No matter how many times you’ve cooked a certain stew, casserole or pie filling, sometimes you end up with a little more liquid than you expected and the sauce is too runny. This happens more often with dishes made in a slow cooker, as slow cookers don’t allow water to evaporate – they trap in the moisture. At least with stovetop dishes, you can bring the dish to the boil to reduce some of the liquid, however this can affect the flavour and may overcook the ingredients. Here we have some fail-safe ways to thicken up your stews, sauces or casseroles so you can nail it every time. If need more tips to add flavour to your stews, check out this article for some great advice. How to thicken sauce with flourFlour can be used in 2 different ways:
Toss meat pieces in flour prior to browning. The flour helps to thicken a stew as it cooks.
Whisk a teaspoon of flour in a little cold water to make a slurry, then stir into the stew as it's cooking. Don’t add dry flour directly to the stew as it may clump. After adding the slurry, bring the stew to boil. This will cook out the flour taste and allow the starch to swell. Only add one teaspoon at a time, bringing to the boil before adding more.
How to thicken sauce with cornflourMix one teaspoon cornflour with a tablespoon of room temperature water and add to your stew. Then bring to the boil and cook until desired thickness is reached. Cornflour is a great gluten-free thickener. It has a slightly more gelatinous texture, so only add a teaspoon at time or your sauce may become a bit goopy. Use cornstarch to thicken your stew towards the end of cooking, as cooking it for a long time can break down the starch and your stew will thin out again.How to thicken sauce without flour or cornflourIf you don’t like using flour or cornflour, a simple sauce reduction does the trick. Let your sauce simmer over heat, uncovered, to evaporate excess liquid. Before you begin to reduce your sauce, remove meat and large vegetable pieces if possible. Chunks of other ingredients will prevent a high-quality reduction, and the ingredients may overcook. By reducing your sauce, it will thicken and concentrate the flavours, though reducing can take longer than the other methods.Thickening slow cooker stews and casserolesThe nature of slow cookers is that they operate at a lower heat, so this means any thickener may never get hot enough for the starch to swell. Once your stew is cooked, transfer the sauce only to a saucepan, stir in flour or cornflour slurry and bring to the boil. Or you can do the reduction method, as per the tip above. Play Video: Slow Cooker Beef Stew with ChutneyGET THE RECIPE: Slow Cooker Beef Stew with Fruit Chutney by RosellaThis slow cooker casserole with chutney is just how mum used to make it! Those sweet and savoury flavours are always a classic. Play Video: Creamy One Pot Roast ChickenGET THE RECIPE: Creamy One Pot Roast Chicken by Western StarIf you prefer a thicker sauce you can use the cornstarch method to thicken the creamy sauce for this delicious roast chicken. Play Video: Mushroom Ragu with Creamy PolentaGET THE RECIPE: Mushroom Ragu with Creamy Polenta by Western StarThis rich mushroom ragu uses cornflour as a thickener, use the tips above to thicken your sauce even more if you prefer. We've found some essential, top rated cooking products to help make your stews even better!
9-in-1 Vegetable Chopper(400+ bought in past month)
Breville the Fast Slow Pro Multi Cooker
Malacasa Set of 4, Ceramic Oval Baking Dishes
Enameled Cast Iron Moroccan Tagine
Rubbermaid Brilliance 44-Piece Food Storage Containers Set 44,000+ reviews!
GreenPan Slow Cooker
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Warm, hearty stews that naturally cook down to a rich, full-bodied finish. These recipes show how simple ingredients can create thick, comforting results without extra fuss.
Slow Cooked Lamb Shank Ragu with Pappardelle
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Discover extra beef, chicken and veggie stews, plus slow-cooker favourites that cook down beautifully and deliver that hearty, spoon-coating finish
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Creamy One-pan Chicken, Bacon and Tomato Casserole
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Slow Cooked Lamb Shank Ragu with Pappardelle
Rich Aussie Beef and Veggie Casserole
Slow-cooked Vegetable and Lamb Casserole
Coq au Vin
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