Traditional sauces are usually thickened with flour, but you can make yours thick and aromatic also without using it. There are many lighter alternatives for this popular product that cooking fans around the world are happy to use.
Therefore, it is not an art to find them, but to choose one specific that will not spoil the taste, smell or consistency of the sauce. Think about what effect you care about and you will know what to thicken the sauce.
Wheat flour is usually used for traditional thickening of the saucewhich is very universal and willingly chosen by housewives (although you can also use this potato, corn or rye).
After the sift, just add 2 tablespoons of this product to cold water or bubble and mix well so that no lumps form. Pour the resulting suspension slowly into a pot with a boiling sauce, stirring constantly. After thickening the sauce, cook for a while to remove the characteristic flour aftertaste.
The concentration of the sauce with flour can also take place with the help of a roux. To try this way, melt in a pan 1 tablespoon of butter, add 1 tablespoon of wheat flour, mix it vigorously, fry, and then add a little sauce, mix again and pour the whole into the boiling sauce. Keep him on the fire a few more minutes.
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You can also try to reduce the sauce, i.e. remove excess water from it by evaporating. This is a great method for its density if it is meat or tomato.
To find out, pour the sauce into a separate pot and cook it until it reduces the volume and becomes less liquid. When you think it is thick enough, you can pour it into the right dish. Remember, however, that After reducing the taste of the sauce will be more intense. So don’t overdo it with salt or peppers.
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Do you want to thicken the sauce without flour, roux or reduction? There are several effective ways for this, but not all will be suitable for any type of sauce, so think carefully about what effect you want to achieve.
- Thickening of the sauce with potatoes – Works together for vegetable and meat sauces. Add potatoes to the sauce. They should be finely grated, cooked or baked. The sauce will be smooth and creamy. You can thicken the sauce with blended vegetables, e.g. carrots and celery.
- Thickening of the sauce with butter – at the end of cooking, add a teaspoon or two cold butter to give the sauce a velvet consistency and butter taste. You can also use melted cheese.
- Cream density – fits mushroom sauces. Pour some decoction into the pot, add a tablespoon of cream and mix, then pour the mixture into the rest of the sauce in a pan and cook, stirring.
- Getting the sauce with egg – keep the egg yolks with a little sauce and then add it to the whole, cooking on low heat. The cream or dessert sauce will be smooth and fluffy.
- Bread concentration – this method fits into simple, traditional dishes. Add soaked bread or breadcrumbs to the sauce and mix the whole. It will be thick and filling.
To thicken the sauce, we can also use egg yolks, which we whip stem to a light, fluffy mass. The yolk prepared in this way is enough to add to the hot sauce and mix not only to thicken the sauce, but also give it a smooth, velvety consistency.
