I need help with how to thicken a broth, stew or chili.?

Question

I can make a good stock, stew and chili. But I would like for them to be thicker. How do I accomplish that?

Answer 1

One easy way is to use cornstarch. Here's how:

Mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with cold water or other cold liquid like milk or wine (depends on what you are thickening). After mixing well, then add to your hot stock, stew or chili while stirring so you won't get any lumps of thickened cornstarch. Bring to a low simmer until desired thickness.

Note: You can use more cornstarch if you want a thicker consistency or if you have a large volume to thicken.

Answer 2

Make a slurry of either cornstarch or arrowroot and liquid (water, wine et al). Mix about a 2 to 1 ratio of liquid to cornstarch/arrowroot and stir into the broth, stew or chile. As the slurry heats up in the liquid it will start to thicken - you can control the amount of thickness by adding a little at a time, stir, wait a bit, add more as needed. Some people will say to use a roux which is ok but it takes time and you must cook the roux b4 using. The cornstarch/arrowroot does not need to be cooked in advance and wont leave any additional taste to the product.

Answer 3

Stew/broth: instant mashed potatoes are a great thickener, just add until you achieve the right consistency you could also use cream or cream cheese. For chili I would use masa flour about 1 tablespoon per quart it also ads a nice flavor. Of course you could create a gravy base from flour or cornstarch - but they don't enhance the flavor and can make them a little bland, so if you go this route be prepared to re-season.

Answer 4

Flour is one other key thickening agent beside cornstarch.

When a liquid is boiling, flour will dissolve and thicken the liquid. It is how gravy is made. There are some tricks to this.

Pouring flour in cold liquid does nothing...it just is flour floating in the liquid.
Pouring flour in hot liquid will make lumps of flour wads, like a dumpling...avoid this.
Sprinkle the flour in and stir when the liquid is simmring...good practice
You would dissolve a couple teaspoons of flour in a cup of cold water...shake it or mix finely, then pour into the liquid...rrepeat until thick.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

add a spoonful of cornstarch to a bit of cool water, stir to dissolve, then add it to the soup/stew/whatever. Never add cornstarch directly to hot food, it'll just clump - learned that the hard way! If you still want it a bit thicker, repeat but just a bit at a time so it doesn't get too thick.

Answer 7

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Answer 8

How Do I Thicken Soup

Answer 9

Add a starch, like potatoes or rice. OR, and this might be best if you don't wanna change the flavor, use a roux. Take equal parts flour and fat (butter, bacon drippings, oil) BY WEIGHT <-important<- and cook them in a pan whisking constantly until it becomes a paste. For light sauces cook a short time, for dark or heavier flavored sauces cook longer. For more info, hit the Food Network.com site and type "roux" in the search.

Answer 10

In a small pot, use equal parts oil, (or butter) and flour, and cook on low fire for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. then add a little at a time to your pot. Let it come to a boil, if still not thick enough add a little more. Continue until it is to desired thickness.