Let’s be real – most people use these two words interchangeably. You’re cooking something low and slow in liquid, it smells incredible, and you call it whatever comes to mind first. Braising, simmering, stewing… it all blurs together after a while. But there’s a genuine, meaningful difference between the two techniques, and once you get it, you’ll start making better decisions every single time you’re standing over a pot wondering what’s going wrong.
So let’s break it down properly. If you’re also looking for recipe ideas to put these techniques into practice, a site like www.mon-bon-plat.fr can be a solid starting point for inspiration once you’ve got the fundamentals down.
The core distinction : how much liquid, and what you’re actually cooking
Here’s the simple version : simmering means cooking food fully submerged in liquid at a low temperature, typically somewhere between 85°C and 95°C (185–203°F). Braising, on the other hand, uses very little liquid – just enough to come partway up the sides of the ingredient, usually a third to halfway. The food is not submerged. It cooks partly in liquid, partly in steam.
That difference in liquid level changes everything. And I mean everything – the texture you’ll get, the intensity of the flavour, even the way the sauce behaves by the end.
With simmering, you’re essentially slow-cooking in a bath. Think a good chicken broth bubbling gently on the hob for two hours, or a pot of lentils just barely moving at the surface. The heat is gentle, the food is immersed, and the whole thing is about patience and even cooking.
Braising is more… deliberate. You sear the meat first (that step is not optional, don’t skip it), then add a modest amount of liquid – wine, stock, sometimes both – cover the pot tightly, and let the steam do half the work. It’s what you do with a beef cheek, a lamb shank, a whole chicken leg. The part of the meat above the liquid gets cooked by steam and condensation dripping back down. There’s something almost poetic about it, honestly.
Temperature : closer than you’d think, but still different
Both techniques are low and slow, yes. But braising in the oven typically runs at around 150–165°C (300–330°F), creating an ambient heat that wraps around the whole dish. Simmering on the stovetop stays cooler and more controlled – you’re looking at liquid temperatures that stay well below a rolling boil.
The boil point matters here. A boil is the enemy of both techniques. If you’re boiling when you think you’re simmering, you’ll get tough meat, blown-out textures, and cloudy stocks. You want tiny bubbles rising slowly, not a violent churn. A small distinction, but it trips people up constantly.
What each technique actually does to your ingredients
This is where it gets interesting. When you braise a tough cut of meat – think short ribs, oxtail, pork shoulder – the collagen in the connective tissue slowly converts to gelatin. That’s what gives braised dishes their almost sticky, silky mouthfeel. You can’t rush that. It takes time and a closed environment, which is exactly what braising in a covered Dutch oven provides.
Simmering works differently. It’s better suited to dishes where you want ingredients to cook through evenly and absorb flavour from the liquid itself. A Bolognese simmers. So does a bean stew, a court-bouillon for poaching fish, or a tomato sauce you’ve been building for an hour. The food is constantly surrounded by the flavoured liquid, and the exchange goes both ways – the food gives flavour to the broth, the broth gives flavour back to the food.
Braising, because the liquid is concentrated and reduced during cooking, tends to produce more intensely flavoured sauces. That braising liquid left in the pot at the end ? It’s basically a sauce already. Sometimes all it needs is a quick reduction and a knob of butter.
The sear before braising : non-negotiable
I want to come back to this because it’s where the real flavour development happens. Before you add any liquid for a braise, you brown the meat. High heat, dry surface, hot fat. You’re looking for a deep golden-brown crust – the Maillard reaction in full effect.
That step does two things : it adds complexity and depth to the final flavour, and it creates fond (the browned bits stuck to the pan) that you then deglaze with your wine or stock. That fond is flavour. Don’t waste it.
You don’t do this for simmering. You just add everything to the liquid and let it go. That’s not a lesser technique – it’s just different. For a delicate fish poaching liquid or a vegetable broth, searing would be out of place entirely.
Which one should you use, and when ?
Here’s a rough guide :
Use braising when :
– You have a tough, collagen-rich cut of meat (beef cheeks, lamb shanks, pork belly, short ribs)
– You want an intensely flavoured, glossy sauce as part of the final dish
– You’re cooking in the oven and want hands-off time
– The visual result matters – you want a whole piece of meat, not shredded
Use simmering when :
– You’re making a stock, broth, or soup
– You’re cooking grains, legumes, or vegetables
– You want the liquid itself to be the final product
– You’re poaching something delicate (fish, eggs, fruit)
That said, a lot of classic dishes blur the line. A coq au vin is technically a braise. So is a boeuf bourguignon – but both use quite a lot of liquid and are sometimes described as stews. Don’t get too hung up on categories. What matters is understanding the principles.
A few things that trip people up
One common mistake : adding too much liquid when you meant to braise. If you cover the meat completely, you’re simmering (or stewing). The restricted liquid in braising is intentional – it creates a more concentrated environment. More liquid isn’t always better.
Another one : not covering the pot tightly enough during braising. Steam is doing important work in there. If it escapes, your top half dries out. A tight lid on a cast iron pot is ideal. Some cooks even put a piece of parchment paper directly on the surface of the liquid before closing the lid – called a cartouche – to further contain moisture.
And finally : temperature control. Whether simmering on the hob or braising in the oven, you want gentle, consistent heat. A vigorous boil will make your meat tough and your stock cloudy. Check once in a while. Adjust. It’s worth it.
The bottom line
Simmering = fully submerged, gentle heat, liquid-forward cooking.
Braising = partially submerged, closed environment, steam + liquid, best for tough cuts.
Both are essential. Both reward patience. And knowing which one to use – and why – will genuinely change the quality of what comes out of your kitchen.