Fifo wrote:

> Most recipes tend to be very specific whether you need to finish the
> stew in the oven or the stove-top. It probably depends on the amound of
> liquid that's desirable, the type of meat and possibly some of the
> other ingredients. More "liquidy" recipes are meant for the stove-top
> while the more "meaty" ones for the oven (what a gross and vague
> generalization).

Bear in mind that a lot of cook books are collections of recipes the author
<?> has compiled and may or may not have been kitchen tested. Even if
kitchen tested they may not have tried variations. I learned the fine art
of braising from my wife, and she learned it from her mother. They both
turned out lots of tasty braised dishes. They used the stove. I use the
oven. I find mine to be consistently more tender. And BTW... no matter
what a stew recipe says, they always taste better if you prepare them ahead
of time, let them sit for a while and then heat them up again to serve.