ThickenThin??? anyone?

[keriann_forgoodthistime]

Has anyone ever used the ThickenThin instead of cornstarch? There's a few recipes I've found that I'd like to make that call for corn starch.

I'd really like to know opinions before i order online...

thanks!!

[SunnySmile501]

I use both ThickenThin not/Starch and ThickenThin not/Sugar. They both work great. The ThickenThin not/Starch works good in cracker recipes and mixed with other ingredients (pork rinds, Parmesan cheese) for coating for meats. I don't like it very much for making gravy--it turns out a little slimy. The ThickenThin not/Sugar stabilizes eggs, so it makes the Revolution /oopsie rolls much more bread-like. It gives a more realistic mouth-feel to recipes when you replace all the sugar with artificial sweeteners.

[not2late]

I'm not fond of the slimy-booger-snot-in-your-mouth texture of the gum thickeners like thickenthin or even flaxmeal-----and mind you, I'm from the South and I love okra!

For gravies and sauces, I like to use vegetables to thicken them. Simply cook finely chopped onion and celery (mushrooms--especially dried porcini mushrooms, if you like the flavor) in broth or stock, until the veggies are very soft. Then put the veggies and some of the cooking liquid into a blender and puree until very fine. Put that puree into a pan and boil, adding more stock to the consistency you want. This is very easily done for roast meats or stews. For roast meats, you put the chopped veggies on the bottom of the roasting pan, set the meat on top, add little water or broth, and cook the meat as usual. When it is cooked, remove the meat and put the veggies and cooking liquid into a blender and proceed as I described. For stews, cook the veggies and the meat, then remove the meat and process the veggies and the cooking liquid. This is also an easy way to eat those veggie carbs during OWL Phase.

[basketballbelly]

Originally Posted by keriann_forgoodthistime

Has anyone ever used the ThickenThin instead of cornstarch? There's a few recipes I've found that I'd like to make that call for corn starch.

I'd really like to know opinions before i order online...

thanks!!

I've used this for years, no flavor to it at all, it really does thicken up your sauces, a little goes a long way.

bbb

[basketballbelly]

Originally Posted by not2late

I'm not fond of the slimy-booger-snot-in-your-mouth texture of the gum thickeners like thickenthin or even flaxmeal-----and mind you, I'm from the South and I love okra!

For gravies and sauces, I like to use vegetables to thicken them. Simply cook finely chopped onion and celery (mushrooms--especially dried porcini mushrooms, if you like the flavor) in broth or stock, until the veggies are very soft. Then put the veggies and some of the cooking liquid into a blender and puree until very fine. Put that puree into a pan and boil, adding more stock to the consistency you want. This is very easily done for roast meats or stews. For roast meats, you put the chopped veggies on the bottom of the roasting pan, set the meat on top, add little water or broth, and cook the meat as usual. When it is cooked, remove the meat and put the veggies and cooking liquid into a blender and proceed as I described. For stews, cook the veggies and the meat, then remove the meat and process the veggies and the cooking liquid. This is also an easy way to eat those veggie carbs during OWL Phase.

Wow, great suggestion and it sounds soooooo good as well

[keriann_forgoodthistime]

Originally Posted by not2late

I'm not fond of the slimy-booger-snot-in-your-mouth texture of the gum thickeners like thickenthin or even flaxmeal-----and mind you, I'm from the South and I love okra!

For gravies and sauces, I like to use vegetables to thicken them. Simply cook finely chopped onion and celery (mushrooms--especially dried porcini mushrooms, if you like the flavor) in broth or stock, until the veggies are very soft. Then put the veggies and some of the cooking liquid into a blender and puree until very fine. Put that puree into a pan and boil, adding more stock to the consistency you want. This is very easily done for roast meats or stews. For roast meats, you put the chopped veggies on the bottom of the roasting pan, set the meat on top, add little water or broth, and cook the meat as usual. When it is cooked, remove the meat and put the veggies and cooking liquid into a blender and proceed as I described. For stews, cook the veggies and the meat, then remove the meat and process the veggies and the cooking liquid. This is also an easy way to eat those veggie carbs during OWL Phase.

well the recipe i found is for a knock-off of Buffalo Wild Wings Medium wing sauce - so i think i will go with the thicken/thin for it - but this is a great idea for other recipes. thanks!

[sadie147]

Originally Posted by keriann_forgoodthistime

well the recipe i found is for a knock-off of Buffalo Wild Wings Medium wing sauce - so i think i will go with the thicken/thin for it - but this is a great idea for other recipes. thanks!

Interesting, I've never seen a wing sauce recipe with a thickener in it. I just use Franks hots sauce and butter.

I've used Xanthan gum for thickening, I find it a little hard to work with without it becoming clumpy, so i sort of gave up on it. I've had the same bag for about 3 years and can't remember the last time i used it.

I haven't found many thing's that I've honestly really needed it for. I thicken my gravies like megs does..or just have my roast au jus.

[not2late]

I'm with sadie, I've never seen a recipe for wings that uses a thickener. It's usually just butter and hot sauce (and a bit of garlic but that's just my personal taste.)

[SunnySmile501]

An egg yolk or two whisked into the broth at the very end thickens meat broths fine for gravy. You have to do it on very low heat.

[not2late]

Originally Posted by SunnySmile501

An egg yolk or two whisked into the broth at the very end thickens meat broths fine for gravy. You have to do it on very low heat.

This is a very effective thickening method too. As well as a very old method. I have a copy of the Martha Washington Cookbook, whose recipes are from the late Medieval to the late 1600s eras. All of the gravies are either reductions thickened with either egg yolks or with heavy cream. According to the food historian footnotes, starch thickeners weren't used until much later and were considered to yeild a poorer quality product.