Whether plating a perfect slice of blueberry pie or creating a hearty full-bodied winter soup it all requires the same secret ingredient called starch. Starches are available in many different forms while prepared using different cooking techniques.
What Are Food Thickeners
Food thickeners are the thickening agents that increase the viscosity of a liquid without interfering with its properties. Most sauces, soups, gravies, and even desserts are thickened with some kind of starch. Every thickening agent has properties that are best suited for recipes. One of the most commonly used methods for thickening recipes and other sauces is the gelatinization of starches.
Food Thickening Methods
If you attempt to thicken a sauce to put in a gravy boat by simply stirring the floor into a simmering liquid. You will end up with lumps. The starch around each lump expands and forms a gel that prevents granules from separating. Let’s take a breath that, there are easy methods to help prevent lumpy sauces with these following methods.
Below are the commonly used methods used to prep floor or starch before you use it as a thickener.
1. Beurre Manie
This method involves equal parts of pliable butter and flour. These two ingredients are kneaded together until the flour particle is coated with the fat, thereby creating a dough ball known as beurre manie.
This thickening agent is used for adding viscosity and perfect shine to your stews, sauces, and soup.
2. Liaison
These are used for thickening sauces or custards. Liaisons are made by tempering 1/3 of your hot sauce into a steel bowl of cream and whipped egg yolks. Whisk this mixture constantly so that the eggs and cream do not curdle. Once you get a homogenous mixture then add the entire contents of the bowl back into the entire sauce mixture and keep whisking it until the sauce turns thicker. This liaison method also gives your sauces a rich creamier texture and mouthfeel.
3. Roux
Roux is a best way to add viscosity to various soups and sauces. Take equal parts of fat and flour and whisk it in a hot pan until smooth, and then cook it blond, white, or brown roux depending on desired depth and caramelization.
These are some of the methods you can follow for food thickening. If you are manufacture looking for high quality food ingredients consider sourcing them from Excesa.