Can flour make it thicker?

Question

I am making teriyaki chicken tonight for dinner. As of now, my chicken is marinating in Kikkoman's teriyaki sauce, honey, white wine, ginger, and garlic. I heard if you use a little corn starch and mix it with the sauce, your sauce will become thicker. However, I don't have cornstarch. Can I substitute it with all-purpose flour? If so, how do I do it. Please can someone help me, I'm stuck.

Answer 1

1) yes, you COULD thicken with flour, although I wouldn't, because it will taste and look all wrong for terriyaki. If you must, stir 1-2 tsps of flour into about 1/4 cup COLD water (to disperse without clumping). Add some of this slurry to your sauce a bit at a time (so that you can see how it's thickening up). As the sauce heats through, it will get thicker.

2) My recommendation is don't thicken at all. My mom's Japanese. A real terriyaki sauce isn't thickened. It will get somewhat thicker by itself, as you broil the meat, because the liquids evaporate and the honey/soy sauce mix gets thicker and stickier. That's enough thickness to serve.

Answer 2

Flour will thicken it (though flour needs to be stirred into a bit of cold water first), but the sauce won't look the same and may not have quite the same mouth-feel as if you'd used cornstarch.

Flour is the starch of wheat, and cornstarch is the starch of corn (also called "cornflour")... both come from grains.
They will both thicken things, but cornstarch will allow the sauce to stay translucent (as seen in most Far Eastern cooking), where flour will make the sauce more opaque (more like European/American gravy or "white sauce").

Don't know if this was mentioned before, but you can also thicken a sauce by just letting it boil for awhile to "reduce" it... the water boils off, leaving a thicker product behind.

I'd probably go for the flour though and just call it "fusion" cooking!


Diane B.

Answer 3

mix flour in a glass of cold water, like 2 tablespoons flour to one cup COLD water.
bring your sauce to a slow boil in a sauce pan and, while stirring constantly, mix the flour/water mixture in slowly, a little at a time.
you may not have to use the whole cup, and your sauce will get continue to thicken as long as it's boiling and you're stirring. once you're close to your desired consistancy turn the heat down, or off.

Answer 4

You just need to put a table spoon into a bowl gradually and milk or water until you have a smooth consistency, and add to pot. Cook for several minutes for the flour to cook out as they say.

Another way is to gradually sift in some flour, stirring constantly

Answer 5

Mash 1tablespoon flour with 2 teaspoons of butter add to your pot a little at a time.use your finger and roll into walnut size pieces and stir your potful whilst droppingthem in one by one cook for about five minutes

Answer 6

yes but add it in very small amounts. if you add too much it will get too thick or taste like flour. Make sure you add it before you cook it too..flour needs to be cooked

Answer 7

Yes, use floor but make sure you make a paste with it first in warm water.

Answer 8

thats what i use