slow cooker help! need to thicken

Monkeyballs

Hi Steve,

Depends on how you are making the sauce but a couple of things you could try are:

1. Cook the ingredients using less liquid and then top up as required - apologies if that sounds a bit durrr but it works for me :-)

2. If you are using tinned tomatoes, don't just tip in the entire can - strain the tom's (juice into a bowl) or just use a fork to take them out and then add juice to a consistency that you like.

3. Use a spoon to remove any excess - again, apologies if it sounds a bit durr but if you do this when you first realise there is too much liquid then it means that your food will probably cook quicker and have a better taste! Especially recipes with veggies in them.

4. Don't add cornflour straight into the pot, mix it with a bit of the juice in a cup first and stir until it's as smooth as possible to avoid any lumps.

Hope these help :-)

MB

Any

If you are happy with the amount of sauce you have, but it is not thick enough than you are not using enough thickening agent/flour.
Corn flour is really useful for adding it late in cooking, if you are thickening early in the cooking (ie with goulash for example as soon as the main part is done and now you are just cooking it until soft) I use plain flour mixed with a bit of water. It thickens sauce a bit more, but needs to be cooked for some time to cook out the non existing taste of the flour and for the dish flavours to take over again, IYKWIM?

madnotstupid

I sometimes coat the meat in a light dusting of flour, then brown it, before I add the stock and everthing else, the flour soaks into the sauce as it cooks and helps it thicken. Or, if you usually have plenty sauce, take the lid off and allow it to cook down and reduce a bit.

Steveswift

Thanks all, some very useful tips

ragz_2

When making curry I finely chop a LOT of onions and cook them until really soft (like 15-20 minutes), this then forms the basis of the nice thick sauce. For other things, I coat the meat in flour like others said, or use cream!

kaya

Basmati rice ,healthy and and excellent thickening agent when it goes to mush , doesn't leave a floury taste either

rachbc

finely chopped onions ae the basis for a nice thick curry sauce. I also cook sauces down to reduce as it concentrates the flavour and I prefer this to flour thickened sauces

Sally_A

If you are using a slow cooker, be quite stingy with the amount of liquid used, as more liquid is created during cooking.

Agree, if using a tin of tomatoes, say in a stew or casserole, drain the contents and use the "juice" towards the water to make up the stock.

Beware! too much cornflower can taste pants.

camNolliesMUMMY

I chuck in a tbsp at a time of cornflour if I don't have none just regular plain flour- but too much will make t taste like flour!

kitschkitty

A handful of red lentils is perfect for thickening a curry too.