stick of celery along with 500ml of stock. It suggests that I let this simmer for 2-3 hours.

When I return to the pan after 2 hours, most of the stock has boiled away (and not into a thick sauce) , despite turning the heat down, and I'm left with blackened vegetables, under the ribs. I've watched the video and it appears I'm not missing anything but for the life of me I can't get the same results.

The recipe is here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/rib_rag_28935

Jarede
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    Your heat is too high. Once the ingredients are up to temp you need to turn the heat way down (near the lowest setting on most cooktops.) A simmer is not a boil. – Mr. Mascaro Dec 10 '14 at 22:13
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    By "turning the heat down" do you mean the lowest setting (and on the smallest hob if you have a gas cooker?) Or do you mean going from maximum to on a medium heat? – Reluctant_Linux_User Dec 10 '14 at 22:35
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    I'm on an electric hob, i go from a i guess around a 6/7 to a 4/3. I can barely see the numbers on the hob (I'm in rented house, the hob was like that before i moved in), so from a 5o'clock to a 7o'clock. – Jarede Dec 10 '14 at 22:56
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    Agree with @jbarker2160, also are you supposed to lid it? Partially lid it? You could've lost too much moisture if you're supposed to lid it, but you didn't :) – Ming Dec 11 '14 at 00:25
  • The video suggests to lid it, i have both partially and fully lidded it, both resulting in the same state.. – Jarede Dec 11 '14 at 01:07
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    @Jarede the numbers or the position of the hob don't matter. What matters is the state the liquid is in. You have to learn to recognize when a liquid is at a simmer, boil, and so on. The same position of the hob will just draw the same amount of energy from the mains, which will result in a very different temperature within the pot in each situation. – rumtscho Dec 11 '14 at 06:36
  • @Jarede For what it's worth, depending on the stove and the size of the pot, it's quite possible that you can hold a simmer with the stove on its lowest setting. (On the other hand, if the stove's not as powerful and you've got a big pot, you might need it halfway up. As others have said, you'll have to see which it is in your case.) – Cascabel Dec 11 '14 at 17:29

1 Answers1

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I do agree with the comments about using the proper temperature and simmering. It can be difficult to achieve that perfect simmer, especially with a lidded pan, but quite worth the effort.

Please see this from CookingLight as it gives very good information about boiling and simmering and how to get to where you want to be.

Another thing would be to check on it more frequently (after achieving the simmer). 500 ml of liquid is not a huge amount, especially with a 2 - 3 hour cooking time. (You will surely have some evaporation, even with a lidded pan, and the amount can vary from one time to another.) If you see that the liquid is getting too low you can add more.

Cindy
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