How to Thicken Runny Sauces and Soups - Beehive Meals (2024)
By Allyse Jackson
When cooking one of our Beehive Meals, it’s helpful to know how the slow cooking process worksto help prevent potential issues fromoccurring and make adjustments. For instance, slow cooker meals can turn out to be watery when there is too much liquid added at the beginning of the preparation or if during the cooking process, the water does not evaporate producing a runny consistency.
In this post, we explore different ways you can use to thicken your sauces or soups if this does end up happening to you.
How Slow CookingWorks
Generally speaking, there are two ways to cook food; dry heat or moist heat. Dry heat being more conventional through baking or grilling while moist heat employs water or water-based cooking liquid through a slow cooker (Crockpot) and pressure cookers (InstantPot).
Though our freezer meals are flexible enough for dry heat, the meals have been primarily designed for slow cookers. This is so that the meats can be easily shredded and mixed with the sauce. Plus the “set it and forgot it” aspect of slow cooking is extremely convenient!
As the slow cooker heat up, the ingredients begin to simmer and release steam. The steam is then trapped by the lid, creating condensation. The condensation creates a vacuum seal between the lid and the pot, then naturally retains the moisture in your food as it cooks. This is the effect that you want to happen when you’ve added the right amount of water.
However, sometimes too much water is accidentally added or the slow cooker fails to evaporate enough water during the cooking process, leaving the sauce or soup a little runnier than you’d like.
What can I do if my sauces and soups do end up too runny?
1) Pre-Cooking Adjustments/ Add Less Water
If you notice a consistent trend with your meals being too runny or soupy, you may want to consider making adjustments before you begin cooking as there is a chance that your slow cooker isn’t the right size or is failing to cook hot enough. Both reasons could lead to failure to evaporate enough water from the meal.
Start by decreasing the amount of water by 25% and experimenting from there. At this point, it will be up to you to identify your personal preference with the sauce or soup’s consistency. As mentioned above, please keep in mind that water is essential during the moist cooking process so be sure not to remove too much.
2) Let the Sauce Cool Down
It is common for moisture and the natural fats/ oils of the ingredients to release during the cooking process causing the sauce to seem runny when you first remove the lid. Once fully cooked, you’ll want to mix everything back together then move the temperature to ‘Keep Warm’ until you’re ready to plate and serve. As the sauce begins to cook down, it will begin to solidify allowing the sauce to thicken.
3) Remove the Lid, Allowing some of the Liquid to Evaporate
By removing the lid during the cooking process, you’re essentially mimicking how a pan or pot without a lid on a stovetop would cook as the liquids escape via steam from the top of the pot.
If you decide to use this method, make sure you watch it closely. Check on it every 10-15 minutes to make sure it doesn’t reduce down too much.
4) Make a Roux and Add It to Your Sauce Mid-Cooking
The preferred way of any professional chef is to thicken the sauce with a roux.
A roux is a mixture of equal parts flour and fat (usually butter) cooked in a pan over low to medium heat. In a cooking pan, cook equal parts unsalted butter and all-purpose flour, stirring constantly with wooden spatula to break up lumps in the flour, until mixture thickens. Then add the roux to your already simmering sauce in the slow cooker.
5) Adding Cornstarch Slurry
A cornstarch slurry is a mixture of a cold liquid with cornstarch. It is used as a thickening agent, and is particularly common in Asian sauces. As a rule of thumb, dissolve 2 parts cold water and 1 part cornstarch. Add the slurry to your sauce as it simmers in the slow cooker.
Cornstarch is always a good way to thicken a sauce or soup but personally I would recommend going a different route as the cornstarch slurry may change the flavor of the meal. But that’s the beauty of our meals as there are multiple ways to prep things your way.
In you have any additional questions regarding adjustments, feel free to reach out to us at hello@beehivemeals.com or 801-589-0591.
A general ratio to work with is 2 tablespoons flour for every cup of liquid. Start by adding a little bit, then cook, stirring, for a few minutes to allow the sauce time to thicken and cook off the raw flour taste; if the results are minimal, add more.
A general ratio to work with is 2 tablespoons flour for every cup of liquid. Start by adding a little bit, then cook, stirring, for a few minutes to allow the sauce time to thicken and cook off the raw flour taste; if the results are minimal, add more.
You can thicken soup by adding flour, cornstarch, or another starchy substitute. For the best results, never add flour or cornstarch directly to your soup. If you do, it will clump up on top. Instead, ladle a small amount of broth into a separate bowl and let it cool.
It's important to note that cornstarch has twice the thickening power of flour. If you need to substitute cornstarch to thicken liquid in a recipe that calls for ¼ cup (four tablespoons) flour, you only need two tablespoons cornstarch.
Add about 1 tablespoon of cornflour per cup of sauce but don't dump it straight in or it will clump. Instead, make a mixture with equal parts cornflour and cold water and whisk this into your sauce.
Mashed potatoes – It's a great way to use up leftovers too! Will benefit from a quick blender whirl. Cooked, blended veggies– Just like the mashed potatoes, give them a blender whirl. Rice, beans, lentils and other grains– Starch molecules thicken and take on water when exposed to heat, creating a thicker texture.
3 Answers. If too much water is the culprit, then its a simple matter of reducing the soup on the stove top. Just put it in a pot and boil it with the lid off(so the water escapes) until you reached a desired thickness and flavor.
To make a slurry, start with 1 to 2 ratio of cornstarch to water. For example, prepare 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water. Then whisk together really well. When you add more water, it just takes more time to thicken the sauce or soup.
Combine 2 tablespoons flour with every 1/4 cup cold water and whisk until smooth. Add the mixture to your sauce over medium heat, and continue to stir and cook until you've reached your desired consistency.
Cornstarch, tapioca, arrowroot, potato starch, and others will thicken liquid quite effec- tively and result in a smooth translucent gel or glaze. The differences are found in how much of each it takes to thicken the same amount of liquid equally.
One popular natural food thickener is agar agar, which is derived from seaweed and commonly used in vegan recipes. It can be used to create a firm gel-like texture and is often used in desserts such as jelly and custards. Another natural thickener is arrowroot, which is made from the root of the arrowroot plant.
You don't need to use commercial thickeners for foods, since soup and other foods can be easily thickened with powdered potatoes (used for instant mashed potatoes), rice cereal, tapioca, or Jell-O, for example.
The most classic and surefire way to thicken a broth-based soup is with a cornstarch slurry. Whisk together equal parts cornstarch (or arrowroot) and water or broth, then whisk it into the pot of soup. A good ratio to get to a pleasant thickness without your soup tasting goopy or heavy is one tablespoon.
Simply throw a handful of any uncooked white rice you have into the broth as you cook the soup and let it simmer for at least half an hour. The rice will expand and release its natural starches into the broth, adding texture and body. If you want a slightly healthier option, go for brown rice.
When to Keep the Lid Off. Cooking a soup, stew, or sauce uncovered allows water to evaporate, so if your goal is to reduce a sauce or thicken a soup, skip the lid. The longer you cook your dish, the more water that will evaporate and the thicker the liquid becomes—that means the flavors become more concentrated, too.
Cornstarch, arrowroot, and potato starch are almost pure starches and produce shiny sauces, whereas flour contains protein, which gives flour-thickened sauces a slightly mat appearance.
Cornstarch (and other starches, such as arrowroot or tapioca) are powerful thickeners. Adding just a small amount into a sauce can quickly and easily change the consistency of the dish.
Let the excess liquid evaporate away by bringing the substance to a boil or a simmer until the desired consistency is reached. This method is great for sauces – including a quick pan sauce created after cooking a protein – and gravies that are only marginally looser than desired.
If a sauce's consistency is too thin or too weak, it can be adjusted by reducing it on the stove. Other alternatives include adding more thickening agents, cream, a swirl of butter, or a liaison of egg yolk and cream.
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