Spag Bol/Chilli Sauce Too Thin

Bloke

Hi all,

Had my first attempt at cooking large batches of bolognese and chilli to freeze up at the weekend thanks to Costco mince being on offer

All turned out ok, despite realising I could do with buying a larger pan and the fact that the sauce was very thin, to the point where I strained some off. I was thinking of just adding some flour but wasn't sure what the results would be and didn't want to ruin the entire batch.

Would this have worked, or does anyone have any other tips for making the sauces a bit thicker for next time?

Thanks,

Paul.

straws

What did you make the sauce with? Tinned toms? Did you cook it for long enough? - I find that it takes 45 mins-1 hr to get a nice thick sauce.

Queenie

A bit of cornflour mixed with a dash of water added to the pot a minute or so before serving would have worked a mini miracle

You could use flour, but I prefer cornflour.

squeaky

Wot Queenie said

Just a reminder though... cornflour, as Queenie has said, cooks in just a minute or two, but if you use ordinary flour then, from memory, it takes about ten to fifteen minutes to cook properly.

I'm sure someone will be along in a minute with more exact timings

Bloke

Thanks for the replies, keep them coming if anyone else has anything to add.

I did use tinned tomatoes, along with some tomato puree and cooked for about 50 minutes to an hour.

shopsalot

if mine is too thin I usually cook for a while longer until it reduces and thickens - alternatively try gravy granules - though I know that is not exactly OS

Cazzdevil

I sometimes use gravy granules to thicken it up too.

I usually find that the cornflour slip (cornflour and water) works best though - same goes for white sauce.

Mariel

I use gravy granules - everyone seems to like the taste better.

raven_3

For mine I use chopped tomatoes with the juice strained off and a 500g pack of passata. This makes the sauce really thick and glossy and has lots of tomatoey flavour. Asda do passata for under 40p a pack and I'd imagine other places to be similar!
I used to do it with tinned toms and puree and it was always watery. Take the lid off for the last 20 mins or so to give it a good reducing.

Queenie

Took me a minute to find it, but I'm copying my post from the thread "Help, can you thicken a casserole without cornflour" worth a read because all sorts of ideas and tips are in that thread

Queenie wrote:

Beurre manié is a traditional thickener for stews and sauces that are not quite thick enough.

The beauty of beurre manié is that you can make it in advance, freeze in a bag in small lumps then a few can be taken out as and when required, popped straight into the food, stirred gently in until melted, then simple simmer for a few minutes longer so the flour 'cooks'! Ideal

Begin by adding a couple of lumps, then see if more is required and add one at a time.

To make it, cream together equal amounts of butter and flour; chill slightly and form into small walnut sized lumps and freeze in bag (or use straight away if urgently needed )

HTH

annie-c

To make a thicker sauce stir 1 level tbsp flour per 1lb mince in at the point that the mince is first browned (if that makes sense). Stir the flour into the browned mince and cook for 1 min, before adding the tomatos, etc.