"aem" > wrote:
>When I make an ordinary stew I always use onion and garlic rather than
>their powders, and I always include thyme. Beyond that, everything is
>fair game for your creativity -- what kind of wine, what kind of
>broth, how much carrot, what form of and how much tomato, if any, what
>kind of mushrooms and whether to saute them separately, etc., etc.
>Some of these come out really well, some only so-so. To say they're
>all bad because they're not boeuf bourguignon would be ridiculous. -


I agree. There are so many weird chemicals in those mixes. I use them for
Asian dishes because I don't keep a lot of those ingredients around, but not
for beef stew. I also do not like wine in mine.