Techniquebeginnerdraft
Thickening with starch
Also searched as: cornflour slurry, cornstarch slurry, thickening with starch, thickening
In short: Mix starch with cold water, stir it into the simmering sauce and bring it briefly to the boil. Quick, reliable and without a floury taste.
Picture it
Like water beads spread out one by one beforehand: tipped into hot liquid, they clump together at once.
What happens
In cold water the starch granules disperse without swelling. In the hot sauce they swell everywhere at once and thicken it. Cornflour needs a moment of boiling for this; after that the sauce is glossy and thick.
How it’s done
Sequence · Step 1 of 4
Stir 1 tbsp cornflour smooth in 2–3 tbsp cold water.
All steps as a list
- Stir 1 tbsp cornflour smooth in 2–3 tbsp cold water.
- Stir into the simmering sauce.
- Bring briefly to the boil once.
- Check, and add a little more if needed.
Rules of thumb
- Better a little twice than too much once.
- Long boiling and vigorous stirring make starch-thickened sauces thin again.
Sources
- LibreTexts (Kansas State University): Roux and Thickening
- Harold McGee: On Food and Cooking (2004), Kapitel Saucen, Eier