on Nov 10th, 2007Gravy thickeners: which to use
All-purpose flour, quick-mixing flour, cornstarch. All can be used to thicken gravy and for most of my life I assumed they were interchangable and simply a matter of preference. As it turns out, your choice of thickening agent depends on when you add it to the gravy and whether it will be reheated.
…your choice of thickening agent depends on when you add it…
The October 10, 2001 Food Chain column in The New York Times educated me about this. Writer Denise Landis said if flour is being added to gravy that’s already made (I do make gravy ahead) then quick-mixing flour is the best choice. This flour is sold in the US under the names Presto and Wondra.
This quick-mixing flour, also called instant flour, is granulated all-purpose flour, able to be blended quickly without clumping and can be added directly to the gravy. A minute or so of simmering will produce a good, thick gravy that keeps its consistency when reheated. If I expect leftovers, I reach for this flour.
Use all-purpose flour when starting the gravy with a roux, a blend of flour and liquid fat. The other ingredients follow. If need be, this flour can be added to prepared gravy but it first must be mixed with liquid to form a paste, otherwise you’ll have balls of floating flour. Been there. Either way, simmer the gravy a few minutes after the flour goes in.
Cornstarch, often the default thickener of home cooks, should be used when you want a translucent gravy or when you don’t expect leftovers. It loses its thickening power if cooled and reheated; that also happens if the gravy is simmered for longer than a minute or two when being made. Like all-purpose flour, cornstarch should be made into a paste before adding it to the pan.
With all three choices, bring the gravy to a boil then reduce to a simmer so the thickener can reach its full thickening power.
6/13/08 - Gravy thickener 4 letters. I finally figured out why this post is so hot today! See if agar fits. Happy puzzling!
Hi ella, Great post. It is always a bit confusing, this gravy stuff. Your post made me remember my trials and errors, and having to compete with a mother in law that made such great English style gravy.
Well, I have gone down other paths since, and one of the great surprises for me was how many other thickeners there are in the world - coconut, lentils, poppy seeds, even pumpkin seeds. This I learned recently - dried pumpkin seeds, here so almost impossible to eat, if soaked and ground and added to a sauce e.g. in a curry and cooked will thicken the sauce wonderfully. And no lumps! How cool is that!?
It may be common knowledge, but it was new to me.
I never knew that cornstarch loses its thickening power. And a word on the roux method, the flour itself needs enough time in the butter to “cook” to lose the floury taste in the final gravy.
Thanks, ella. you always surprise me with your posts, and I love them.
Thanks, VegeYum, glad to be of help.
There are oodles of thickeners. Arrowroot, potato starch, tapioca and masa (great for chili) come to mind immediately.
The pumpkin seeds make sense, although it’s a new one to me. But I do sometimes use ground peanuts or cashews to thicken stews that are African or African-inspired.
I assumed everyone knows about roux, but it does bear repeating, along with the need to boil when added directly to cook off the floury taste while enabling the flour to reach its full thickening power.
A tip I learned from Alton Brown about roux, is that it may be chilled, wrapped and refrigerated for up to two weeks. If you need a bit of thickening for an already hot liquid, just break off a piece and wisk in. Normally I don’t need to keep it around during most of the year as I don’t make a whole lot of gravy, preferring wine and reduction etc, but over the holidays and in winter, it has often saved my life! It’s foolproof. Instant flour is a life saver too, I agree.
What a great tip. Thanks! I will adopt that.
Instant flour’s wonderful for making crepes. When it’s used the batter doesn’t have to sit for 30 minutes before using. A tip I learned from Julia.
I like the thought of cashews and peanuts as thickeners. Thanks!
I want the Lemon Tart you had in Sydney. Want!
If I’m out of instant blending flour (love!), there is no. gravy. End of story. Your suggestions, VegeYum’s and pbsweeney’s, might shake me loose from that rut.
Eating the most perfect pomegranate nibbles as I read tonight.
Oh ella, it was a very special tart indeed! Worth a trip to Sydney for …. what I didn’t mention was the apricot and brown butter tart, or the pomegranate and tomato salad. A very special place indeed.
sage, I’m inclined to agree with you. It’s simple and foolproof. What more could I ask? (poms..mmmm!)
Maybe someday I’ll get to Sydney, VegeYum. Doubt it, but who knows what lies ahead?
[…] Related: Gravy thickeners: which to use? […]
A really helpful post, thanks
Glad to hear it! Thanks for taking the time to let me know.
[…] 18, 2007 by ellaella In the comments following my post on gravy thickeners I mentioned using ground nuts to thicken some soups and stews. This is another dish that uses nuts […]