Low-carb stew thickener?

[abifae]

I edited my post b/c I wasn't sure about it being low carb or not. Do you know?

I believe xanthan gum is nearly 0 carb.

 

[AnnaRaven]

I edited my post b/c I wasn't sure about it being low carb or not. Do you know?

I believe xanthan gum is nearly 0 carb.

Xantham gum just sounds disgusting. I mean, ewwwww. Is the texture like tapioca or gum or what? I'm very sensitive to texture. Can't stand to eat jelly beans because of the texture.

 

[big brown horse]

When you make it like the recipe above it just comes out like clear, tasteless gel.

Sam had a thickend root beer (she has swallowing difficulties) last night and it tasted just like root beer--but thicker.

Seems if you want a thickend, low carb (gluten free too) soup, it would work great. Dont let the name fool you.

I'm going to thicken up some broth this week I'll give you the results of our taste test.

 

[AnnaRaven]

Gel? Ewwwww. Sorry but that sounds even worse. I have this thing about texture...

I think I'll stick with doing a reduction if I need it to be thicker than I can get with a limited amount of flour. But thanks.

 

[CrimsonRose]

what I do sometimes to add thickness and flavor to my stews is what ever veggies I plan to put in... I take a few dehydrated ones and powder them and mix them into the broth...

example potato flakes, dried powdered tomatoes, dehydrated pumpkin, ect...

just dry the veggies and powder them... when you add them into the broth it will soak up the liquid and thicken the soup... plus adds some amazing flavor!!!

I don't really do this to be low carb... but I always tend to mess it up when I add flower or corn starch and don't like the lumps... the dehydrated powdered veggies don't tend to lump up as bad and mix in easier...

also adding cream helps as well (not sure if that's low carb or not?)

 

[AnnaRaven]

what I do sometimes to add thickness and flavor to my stews is what ever veggies I plan to put in... I take a few dehydrated ones and powder them and mix them into the broth...

example potato flakes, dried powdered tomatoes, dehydrated pumpkin, ect...

just dry the veggies and powder them... when you add them into the broth it will soak up the liquid and thicken the soup... plus adds some amazing flavor!!!

I don't really do this to be low carb... but I always tend to mess it up when I add flower or corn starch and don't like the lumps... the dehydrated powdered veggies don't tend to lump up as bad and mix in easier...

also adding cream helps as well (not sure if that's low carb or not?)

Kewl idea! Thanks.

 

[patandchickens]

Or any vegetables you have in the stew, you can fish some out and puree them (or use an immersion blender if you have one) to add thickness.

Pat

 

[Wifezilla]

Cream is very low carb. I used heavy whipping cream in many of my soups and stews. Potato flakes would be a big no no though. WAY too many carbs.

 

[Bethanial]

Just thought I'd share what I just found out about xantham gum:

= Despite its rather alien-sounding name, xanthan gum is as natural as any other fermented corn sugar polysaccharide you can name. Corn syrup, anyone?
Seriously, xanthan gum derives its name from the strain of bacteria used during the fermentation process, Xanthomonas campestris. Xanthomonas campestris is the same bacteria responsible for causing black rot to form on broccoli, cauliflower and other leafy vegetables. The bacteria form a slimy substance which acts as a natural stabilizer or thickener. The United States Department of Agriculture ran a number of experiments involving bacteria and various sugars to develop a new thickening agent similar to corn starch or guar gum. When Xanthomonas campestris was combined with corn sugar, the result was a colorless slime called xanthan gum.

Comments, thoughts, concerns?

 

[animalfarm]

So what I ended up with, was cutting the amount of "flour" needed from 1 1/2 cups to 1 cup, and used 1/2 cup of buckwheat flour and 1/2 cup of almond flour for it. I didn't bother "thickening" it at the end but it was a nice rich thicker-than-broth texture. I didn't reduce it either cuz I was busy watching the State of the Union until it was time for dinner.

In any case, I figure that 1 cup of flour spread across several portions isn't going to bother DH's diabetes. Especially considering he had a couple small pieces of homemade bread and new potatoes to go with the oxtail stew.

Just trying to cut out excess carbs in the stew so he *can* have the sides he loves.

1.5 C of flour is an a lot more then what is actually needed. Assuming a beef stew, dredge small pieces of stew meat (should not be wet) in seasoned flour. Fry the meat in clarified butter/olive oil or bacon fat ect...dump fried meat into stew pot and add other ingredients. Add a little wine in frying pan to deglaze and add to stew pot. Do not use excessive water, but do add lots of home canned tomatoes and the stew will be thick enough to suit most people and maybe only about a 1/4C of flour total will be used. Using less flour = less carbs as you have already done.

A roux made of 1/2 C flour/1/2C fat would be enough to thicken 4 quarts of a cream soup, so beef stew by traditional standards should be a bit thinner and therefore, 1/4C flour/1/4 fat would be enough if you want to use this route instead of frying dredged meat. I think it tastes better if the meat is fried first. You can of course use flour mixed with water to thicken but it doesn't do much for flavour. Add more veggies and potatoes for soup that is thicker in content and not just broth.