Thickening agent?

[miss_thenorth]

I use pumpkin when I want to thicken soups. You don't taste the pumpkin and it really enhances beef based soups. I tried using almond meal once and it was horrible Haven't tried coconut flour yet.

I have used egg yolk for gravy. It was still a little runny, but it was pretty good.

For two cups of stock, how many egg yolks do you think it will need to thicken it. It doesn't need to be super thick, but just enough to hold together.

BBrooks, I don't have rice flour--just an AP gf flour mix, but, if you were to compare it to regular flour, how much less do you figure it would need to get the desired affect?

No idea on the mix, as it will have bean flour in it.
I think with just plain rice, I use half?
Never have measured, just learned from the start that its less.

Thaks, I'll pick some up one of these days. Normally I wouldn't worry so much about it, but I wa a bad girl yesterday, and ate a bag of Fritos.

 

[Bubblingbrooks]

Yeah, I would too, but right now, I am looking for more of a low carb substitute. Normally I would just use cornstarch.

You can do a cream reduction!

 

[miss_thenorth]

Yeah, I would too, but right now, I am looking for more of a low carb substitute. Normally I would just use cornstarch.

You can do a cream reduction!

I never even thought about that! Now there's an idea, thanks!

 

[abifae]

Do NOT try coconut flour >.> LOL. Works best baked.



I use squash a lot, too, and cream cheese

 

[Shiloh Acres]

Y'all have me wondering now.

I know there are different types of gravy. I learned to make gravy in an iron skillet with some grease and maybe cracklins, heat it up, sprnkle in flour, keep stirring the roux until it browns, then add water and stir till it's gravy.

So I think I'm showing some super ignorance here but ... How do you do it with stock? I'm imagining a lot more to start out with (I usually use a few tablespoons or so of grease). I'm just trying to picture how much stock, and then how much flour?

It sounds more like thickening I do with chili ... Which I use a good bit of tomato juice and thicken that with (usually) cornstarch.

I do use cookbooks and try new stuff sometimes, but I usually adapt most new experiments to methods I already know, and I pretty much cook the way my grandma cooked. I'm starrting to feel kind of limited here.

 

[miss_thenorth]

I make different gravies different ways. I brown the meat in seasonings, and whats left in the frying pan, or I use the drippings from , I add water to, and then thicken it and season it. Right now, I am making chicken gravy, and I boiled down the carcass to mkae chicken broth. Not planning what i was going to do for dinner very well today, I decided I wanted to do chicken in gravy. Since the stock is already seasoned, I just want to thicken it enough to have a gravy like consistency. I have no set rules for gravy. I can make it our of just plain water, if I season it properly. I absolutely hate bland gravy, and have perfected many ways to make a good gravy. But I have never ventured inot the low carb gravy making before.

 

[CrimsonRose]

for broth thickener I've used dehydrated potato flakes... and for stews like chilli and such I've used dehydrated tomatoes that I've blended into a powder...

 

[abifae]

My favorite gravy is fat and flour and make a roux. Then add broth and let it cook down. Because I always add way too much broth

Really really simple. But I cannot do the flour now and almond flour does NOT work, nor does coconut meal. *sighs* So now I take the broth and add a veggie of some sort. I'll have to try the ground dried tomatoes.

 

[Shiloh Acres]

Thanks for the info. Sounds like in one case, it's using broth in place of water? I guess I have done that in thinner saucepan gravies. When I have plenty of stock I like to use it in place of water for all kinds of things ... I think my favorite is for rice.

I've never heard of adding water to oil and then the thickening. I guess cuz I use flour and I want to brown it.

I'll have to gradually try a few other thickeners. I've used other things to thicken soups and stews but usually flour (sometimes cornstarch) for gravy.

Very interesting. Thanks all!

 

[abifae]

The flavor changes if you brown the flour first, versus adding flour later. It has a smokier, nuttier flavor that I prefer.

So I'd rather start with a roux.

And yes, for amounts, broth = water.