Dinner tonight - maybe

Michael 'Dog3 said:

What do others use to thicken their beef stew? I
dredge the meat in seasoned flour before I brown it. Then it goes into the
pot with the beef stock (I have to used canned this time. I'm outta home
made) and I make the the usual way most people do. I have a hard time
getting it to thicken the way I want it to. I usually have to add way more
arrowroot than I should. I don't like it soupy but I don't like it real
thick either. Any ideas?

Corn, potato, or rice starch. Arrowroot breaks down under
prolonged heat.

-sw

Michael \'Dog3\ said:

Well, I put some stew meat in the fridge yesterday to thaw. I *think* it
will be thawed out soon. If not, I'll use it tomorrow. It it's thawed, I'm
gonna make beef stew tonight.

It only has to be thawed enough to take a good browning. I don't
think a very cold interior matters.

Quoted message said:

[snip] What do others use to thicken their beef stew?

Why does it need to be thickened? Just reduce any excess liquid at
the end.

Quoted message said:

I dredge the meat in seasoned flour before I brown it.

I don't. I like browned/caramelized meat, and flouring interferes
with that.

Quoted message said:

[snip I don't like it soupy but I don't like it real
thick either. Any ideas?

Well, if you must thicken it, you might try a little instant mashed
potato flakes. Try a little bit at a time and give it several minutes
of boiling to see the effect. Second choice, beurre manié -- soft
butter well mixed with flour into little balls. I think that's the
traditional method. Third choice, Wondra flour. The glossy
cornstarch slurry approach doesn't fit with my beef stew, imho.

Then again, we nearly always eat beef stew over egg noodles, or
occasionally rice. That may be why I don't feel any need to thicken
it. -aem

Sqwertz said:

Michael 'Dog3 said:

What do others use to thicken their beef stew? I
dredge the meat in seasoned flour before I brown it. Then it goes into the
pot with the beef stock (I have to used canned this time. I'm outta home
made) and I make the the usual way most people do. I have a hard time
getting it to thicken the way I want it to. I usually have to add way more
arrowroot than I should. I don't like it soupy but I don't like it real
thick either. Any ideas?

Corn, potato, or rice starch. Arrowroot breaks down under
prolonged heat.

Barley goes very well with beef.
Some people don't like barley, but I've
always loved it. It has very powerful
thickening qualities. I suppose you
could extract the thickening principle
from the barley and add it to the beef
without the barley, but I've never heard
of anybody doing that. All you'd have
to do is boil and strain it.

Michael \'Dog3\ said:

Well, I put some stew meat in the fridge yesterday to thaw. I *think* it
will be thawed out soon. If not, I'll use it tomorrow. It it's thawed, I'm
gonna make beef stew tonight. It's chilly outside and perfect weather for
it. I just might make scratch biscuits (er... hockey pucks) to go with it.
I do have a question. What do others use to thicken their beef stew? I
dredge the meat in seasoned flour before I brown it. Then it goes into the
pot with the beef stock (I have to used canned this time. I'm outta home
made) and I make the the usual way most people do. I have a hard time
getting it to thicken the way I want it to. I usually have to add way more
arrowroot than I should. I don't like it soupy but I don't like it real
thick either. Any ideas?

I use Veloutine, the terrific thickener that no one here ever seems to know
about.

I use my wife's method of braising for stew. Season the meat with salt,
pepper, and savoury. Heat up pan and add a little olive oil and brown the
meat being careful not to crowd it. Remove the meat and toss in chopped
onion, carrots celery, mushrooms and some garlic. Once they are well
sweated, throw in some beef broth and 1-2 Tbsp. tomato paste, bring it to a
boil and add some Veloutine to thicken, but not too much. Return the meat
to the pan, put a lid on it and stick it into a 300 degree oven for a few
hours. Then add chopped potato and carrots.... not too much carrot or it
overpowers the stew. About 5 minutes before serving add some frozen peas.

I find that stews always taste better the next day, so before I add the
potatoes and carrots I cool it and refrigerate it overnight. When it goes
back into the oven the next day I add the potatoes and carrots.

Disclaimer..... seasoning and amounts vary with the amount of meat used and
the number of people to be served.

aem said:

Then again, we nearly always eat beef stew over egg noodles, or
occasionally rice. That may be why I don't feel any need to thicken
it.

Following up my own post. These are the noodles I often make for
chicken soup, chicken stew, or beef stew. For the soup I usually cook
them in the soup. For the stews, I cook them separately in salted
water.

Simple Egg Noodles

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/3 cup water

Procedure

Mix the flour and salt together.

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, and
water together. Form a depression in the flour and add
the egg mixture. Mix well.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead for
eight to ten minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Divide the dough in half with a sharp knife. With a rolling
pin, roll each dough piece until it is 1/16 to 1/8-inch thick.
cover the dough with a cloth and let rest for 20 minutes to
relax the gluten. For rolling and slicing, remember the noodles
will expand quite a lot when cooking.

Using a sharp knife, slice the dough into
strips 3/8-inches wide. Or, roll the dough into a loose cylinder
and then slice it. Drop the noodles one at time into
boiling soup, stew or salted water. Cook until tender (begin
bite-testing at three minutes.) -aem

Michael \'Dog3\ said:

Well, I put some stew meat in the fridge yesterday to thaw. I *think* it
will be thawed out soon. If not, I'll use it tomorrow. It it's thawed, I'm
gonna make beef stew tonight. It's chilly outside and perfect weather for
it. I just might make scratch biscuits (er... hockey pucks) to go with it.
I do have a question. What do others use to thicken their beef stew? I
dredge the meat in seasoned flour before I brown it. Then it goes into the
pot with the beef stock (I have to used canned this time. I'm outta home
made) and I make the the usual way most people do. I have a hard time
getting it to thicken the way I want it to. I usually have to add way more
arrowroot than I should. I don't like it soupy but I don't like it real
thick either. Any ideas?

I prefer using flour as a thickener. If you don't want to use flour,
use instant potato flakes or sacrifice a potato or two.

As far as your hockey pucks go.... sheesh. Haven't you looked past
your name in the recipe section of http://www.recfoodcooking.com/ ?

This recipe was posted by me and they are deeevine!

Cream Biscuits

2 1/4 C all purpose flour
2T baking powder
1/2 C (1 stick) butter, cut into pieces
2-2 1/4 C whipping cream

Heat oven to 450°F

Sift flour with baking powder and salt. Cut in butter. Add 2 C
cream, blend to soft dough. Turn dough out onto lightly floured
surface and roll out to 3/4 inch thickness. Cut into 1 1/2 inch
squares. Transfer to an un-greased baking sheet, spacing 1/2 inch
apart.

Bake until golden, about 15-20 minutes.

--
See return address to reply by email

Michael \'Dog3\ said:

Well, I put some stew meat in the fridge yesterday to thaw. I *think* it
will be thawed out soon. If not, I'll use it tomorrow. It it's thawed, I'm
gonna make beef stew tonight. It's chilly outside and perfect weather for
it. I just might make scratch biscuits (er... hockey pucks) to go with it.
I do have a question. What do others use to thicken their beef stew? I
dredge the meat in seasoned flour before I brown it. Then it goes into the
pot with the beef stock (I have to used canned this time. I'm outta home
made) and I make the the usual way most people do. I have a hard time
getting it to thicken the way I want it to. I usually have to add way more
arrowroot than I should. I don't like it soupy but I don't like it real
thick either. Any ideas?

Michael

--
Children today are tyrants. They contradict their parents, gobble their
food, and tyrannize their teachers.
- Socrates

to email: dog3 at charter dot net

Probably late on this, but as someone else said, barley is great in stew
and also helps to thicken it. As an additional suggestion, skip the
biscuits / hockey pucks and instead try either dumplings cooked on the
stew, or popovers.

Pete C. said:

Michael \'Dog3\ said:

Well, I put some stew meat in the fridge yesterday to thaw. I
*think* it
will be thawed out soon. If not, I'll use it tomorrow. It it's
thawed, I'm
gonna make beef stew tonight. It's chilly outside and perfect
weather for
it. I just might make scratch biscuits (er... hockey pucks) to go
with it.
I do have a question. What do others use to thicken their beef
stew? I
dredge the meat in seasoned flour before I brown it. Then it goes
into the
pot with the beef stock (I have to used canned this time. I'm outta
home
made) and I make the the usual way most people do. I have a hard
time
getting it to thicken the way I want it to. I usually have to add
way more
arrowroot than I should. I don't like it soupy but I don't like it
real
thick either. Any ideas?

Michael

--
Children today are tyrants. They contradict their parents, gobble
their
food, and tyrannize their teachers.

- Socrates

to email: dog3 at charter dot net

Probably late on this, but as someone else said, barley is great in
stew and also helps to thicken it. As an additional suggestion, skip
the biscuits / hockey pucks and instead try either dumplings cooked
on the stew, or popovers.

I love barley in stew! And one of my grandmother's always dropped dumplings
on top of bubbling hot stew 20 minutes before serving time. Simmer 10
minutes without a lid, 10 minutes with.

Jill

Michael said:

I do have a question. What do others use to thicken their beef stew?

Potato.

You can buy potato starch or add some dehy mashed potato flakes but I
prefer to grate in a potato early so it breaks down. I also sometimes
add okra. I don't like flour as a stew thickener, it makes the sauce
cloudy and dull, I prefer clear and glossy... regardless what you
choose, go easy, you don't want to make library paste.

Michael 'Dog3 said:

I don't like it soupy but I don't like it real
thick either. Any ideas?

You can add 2-3 tablespoons of bread crumbs. Or carmelized onion, which
after long cooking will fall apart and thicken the stew. You can also
add 1 tablespoon of flour mixed with 1 tablespoon of sour cream and 1/2
cup liquid from your stew. Mix well and stir into the pot. Lower the
heat to simmer to cook the flour through.

Magdalena Bassett

Michael 'Dog3 said:

Well, I put some stew meat in the fridge yesterday to thaw. I *think* it
will be thawed out soon. If not, I'll use it tomorrow. It it's thawed, I'm
gonna make beef stew tonight. <snip> I have a hard time
getting it to thicken the way I want it to. I usually have to add way more
arrowroot than I should. I don't like it soupy but I don't like it real
thick either. Any ideas?

I don't ever add thickener to stew. I just use less liquid, and if
it's still needing thickening, I mash up a couple of the potatoes
(stew HAS to have potatoes, for me) with a fork, and they do the
thickening.

Serene
--
Spin the auto-sig generator, and she says:

"The best way to predict the future is to invent it." -- Alan Kay

Dave Smith said:

I use Veloutine, the terrific thickener that no one here ever seems to know
about.

Maybe because it's only sold in Canada?

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See return address to reply by email
remove the smiley face first

sf wrote on Sun, 14 Oct 2007 12:51:29 -0700:

??>> I use Veloutine, the terrific thickener that no one here
??>> ever seems to know about.

s> Maybe because it's only sold in Canada?

It's based on potato starch isn't it? How much different is the
result from using corn starch?

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

Sqwertz <[email hidden]> dropped this
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Quoted message said:

Michael 'Dog3 said:

What do others use to thicken their beef stew? I
dredge the meat in seasoned flour before I brown it. Then it goes
into the pot with the beef stock (I have to used canned this time.
I'm outta home made) and I make the the usual way most people do. I
have a hard time getting it to thicken the way I want it to. I
usually have to add way more arrowroot than I should. I don't like
it soupy but I don't like it real thick either. Any ideas?

Corn, potato, or rice starch. Arrowroot breaks down under
prolonged heat.

-sw

Hmmmm... I didn't know that about arrowroot. Thanks for the info. I think
that might be the problem.

Michael

--
Children today are tyrants. They contradict their parents, gobble their
food, and tyrannize their teachers.
- Socrates

to email: dog3 at charter dot net

Dave Smith <[email hidden]> dropped this
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Quoted message said:

I use Veloutine, the terrific thickener that no one here ever seems to
know about.

I researched Veloutine while perusing the responses. It's on my list to
try. Never used it. In the stew I wound up using potatoes which I pretty
much ground up. Worked out well.

Michael

--
Children today are tyrants. They contradict their parents, gobble their
food, and tyrannize their teachers.
- Socrates

to email: dog3 at charter dot net

"Pete C." <[email hidden]> dropped this
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Quoted message said:

Probably late on this, but as someone else said, barley is great in
stew and also helps to thicken it. As an additional suggestion, skip
the biscuits / hockey pucks and instead try either dumplings cooked on
the stew, or popovers.

I used a couple of ideas that people posted. I added finely ground
potatoes (I mushed 'em in the Cuisinart) and let the stew simmer longer
than usual to reduce the liquid. I wound up not making the biscuits. I
used the noodle idea aem posted.

Michael

--
Children today are tyrants. They contradict their parents, gobble their
food, and tyrannize their teachers.
- Socrates

to email: dog3 at charter dot net

Oh pshaw, on Sun 14 Oct 2007 09:41:41p, Michael "Dog3" meant to say...

Quoted message said:

Sqwertz <[email hidden]> dropped this
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Quoted message said:

Michael 'Dog3 said:

What do others use to thicken their beef stew? I
dredge the meat in seasoned flour before I brown it. Then it goes
into the pot with the beef stock (I have to used canned this time.
I'm outta home made) and I make the the usual way most people do. I
have a hard time getting it to thicken the way I want it to. I
usually have to add way more arrowroot than I should. I don't like
it soupy but I don't like it real thick either. Any ideas?

Corn, potato, or rice starch. Arrowroot breaks down under
prolonged heat.

-sw

Hmmmm... I didn't know that about arrowroot. Thanks for the info. I

think

Quoted message said:

that might be the problem.

Michael

Yes, Steve's right. Arrowroot is great for almost instant thickening right
at the end of cooking; e.g., most asian dishes. On further heating, it
thins down. For stew I'd probably opt for potato starch. Even small
amounts of instant mashed potatoes (granulate/powdered, not flaked) work
well.

--
Wayne Boatwright
__________________________________________________

Answers: $1, Short: $5, Correct: $25, dumb looks
are still free.

Sheldon <[email hidden]> dropped this news:1192373248.664360.235380
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Quoted message said:

Michael said:

I do have a question. What do others use to thicken their beef stew?

Potato.

You can buy potato starch or add some dehy mashed potato flakes but I
prefer to grate in a potato early so it breaks down. I also sometimes
add okra. I don't like flour as a stew thickener, it makes the sauce
cloudy and dull, I prefer clear and glossy... regardless what you
choose, go easy, you don't want to make library paste.

I used the potato idea. I don't care much for the dried potatoes so I
whooshed up some bakers in the Cuisinart until they were almost pasty. I
dolloped them in a bit at a time until I thought it would be thick enough
and I also let it simmer a bit longer. It was delish and I had enough
left over for lunch the next day. I love barley too. I might give
barley a try next go round.

Michael

--
Children today are tyrants. They contradict their parents, gobble their
food, and tyrannize their teachers.
- Socrates

to email: dog3 at charter dot net

"Wayne Boatwright" <wayneboatwright_@_gmail.com> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Oh pshaw, on Sun 14 Oct 2007 09:41:41p, Michael "Dog3" meant to say...

Quoted message said:

Sqwertz <[email hidden]> dropped this
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Quoted message said:

On Sat, 13 Oct 2007 19:06:18 GMT, Michael "Dog3" wrote:
> What do others use to thicken their beef stew? I
> dredge the meat in seasoned flour before I brown it. Then it goes
> into the pot with the beef stock (I have to used canned this time.
> I'm outta home made) and I make the the usual way most people do. I
> have a hard time getting it to thicken the way I want it to. I
> usually have to add way more arrowroot than I should. I don't like
> it soupy but I don't like it real thick either. Any ideas?

Corn, potato, or rice starch. Arrowroot breaks down under
prolonged heat.

-sw

Hmmmm... I didn't know that about arrowroot. Thanks for the info. I

think

Quoted message said:

that might be the problem.

Michael

Yes, Steve's right. Arrowroot is great for almost instant thickening
right
at the end of cooking; e.g., most asian dishes. On further heating, it
thins down. For stew I'd probably opt for potato starch. Even small
amounts of instant mashed potatoes (granulate/powdered, not flaked) work
well.

--
Wayne Boatwright

I don't know if they make this flour-in-a-cardboard container product
anymore, but years ago I spent a weekend with a friend who left on a stew
for hours and we would go to the kitchen to attend to it every 45 minutes or
so. She would sprinkle this granular-flour from a cylindrical container - a
brand name as I recall - into the broth. It would thicken slightly; it
would brown a bit and she'd come back and add some more. I think this went
on for at least 4 hours.

I don't care a lot for beef stew, but I remember it being pretty good.

Dee Dee
Is it Wonder-flour? Don't know.