What's the knack to thickening up a casserole?

Question

I mean when/how do you put in the cornflour (mixed with water) - does that go into the stock/meat/veg once it's all half-way through cooking? I can't seem to get that nice thick 'casserole' taste!

Answer 1

Casseroles are baked dishes, and should only have enough gravy to moisten, not soak. The gravy should be thick prior to being incorporated into the casserole...otherwise it would never thicken on its own in the oven.

Answer 2

Thickening A Casserole

Answer 3

I despise cornflour. Unless you are cooking Chinese food, where it is used all the time, just don't use it. To thicken up a stew I like to add a roux to the liquids. (I presume you are making a stew, as a casserole has far less liquid.) Take equal parts butter and plain flour. Melt the butter slowly in a small saucepan, whish in the flour with a fork (you don't necessarily have to sieve it), add a little pepper and cook for a few seconds. Turn off the heat. Ladle out the liquids from your stew and put it in a bigger saucepan, heat it up and whisk the roux into it, then pour it back over your stew. You could always throw some pearl barley into it, too, just a handful. It soaks up loads of liquid.

Cornflour just makes a snotty mess. By the way, Americans, in the UK it is called cornflour.

Answer 4

You can use corn flour or ordinary flour.Get a mug or small jug and pour a small amount of boiling water into it,then add a couple of teaspoons of either into the boiling water,stir it up so its like a thick kind of paste but not too thick,then you can add this at any point of your casserole,making sure that you stir it in quickly.Ita always best to wait to see near the end of cooking your casserole how runny it is,and if its very runny you do the above adding more as required for the consistency you need.You can do the above also for thickening sauces you make with cream also.

Answer 5

I use knorr packet soup in mine to thicken it if I'm doing chicken and cornflour with meat. Mix a bit of cornflour in with your stock but don't go overboard as you won't want it gloopy. If u leave casserole for long enough the meat and potatoes should thicken the gravy as well.

Answer 6

You should thicken it up towards the end of cooking as thick stock makes the cooking time longer than thin stock, as the thin stock is easier to absorb.

One good way is to pop a potato in the microwave a few minutes before its ready and mash it and add it to the casserole as that's a natural way to thicken things.

Answer 7

Thicken a casserole right at the end of cooking, not half way through and don't use too much cornflour. Stir all the time whilst adding it and don't stop until you are serving.

Works for me.

Hey Mich... It IS cornflour in the UK

Answer 8

cover your meat in plain flour before you cook it off right at the beginning this will natrualy thicken your sauce as it cooks and add that casserole taste as the flour takes on the meat flavour that will then run through the sauce. also if you add cornflour you must cook it for at least 20 mins or you will taste it. hope it works, i love casserole

Answer 9

Add the cornflour at the stockmaking stage.

I usually use a tin of soup as stock and add the cornflour to it.
If you put too much in it is easier to thin it down by adding water, not so easy to do after you've added the meat and veg.

Answer 10

It depends on what type of casserole you are making. You also might be cooking it too high for too short a time. Thickening occurs when the water evaporates because of heat. Perhaps you should lower your temp and cook the casserole longer.

Answer 11

If your using a slow cooker the liquid will eventually thicken when fully cooked, i would leave at least another hour or so maybe another two hours , because a sausage casserole takes an hour in a normal oven. I hope you browned the sausages prior to putting in the slow cooker, otherwise you will have anaemic looking sausages.