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Weight Loss Forum / Low Carb / February 2005What can be used as a thickener in cooking?
Does anyone have suggestions of something to use as a thickener in cooking? My mother always used flour or cornstarch, and occasionally tapioca (depending on the item). All of those should be avoided with low-carb. Is there anything to replace them? What about ground flax seed? Would that work, and would it change the flavor or texture? I have diabetes, and I am not on a true low-carb diet. I follow South Beach (which emphasizes "good carbs"), but I also completely avoid flour of any kind, added sugar, rice, and pasta. Thanks, MaryL Guar or xanthan gum will thicken like cornstarch. I don't use guar so don't know the proportions, but it takes about 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum to thickens 1 cup of liquid. I think guar has about the same thickening power and is supposed to be less expensive. They clump easily, though, so should be added to a dry ingredient instead of mixed with water first. For example, if you are adding salt at the end of cooking, mix the salt and xanthan together in a small cup, then sprinkle on the food while whisking vigorously. If it does clump, continuing to whisk will eventually get it to dissolve. The really nice thing about them is the food doesn't have to be hot. It'll work in cold food too. If you can afford it, there are gum mixtures that you can buy that work very well and rarely clump. I use ThickenThin not/Starch but it's very expensive. It's sold in diabetic specialty stores where I live. on Fri, 11 Feb 2005 18:38:08 -0600, "MaryL" <carstan101@yahoo.comTAKE-OUT-THE-LITTER> wrote: >Does anyone have suggestions of something to use as a thickener in cooking? >My mother always used flour or cornstarch, and occasionally tapioca [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >carbs"), but I also completely avoid flour of any kind, added sugar, rice, >and pasta. ----- Bev Depending on what you are thickening, I have a few suggestions. For a red sauce, spaghetti sauce and such, at the end of cooking add a few tablespoons of tomato paste, thickens like a charm. For an alfredo or white sauce, adding a few tablespoons of parmesan cheese near the end of cooking thickens the sauce. For a soup, I usually mix 1-2 tablespoons of soy flour with butter, mix it together well then put into the soup. It works great. > Does anyone have suggestions of something to use as a thickener in > cooking? My mother always used flour or cornstarch, and occasionally [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Thanks, > MaryL > Depending on what you are thickening, I have a few suggestions. > > For a red sauce, spaghetti sauce and such, at the end of cooking add a few > tablespoons of tomato paste, thickens like a charm. you should use the paste first when making sauce - and the sauce will be thick - there is no reason you would ever need to add flour or something to thicken tomato sauce. brown garlic in olive oil - remove garlic, add some chopped celery w/greens , then add tomato paste. If you wanna put beef in brown it with the celery then add the paste. let the paste cook a bit, stir it, let it coat the meat (if no meat let it blend with oil and turn more orange then red) then add tomato puree (or crushed or whatever you use) if you do like 2 big cans of puree add 1 can water (if you do 4 big cans do 1-2 cans water) add your basil, parsely, salt, pepper, bay leaf, whatever - and let it cook at least 2 hours (longer if there is meat - you don't want tough meat) ok - there ya go. > For an alfredo or white sauce, adding a few tablespoons of parmesan cheese > near the end of cooking thickens the sauce. i always used 1/4 cup flour coked with 1/4 cup butter before adding 2.5 cups milk - cook till thick then add 1/2 cup grated parmesan, S & P. It thickens before the cheese but dunno how to get the same effect with out the flour in the beginning. would the soy flour work? > For a soup, I usually mix 1-2 tablespoons of soy flour with butter, mix it > together well then put into the soup. It works great. >> Does anyone have suggestions of something to use as a thickener in >> cooking? My mother always used flour or cornstarch, and occasionally [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >> Thanks, >> MaryL > i always used 1/4 cup flour coked with 1/4 cup butter before adding 2.5 cups > milk - cook till thick then add 1/2 cup grated parmesan, S & P. It thickens > before the cheese but dunno how to get the same effect with out the flour in > the beginning. would the soy flour work? I personally think soy flour is kinda nasty as a thickener, unless there is a lot of other flavor to cover it up. Google the group and you'll find lots of recipes for Alfredo sauce that don't include a flour thickener. Xanthan or guar gum are good thickeners, but with more of a cornstarch texture than a flour one, and no carbs. You definitely don't need to use flour in alfredo sauce. Also consider using egg yolks as a thickener in some kinds of sauces. Just handle them/heat them gently so they don't curdle. HG How about JC, he's obviously rather thick. PC it would depend what youre cooking, i would think. if you're making a soup, have you tried puree'ing or using a blender for half of it? that would thicken it. also, have you thought about soy flour? its got 3 carbs per 1/4 cup or something really low. i use it a lot to make breadings and such. yall be nice to JC. he's an a.s, but thats what i love in my men Y'all, not yall.  SignatureMost people are dumb as bricks; some people are dumber than that. -- MFW > it would depend what youre cooking, i would think. if you're making a > soup, have you tried puree'ing or using a blender for half of it? that [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > yall be nice to JC. he's an a.s, but thats what i love in my men at least youre texan... but proper grammar isnt very important to me lately... teach english, do you? Signature_____________________________ This be Tia's SIG!!! YAY! > Y'all, not yall. I'm certified to teach Secondary English and Secondary Mathematics. At the moment I'm teaching math. SignatureMost people are dumb as bricks; some people are dumber than that. -- MFW > at least youre texan... but proper grammar isnt very important to me > lately... teach english, do you? > >> Y'all, not yall. im working on my certification to teach secondary art :) im assuming you once worked for ibm? do you not still work there? im basing that on the email addy.. i used to work up in dallas for them... why switch when the paycheck was fuckin phenominal? could it be youre really a big softie that loves kids? then again.. thats a lie. you teach math, you evil human being. Signature_____________________________ This be Tia's SIG!!! YAY! > I'm certified to teach Secondary English and Secondary Mathematics. At > the moment I'm teaching math. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >> >>> Y'all, not yall. I've never worked for IBM. I just figure they can get rid of the spam easier than I can. SignatureMost people are dumb as bricks; some people are dumber than that. -- MFW > im working on my certification to teach secondary art :) im assuming you > once worked for ibm? do you not still work there? im basing that on the [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] >>> >>>> Y'all, not yall. > I've never worked for IBM. I just figure they can get rid of the spam easier > than I can. No they can't. They still got you on their address. Dickcheese. Best Regards, Steve Tout est per·du fors l'hon·neur Have you always been this stupid? SignatureNow piss off. You cannot possibly be this stupid and remember to breathe. You must be trolling. -- Carmen >> I've never worked for IBM. I just figure they can get rid of the spam >> easier [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Tout est per?du fors l'hon?neur > Have you always been this stupid? Talking to yourself in a Newsgroup makes you even more of a moron than you really are. If that is possible. At 10% IQ it's hard to get lower. When you throw yourself on the floor, do you often miss? I'm sure it is in fear of hurting your skinny self and bruise your bones. My my. The crosses one must drag through the proverbial troll fields. Best Regards, Steve Tout est per·du fors l'hon·neur No wonder you're still fat. SignatureNow piss off. You cannot possibly be this stupid and remember to breathe. You must be trolling. -- Carmen >> Have you always been this stupid? > [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > Tout est per?du fors l'hon?neur > No wonder you're still fat. Whose idea of a BOT is this crap? Sheesh. Best Regards, Steve Tout est per·du fors l'hon·neur No wonder you're still fat. SignatureNow piss off. You cannot possibly be this stupid and remember to breathe. You must be trolling. -- Carmen >> No wonder you're still fat. > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > Tout est per?du fors l'hon?neur >>No wonder you're still fat. > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > Tout est per·du fors l'hon·neur Have to admit that it is a simple, yet effective, Bot. > >>No wonder you're still fat. > > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Have to admit that it is a simple, yet effective, Bot. It's very old. Worn. Best Regards, Steve Tout est per·du fors l'hon·neur No wonder you're still fat. SignatureYou take stupid to a new level. -- MFW >> >>No wonder you're still fat. >> > [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > Tout est per?du fors l'hon?neur You've been looking at my dick? Pervert. SignatureMost people are dumb as bricks; some people are dumber than that. -- MFW > How about JC, he's obviously rather thick. > > PC > You've been looking at my dick? > > Pervert. JPEGs, please, so that we may all be perverts. Marsha/Ohio erm... did i miss something? >> You've been looking at my dick? >> >> Pervert. > > JPEGs, please, so that we may all be perverts. I'm sure you can find what you need through Google, but leave me out of it, thankyouverymuch. >>>You've been looking at my dick? >>> [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > I'm sure you can find what you need through Google, but leave me out of it, > thankyouverymuch. What's Google? Is it low carb? Marsha/Ohio Comedy is not low carb! > How about JC, he's obviously rather thick. > > PC But you need to use some strong flavors to cover up the nasty taste. Something like soy flour. (Bwa .. haha.. hawawa.. bwaha..) Best Regards, Steve Tout est per·du fors l'hon·neur >> How about JC, he's obviously rather thick. >> [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Tout est per?du fors l'hon?neur LOL I laughed at this until I cried. Julie > >> How about JC, he's obviously rather thick. > >> [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > Julie Heh.. Imagine the calories you burnt off during it. Like sex, laughter is some serious fat burner. Too lazy today to look up the numbers. Enjoy the rest of your laughter. :) Best Regards, Steve Tout est per·du fors l'hon·neur I use Arrowroot. It only takes about half a tsp or less to thicken a fairly large amount of anything and it adds no flavor of its own. Signaturebjgeiger > Does anyone have suggestions of something to use as a thickener in > cooking? My mother always used flour or cornstarch, and occasionally [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Thanks, > MaryL I use xanthan gum. Signature--- Chris Smolinski Black Cat Systems http://www.blackcatsystems.com |
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