Ya have to be leery of projecting, KitchenDetective. Folks on this forum tend to be more sophisticated about cookery. But I bet the average household does not contain a wok, and the cook in the family wouldn't know how to use one. So, from a well-stocked kitchen point of view, I wouldn't be without one. But from a marketing point of view, I wouldn't put one in a starter set either. It's like knife sets. A filet knife is actually one of the most versatile blades you can have in the kitchen. But you won't find them in basic knife sets.

You can treat it like a pot roast, braise on the stove or in the oven. It will take longer than a chuck roast due to thickness. I always slice thin. What about doing it this way.... Stracotto di Manzo 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms 2 cups beef stock Salt and pepper 1 (4-pound) beef eye of round 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons pancetta, chopped 1 finely chopped onion 1 finely chopped carrot 1 finely chopped celery stalk 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 bay leaves 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary 1/4 cup tightly packed parsley leaves, chopped 3 tablespoons tomato paste 5 cups red wine 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained and crushed Soak the porcini mushrooms in 1 cup of hot stock until softened, about 30 minutes. Strain the liquid through a coffee filter or a sieve lined with a double layer of cheesecloth. Trim any hard bits from the mushrooms. Set aside the mushrooms and liquid separately. Season the beef with salt and pepper. In a large casserole, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium high heat until hot but not smoking. Brown the beef on all sides, about 15 minutes total. Transfer the beef to a plate. Pour off browning fat. Add pancetta, onions, carrots, and celery, stirring, until they are golden. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Stir in bay leaves, rosemary, parsley, and tomato paste. Add the wine and simmer until it is reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Add the beef, tomatoes, porcini mushrooms, mushroom liquid, and enough beef stock to come 2/3 up the side of the beef. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook at a gentle simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until the meat is tender. Turn the roast every 30 minutes or so. Transfer the meat to a cutting board and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Skim off any fat from the surface of the liquid. Strain the liquid, pressing on the solids with a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids and return the strained sauce to the pot. Bring to a boil and let cook uncovered for a few minutes to further reduce and thicken the liquid. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Slice the roast and serve with the sauce and soft polenta. Recipe Courtesy Sara Mouton Show: Cooking Live Episode: Basics of Pot Roast (Italian Pot Roast) Here's another that I saved a while back BRAZILIAN POT ROAST Posted by Ruthanna on CF 3\-4 lb. lean beef roast (round or rump is good) 1 tsp. salt 2 Tbs. lemon juice 2 slices bacon 1 clove garlic, minced 2/3 cup chopped onion 1/4 cup chopped parsley 4 whole cloves 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/2 bay leaf 1 tsp. sugar 1 cup canned diced tomatoes and juice 1 cup orange juice Season meat on all sides with lemon juice and salt. Set aside. Saute bacon until barely crisp in Dutch oven or large covered skillet; remove bacon. Add meat to pan and brown evenly. Combine remaining ingredients and add to beef. Crumble cooked bacon over meat. Bring to a boil; reduce heat; cover and simmer over low heat for about 2 1/ 2 to 3 hours or until fork\-tender. Nancy

This is my favorite way to make pork roast: APPLE CIDER BRINED PORK ROAST 3 cups apple cider 3 cups water 1 bay leaf 1/4 cup salt 1 tbls black peppercorns 1 tbls coriander seeds 1 2 lb. Pork loin, trimmed 2 cups cider 1 � tsp chopped fresh rosemary 1 � tsp chopped fresh sage 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper Combine the first 6 ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring until salt dissolves. Remove from heat, cool, and pour into a Ziploc bag or container big enough to hold the pork loin. Add pork, seal and let marinate 8 hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 350, bring 2 cups cider to a boil over medium high heat. Boil until cider is thickened and reduced to � cup, about 15 minutes. Set aside. Remove pork from bag or container and discard brine. Place pork on broiler pan or baking dish and lightly coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining herbs and bake about 1 hour, until pork is done, basting twice with the reduced cider in the last 20 minutes of baking. Remove from oven, baste with remaining cider reduction. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing. Serves 8 200 calories per 4 oz. Serving, 6 grams fat Annie

A friend of mine gave me this recipe, and it made the best pot roast we've ever had. I just did a search and found it on-line, so I didn't even have to type it out! Lisa's Lazy Pot Roast from The Complete Meat Cookbook Ingredients: 1 tsp. dried thyme 1 Tbs. chopped fresh rosemary or 1 tsp. dried rosemary 1 Tbs. paprika 1 Tbs. Kosher salt 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper One 4 lb. boneless beef chuck roast or a beef brisket, trimmed of most fat 2 Tbs. vegetable oil 1/2 cup water or beef or chicken stock, or more if needed 5 cups thinly sliced onions (about 3 large) 6 chopped garlic cloves Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Preparation: For the flavor step, combine 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 tablespoon Kosher salt and 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper in a small bowl. Rub the meat thoroughly with the mixture. You can cook the roast immediately, but it will taste better if it sits for an hour or two at room temperature or overnight in a zipper-lock bag, or well wrapped, in the refrigerator. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large, heavy casserole or Dutch oven, heat the vegetable oil over medium high heat. Brown roast on all sides, about 7 minutes. Remove and set aside. Pour off any fat from the pan and deglaze the pan in water or stock, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon or spatula. Put the roast back in the pan, cover it with 5 cups thinly sliced onions and 6 chopped garlic cloves, cover and bake for 1 hour. Remove the cover, turn the roast over so that it is on top of the onions, and continue to cook, uncovered, for another hour, adding more liquid if needed. Stir the onions around after about 30 minutes so they can brown more evenly. Replace the cover and continue to cook for 1 hour more, or until the meat is fork tender; brisket will take a little longer than chuck. Remove the meat from the pot and let it rest, covered loosely with foil, while you prepare the sauce. (At this point, you may refrigerate the pot roast for later reheating. Refrigerate the cooking liquid separately. To serve later, remove any congealed fat from the cooking liquid and strain it before using it to reheat the meat gently.) To serve, strain and defat the sauce. Taste for salt and pepper. Cut the meat into thick slices or separate it into chunks. Spoon some sauce and onions over for serving. Serves: 6 Chef's Note: If you are in a hurry, you can eliminate the herb rub. In fact, if you are really in a hurry, do not bother with the browning. Just put the roast in a heavy casserole, smother it with the onions, and cook it as described above. You will be amazed at how good it is, and you family will think you have been slaving away at the stove all day.