Thicken Your Sauce With Cornstarch (2024)

FAQs

Thicken Your Sauce With Cornstarch? ›

If you're cooking hot liquids like sauces, stock or broth, 1 tablespoon of corn starch per cup of liquid will give you a thin to medium consistency that's appropriate for soups or very thin sauces. 2 tablespoons per cup will give you a thicker, more gravy-like consistency.

If you're cooking hot liquids like sauces, stock or broth, 1 tablespoon of corn starch per cup of liquid will give you a thin to medium consistency that's appropriate for soups or very thin sauces. 2 tablespoons per cup will give you a thicker, more gravy-like consistency.

Sprinkle in the cornstarch and stir constantly, squishing any lumps. Slowly add the liquid, still constantly stirring. Keep stirring and squishing, if necessary.

A slurry is a quick and simple way to thicken various dishes, including soups, stews, and sauces. It is created by mixing cornstarch with a cold liquid, usually water, until it forms a smooth, lump-free mixture. This mixture is then added to a hot liquid that you wish to thicken.

Cornstarch has twice the thickening power of flour. When a gravy, sauce, soup or stew recipe calls for flour, use half as much cornstarch to thicken. To thicken hot liquids, first mix cornstarch with a little cold water until smooth. Gradually stir into hot liquid until blended.

Cornstarch needs to be cooked to thicken foods.

Plus, using too much cornstarch can result in an excessively brittle coating, which might be undesirable for a particular dish. Like any pantry ingredient, cornstarch is just another tool in the toolbox we call our kitchen.

Cornstarch needs heat (in the ballpark of 203°F) in order for “starch gelatinization”—that is, the scientific process in which starch granules swell and absorb water—to occur. In other words, if you don't heat your cornstarch to a high enough temperature, your mixture will never thicken.

Cornstarch is one of the most commonly used thickeners, but it has some unique traits. So thanks for the good question! Cornstarch must be cooked to 95°C (203°F) before thickening begins. At that point, it usually thickens fairly quickly and the sauce turns from opaque to transparent.

Does cornstarch go bad? ›

Good news: Cornstarch is one of those baking staples that can last for years and doesn't really expire. If cornstarch does go bad, it's usually because moisture or pests have been able to get to it—and you'll notice it immediately. It may have an off taste or flavor (think sour or "funky"), or an off color.

Because cornstarch is pure starch, it has twice the thickening power of flour, which is only part starch. Thus, twice as much flour is needed to achieve the same thickening as cornstarch. To thicken sauces, cornstarch is combined with cold water first, which is called a slurry.

It's important to remember before you eat cornstarch, it has no taste on its own. It will only taste like whatever it touches or what you mix it with.

Use Flour and Water

Combine 2 tablespoons flour with every 1/4 cup cold water and whisk until smooth. Add the mixture to your sauce over medium heat, and continue to stir and cook until you've reached your desired consistency. Test with a spoon.

How do you make a sauce thicker? The easiest way to thicken a sauce is by reducing the amount of liquid. This can be done by simmering your sauce or bringing it to a full boil—do this uncovered, so the steam can escape.

#2 - If you don't want to add any more liquid to your sauce, use a small fine mesh sieve to separate the cornstarch powder into the sauce. By about a teaspoon, slowly sift the cornstarch through the sieve. It won't clump, and you won't have to add any more liquid (as you would with a slurry). Easy peasy.