Billy wrote:

>> Hi. I just read a recipe for braised beef cheeks in red wine. After
>> browning the beef, pot is deglazed etc. Beef is put back in and red
>> wine and stock added. Baby carrots are added at this time as well.
>> Question: The stew must simmer a couple of hours at least. Will the
>> carrots not turn to mush?
>
> Yep! especially with baby carrots. I would add the last 40
> minutes. Or precook in microwave until al dente then add the last
> 10 minutes.

It's true that the carrots will get very soft after that lengthy cooking,
but they'll still keep their shape if they're not roughly handled. More to
the point, though, are you supposed to eat the carrots along with the stew?
The coq au vin recipe I follow has you cook big chunks of onions, carrots,
and celery in the stew to add flavor, but you take them out and add other
vegetables to make what you're actually going to eat. Could the recipe for
braised beef cheeks be like that? (I realize that it's unlikely, because the
OP mentioned BABY carrots, and using baby carrots rather than normal-sized
carrots like that would be pointless. But I thought I'd ask anyway.)

Bob