I made a crockpot of stew the other day. It came out well but the broth was thin. Unfortunately I did not have any flour or cornstarch on hand to add to it to thicken it up.
I was out shopping today and bought some cornstarch. So I’m ready for the next time I make stew. But is too late for this pot of stew? There’s about two big bowlfuls left in a tupperware container in my fridge. Can I add cornstarch to cold stew? Can I reheat it and add it?
Sure. Just take out some liquid, add the flour or cornstarch, and stir it in really well before adding back to the stew. Alternatively, you could just use some water. For one serving, I wouldn’t add much-- maybe a teaspoon of cornstarch or a little more flour. Heat, and it will thicken just fine.
I wouldn’t add cornstarch, even as a slurry, to cold stew; but if you re-heat the stew, just make a slurry out of maybe a Tbsp of cornstarch and a couple ounces of water, wait until the re-heated stew comes up to a simmer, then stir the slurry in. Bingo: thick stew.
For my taste, I’d use flour over cornstarch. And don’t be afraid to add a little at a time while you’re heating it up to get it just right.
If you added flour, would it clump in in the cold stew?
If you stir the flour into a small amount of the stew liquid, it shouldn’t really have an issue with clumping. Take a fork or something and whisk in a little flour at a time, or do it the other way around and add a little liquid to the flour, bit by bit, until it’s all incorporated.
I think the best thing for thickening stews is instant mash potato. It’s the only thing I ever use it for. I think it is virtually tasteless and doesn’t add the floury taste that I find unpleasant in sauces that aren’t thickened by reduction.
Add cornstarch to broth drained from the container. Heat the mixture in the microwave to the boiling point. Now the cornstarch is done thickening. Add in the rest of the stew. Now heat it all or refrigerate it all.
There’s this stuff called Wondra, that’s a flour you can stir right into hot liquids. I’ve found that it’s servicable as an emergency thickener.
Arrowroot is also a nice thickening agent – use it like you would cornstarch. You don’t need as much. I started using it because somebody (Graham Kerr, maybe?) said it’s more neutral than cornstarch – it won’t change the flavor. But I’ve never noticed that cornstarch changes the flavor anyway.
Try dried, powdered shiitake mushrooms sometime.
Arrowroot has the advantage of cooking out clear, while cornstarch will give a slightly milky color to whatever you thicken. Arrowroot has the disadvantage of being expensive.
Both are used the same way to thicken, as several have already said. Mix the starch with cold liquid, and slowly whisk it into the simmering stew.
Please note that while cornstarch and arrowroot thicken immediately, they do not cook immediately, so for best results, continue to simmer your stew for about 3-4 minutes after you have added the slurry. Flour will take much longer to cook and will not thicken instantly.
An option not mentioned yet is using a roux. You can make a small amount of roux and whisk it into the stew. This gives you the option of adding flavor and color if your stew is lacking in any other ways. You can make a nice brown roux and give your stew a nutty background that will go nicely with the sweet flavors of your carrots and potatoes (assuming you used them).
It would result in lots of tiny clumps the size and appearance of maggots.
Here is a page I’ve found good at explaining the strengths and weaknesses of cornstarch arrowroot and tapioca thickeners. They are not universally exchangeable. Before I found this researching arrowroot in the past I didn’t know what the failings and strengths were for these thickeners.
That’s what I did, too, the last time I had stew come out too thin. I figure, if I had gotten it right in the first place, it’d be the potatoes thickening it anyway.
Or there’s this, which I’ve used to thicken coq au vin. Pay attention to the need to cook thoroughly to avoid a raw-flour taste, though.