thickening stews for the crockpot

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thickening stews for the crockpot
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kirstyfern

Joined: 03 Jan 2010
Posts: 1574
Location: Great Dunmow, Essex

Posted: Mon Jan 02, 12 11:21 pm Post subject:

12Bore wrote:

When all else fails:

Fantastic but expensive. I managed to get a huge tub from Makro but havn't been there for ages and can't brlieve how expensive the small tubs are!

If you use any flour then you should bring the mixture back to the boil so if I realize the sauce needs thickening as I'm dishing up i use the granules, otherwise I use cornflour and gravy browning 20 mins before the end of cooking, just remember if you are stirring lots with the meat in you can end up with 'string soup' rather then stew, LOL! So get that meat out first!

I generally cook any stews with potatoes in, they are good for thickening and meat on the bone is best, or coat it with flour and brown first...

Last edited by kirstyfern on Mon Jan 02, 12 11:27 pm; edited 3 times in total

Pilsbury

Joined: 13 Dec 2004
Posts: 5645
Location: East london/Essex

Posted: Mon Jan 02, 12 11:21 pm Post subject:

dpack wrote:

a good butter and strong flour mixed to a paste then mixed in a bit at a time works well ,take stock in a ladle, cool ,mix a little paste into stock ,mix into stew

repeat until thick enough

old school french chefs style

extra stirring pays

beurre manie as Bebo suggested

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 39509
Location: yes

Posted: Mon Jan 02, 12 11:23 pm Post subject:
my best rapid cheat is to stir freeze dried potato powder and a bit of jar mustard into a stew to get the lipid and aqueous melded together to make a proper saucy dish

Katieowl

Joined: 01 Jun 2006
Posts: 4317
Location: West Wales

Posted: Tue Jan 03, 12 9:22 am Post subject:
I also use peanut butter to thicken curries - so there. I don't get many complaints! Kate

alice

Joined: 18 Feb 2006
Posts: 2820

Posted: Tue Jan 03, 12 9:53 am Post subject:
I find if the recipe includes a good dollop of tom puree at the beginning then the liquor usually thickens quite a bit by the end of cooking time. Or am I imagining it?

oldish chris

Joined: 14 Jun 2006
Posts: 4148
Location: Comfortably Wet Southport

Posted: Tue Jan 03, 12 11:31 am Post subject:

Lets have a bit of public decency round here! Some are some things that you can do in private that, even though virtually everyone else does it, must still not be mentioned in public.

The use of gravy granules for making gravy is a "no-no". The use of gravy granules for thickening soups and stews totally unmentionable.

Although I may have done it in the past, I wouldn't dream of suggesting such a thing in a forum.

Katieowl

Joined: 01 Jun 2006
Posts: 4317
Location: West Wales

Posted: Tue Jan 03, 12 11:49 am Post subject:
Yes but if you are also using a SLOW COOKER rather than simmering for hours over a real wood fire I think the decency kind of goes out the window KWIM If you have to get a meal on the table every bloody night, for people who don't even say thank you most of the time, all the faffing about with making a roux is bollox IMHO. Just sayin' Kate

Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34434
Location: Hereford

Posted: Tue Jan 03, 12 11:51 am Post subject:
Permission to burn her?

Shan

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 8856
Location: South Wales

Posted: Tue Jan 03, 12 1:44 pm Post subject:
Go for it.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 39509
Location: yes

Posted: Tue Jan 03, 12 1:52 pm Post subject:
oooooooh this is reminding me of the great roasted spud war

Duckhead

Joined: 24 Oct 2009
Posts: 2069
Location: Up the hill, Italy

Posted: Tue Jan 03, 12 7:24 pm Post subject:
oldish chris has it right. spuds are the best thickener.

linz71

Joined: 30 Jun 2008
Posts: 119
Location: N.E.Lincolnshire

Posted: Tue Jan 03, 12 7:53 pm Post subject:
I use spuds to thicken stew too. I find the smallest spud I can then finely dice it and chuck it in at the begining, by dishing up time its dissapeared, textured and thickend the stew. I hold my hands up to using stock cubes but can't stand gravy granuals

toggle

Joined: 30 Dec 2006
Posts: 11622
Location: truro

Posted: Tue Jan 03, 12 8:03 pm Post subject:
plan when i can actually eat is introducing himself that cannot cook (yes, i got another one of those) to the joys of crockpot cooking. it's generally a really easy place to start someone off to get good results.

Midland Spinner

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 2931
Location: Under a green roof

Posted: Wed Jan 04, 12 8:19 pm Post subject:
Spuds or flour the meat or pearl barley or crunch up some pasta & add at the start of cooking or lentils (or other pulses of choice) or "soup mix" or some of the flour / cornflour tips mentioned above or cook for long enough to reduce the volume

gil
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18395

Posted: Wed Jan 04, 12 10:21 pm Post subject:
Whizzing up some nuts in the liquidiser, e.g. ground almonds or cashews, also works. Is very good in curries.

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