What effect does adding a small cornflower mix (2 teaspoons +water) have on the taste of a dish like spagetti?

Question

Please help settle a small domestic. I cannot see how using a tiny cornflower mix to thicken the sauce at the end of the cooking process has any effect on taste. However my beloved is convinced I have ruined her creation. Help - I know I am right.

Answer 1

I am with you on this, i don't believe it makes any difference to the taste, and is a well known thickener of many sauces!!! :-)

Answer 2

Oh, you are Wicked! Spaghetti sauce that has been allowed to cook long enough should never, ever need to be thickened. By adding the water to it, you essentially diluted the sauce. You may also have ruined the texture of the sauce, which also can affect the way the sauce tastes, believe it or not.

It's okay to to thicken sauces in this manner when they already rely on cornflower (cornstarch) as a thickener, such as gravy, but it would be best to use broth to do this so you don't weaken the taste.

If I were you, I would go out and buy flowers for my beloved. And wine! Now, go forth and sin no more!!!

Answer 3

This fine white flour is made from maize and is known as cornstarch in America. Its main use is as a thickening agent and due to its fine texture it is less likely to form in lumps than ordinary flour. Another advantage that cornflour has over plain flour as a thickening agent is that it is flavourless so can be used to thicken delicately flavoured dishes. When cornflour is added to a liquid it will take on a cloudy appearance - so it is best not to use cornflour to thicken clear sauces or soups. Arrowroot can be used to thicken clear liquids where a translucent finish is required.
Uses: To thicken stews, casseroles, soups and sweet and savoury sauces.
To prepare: Cornflour should be blended with a little cold water before adding to any liquid. Blend 1 tsp cornflour with 2 tbsp of water to a smooth paste, and add to the dish off the heat. Return to the heat, stirring all the time until it thickens. Add more cornflour paste until the required thickness is reached.
To store: Keep in a cool, dry, dark place for up to 1 year.

Answer 4

It really doesn't ruin the taste of the sauce, but is a good thickener. A lot of people are very picky and protective of their home made sauces, some might view your thickener as an insult. Try cornstarch and water next time. No flavor change at all

Answer 5

There is nothing at all wrong with this method of thickening a sauce. Make sure you simmer the sauce for a few minutes as to cook out the taste of the cornflour. The only difference in using this method instead of a traditional roux is, the sauce will have a brighter sheen to it. Remember to finish the sauce with butter to give it extra richness!!!

Answer 6

Spaghetti sauce does not usually have cornflower in it. it has vegetables, tomatoes and meat and it is simmered until it thickens - some people put sweet potatoe in it which will boil down and thicken but the best is a sauce that thickens naturally. You have not ruined it but you have changed the texture.

Answer 7

It will have little or no effect on the taste. Cornflower has no taste, it is a thickening agent. You use it to thicken a gravy or other liquid. Custard is made from cornflower.

Answer 8

Cornflour has very minimal taste....that is the beauty of it. It can thicken, and you can add sweet or savoury to it to give it taste.
There must be SOME taste there but barely detectable.
There is an Elizebethan rhyme:
Everything hath savour
Though some very small
Nay...a box on the ear
Hath no smell at all

Answer 9

Cornflower is usually used to THICKEN a sauce...

Answer 10

cornflower is basically a thickening agent and has very little taste so it wouldn't affect the taste