How to thicken Beef Casserole

ellejay

Hi

I'm trying to make a Beef Casserole without using a packet mix to thicken it up, but yet again I chickened out and used the packet because I'm worried it won't thicken.

Could anyone tell me what they use / do to thicken it please?

my ingredients are:
beef pieces, rolled in flour
carrots
onion
mushroom
celery
garlic
squeeze of tomato paste
salt and pepper
fresh parsley
thyme
about 300 mls of guinnes
2 beef stock cubes just broken up, no water added
1 packet of mix with 400 mls water

Thanks for any help / advice

Animord

It is normally flour or cornflour. If you read the back of the packet that you have just used you will find the bulk of it is flour and/or potato starch.

The easiest way to thicken things is to use cornflour. You put a couple of spoons of it into some cold water and stir it - then add it to whatever you are cooking. There are other ways, but that is the simplest I think.

Dizzyblonde

You've already rolled the beef pieces in flour so that should be enough to thicken it. When it's cooked, if it's a bit thin you could stir in some cornflour mixed with water - although what I'd do is throw in a handful of barley at the beginning.

the beer revolu

Just add a tablespoon of flour (usually left over from flouring the meat) to the pot and stir up with the meat and veg before adding any liquid.
The recipe looks good apart from the packet mix.

This regularly comes up and people always suggest using cornflour. I really dislike the snotty, gloopy texture this gives to a dish.
But each to their own. It is an easy fix, I guess.

My idea of a really awful stew:
Stew made with round steak and thickened with cornflour. Eugh!

Dizzyblonde

the beer revolu wrote: »

Just add a tablespoon of flour to the pot and stir up with the meat and veg before adding any liquid.

That's how I've always done it and my mother before me.

ellejay

Thank you all for your replies.

Is the cornflour added at the end of the cooking time or beginning?
I cook at 160 for about 3 hrs, in a cast iron pot, if that makes any difference.

RE Barley, I've heard of that before, how do you add it?
I know what barley is, but what form do you add it?
And where can i buy it please.

I've added just flour before and it was very very thin.
And lumps of flour throughout.

Stheno

Use the cornflour at the end if you need to thicken it up, I use potato flour also

You can buy barley in most foodshops, you just add it in at the beginning.

dmc17

To add the flour, as a previous poster said you need to mix it with a small amount of cold liquid first before adding to the pot

the beer revolu

ellejay wrote: »

I've added just flour before and it was very very thin.
And lumps of flour throughout.

You probably added after adding liquid.
Add before any liquid and get all the meat and veg well coated before adding beer/wine/stock slowly while stirring.

It might be obvious but don't add too much liquid to your stew or it will be thin.
It's easy to add more, not so easy to remove.

Dizzyblonde

You can buy barley, called Pearl Barley, in any supermarket. It's really nice in stews and casseroles. You just add a handful at the beginning. If you add too much it will soak up too much liquid so although a handful doesn't look like much, don't be tempted to add more.

ellejay

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

You can buy barley, called Pearl Barley, in any supermarket. It's really nice in stews and casseroles. You just add a handful at the beginning. If you add too much it will soak up too much liquid so although a handful doesn't look like much, don't be tempted to add more.

Thanks a million, I'll try that next time.
could you use it in Lamb stew?

ellejay

the beer revolu wrote: »

You probably added after adding liquid.
Add before any liquid and get all the meat and veg well coated before adding beer/wine/stock.

It might be obvious but don't add too much liquid to your stew or it will be thin.
It's easy to add more, not so easy to remove.

yes that's exactly what i did

yellowlabrador

the continental way would be to add a slice of bread with mustard when you add the liquid and let it simmer away. the belgians would also add a drop of beer.

ellejay

yellowlabrador wrote: »

the continental way would be to add a slice of bread with mustard when you add the liquid and let it simmer away. the belgians would also add a drop of beer.

interesting!!!
so butter the bread(brennans?) with mustard, put the ingredients in, and place bread on top?

i add guinnes to it.

stmol32

I can't add anything more insightful than the other posters excellent advice except to say COrnflour is almost magical in it's effects.

When I first started using it I didn't realise the difference between cornflour and normal flour and I'd just spoon it in and end up with a thin sauce with little lumps floating in it.

The big trick is to to use cornflour, not normal flour, and mix it with COLD water until it dissolves and then pour into hot liquid.
It will make any gravy,curry, soup or stew thicker within seconds.

I only add this to hammer home the point that you need to mix it cold before adding it to your hot recipe because I made that mistake constantly before I discovered the trick (as it happens it was written on the side of the cornflour packet, who knew!).

P.S. Cornflour doesn't add a taste like regular flour, so like I said it's magic, and also quite cheap - Yay.

Stheno

I use potato flour as the OHs daughter is allergic to corn, but it's just like you've described, it's almost magical

Dizzyblonde

ellejay wrote: »

Thanks a million, I'll try that next time.
could you use it in Lamb stew?

Yes, it's really good in lamb stew too - and chicken stew

patsypantaloni

I've used a beurre manie to good effect in recipes like this... Seemed to thicken the recipe nicely without the gloopy/lumpy problems you get from just adding flour
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/techniques/thickening_gravy

Jezek

I feel very left out - I never add any thickener to my stew, I just use nice pieces of meat with the bone ( and maybe some tendony-type stuff) and let it reduce a long time. Maybe the plentiful beer or wine helps thicken it? In any case my stews have even gone too thick this way and I had to put some water back in.

the beer revolu

Jezek wrote: »

I feel very left out - I never add any thickener to my stew, I just use nice pieces of meat with the bone ( and maybe some tendony-type stuff) and let it reduce a long time. Maybe the plentiful beer or wine helps thicken it? In any case my stews have even gone too thick this way and I had to put some water back in.

Most of my stews have no thickeners either.
Tinned tomatoes can add body too. Finely chopped onions will also thicken. Sometimes a soupy stew is nice.
My recent oxtail stew had no thickener.

Jezek

the beer revolu wrote: »

Most of my stews have no thickeners either.
Tinned tomatoes can add body too. Finely chopped onions will also thicken. Sometimes a soupy stew is nice.
My recent oxtail stew had no thickener.

maybe that expains it, I always fry onions in a stew. Well oxtail of course is very rich in thickeners itself!

irish_goat

I usually throw some finely chopped or grated potato in and it thickens it up nicely. You could maybe try using a less watery beer as well.

Johnny_Fontane

patsypantaloni wrote: »

I've used a beurre manie to good effect in recipes like this... Seemed to thicken the recipe nicely without the gloopy/lumpy problems you get from just adding flour
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/techniques/thickening_gravy

only way to go. Just rub some butter in plain flour. you get that luxurious rich glossy sauce. I use it for stews, gravies and everything else that needs thickening. find cornflour changes the consistancy way too much.

http://viddy.it/VcMIu1

Maglight

Cornflour is a good quick fix if you are about to serve up and the sauce is too thin. But don't use too much or it gets a sticky texture that isn't great.

Sounds like you are using a bit too much liquid. After three hours in the oven it should have evaporated to a thick, rich sauce. When adding liquid at the start just fill to the top of the vegetables and meat. There is no need to cover it by much.

Some other ideas - add chopped up raw potato at the start of cooking. This bulks out the stew, adds to the flavor and thickens the sauce as the potatoes dissolve during long cooking

Mix up a batch of dumplings and add them to the stew for the last 15-20 minutes of cooking.
8 oz Flour with 4 oz margarine rubbed in, 1 heaped teaspoon baking powder, pinch of thyme, salt and pepper and a little cold water to bind into a dough. Roll into golf ball size balls. Sit them on top of the stew and turn the heat up to 180. Cook uncovered for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
The sauce will thicken slightly due to a mixture of the dumplings absorbing some liquid, the thickening effect of excess flour, and evaporation due to finishing the stew at a higher temperature uncovered.

A2LUE42

You could just use Roux. It is very simple to make.

ellejay

A2LUE42 wrote: »

You could just use Roux. It is very simple to make.

thanks i know how to make a roux but didn't think it would be suitable for stew?