Thicken Your Sauce With Cornstarch (2024)

FAQs

Thicken Your Sauce With Cornstarch? ›

Still, it works really well, and it's easy to use. A general rule of thumb, is 1 tablespoon of cornstarch whisked with 1 tablespoon of cold liquid for every cup of liquid you are trying to thicken. Whisk the slurry into the hot, simmering liquid that you want to thicken.

As a white sauce is heated, the starch grains soften, they absorb liquid & swell. The starch grains break open & thicken the liquid by releasing amylose. The process of gelatinisation starts at 60◦, the sauce begins to thicken at about 85◦ but it's not fully completed until it reaches 100◦.

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.

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.

Let it cook for longer if it doesn't appear to have thickened. Stir the cornstarch and liquid mixture for two more minutes. Use a stirring utensil, like a wooden spoon, once the cornstarch and liquid mixture begins to bubble. Stir the cornstarch and liquid for about two more minutes.

One warning when cooking with a cornstarch slurry is to avoid adding too much, particularly when using it with baked goods. Chattman says that overuse of cornstarch can lend a starchy flavor to a dish. It's also important to note that there are some dishes that may not thicken when mixed with cornstarch.

Using cornstarch to thicken sauce is very similar to using flour, but you need different quantities: Use one tablespoon cornstarch mixed with one tablespoon cold water (aka a cornstarch slurry) for each cup of medium-thick sauce. Thoroughly mix the cornstarch and water together, then pour into your sauce.

Cornstarch in cold water is insoluble, granular, and will settle out if left standing. However, when cornstarch is cooked in water, the starch granules absorb water, swell, and rupture, forming a translucent thickened mixture. This phenomenon is called gelatinization.

Does starch thicken as it cools? ›

You may also have noticed that dishes thickened with starch will thicken even more once they're off the heat and have cooled down. This happens because without the constant disruption from the all moving molecules, the starch will set into a stable structure with water trapped in between.

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.

Three Ways to Thicken Sauce (Cornstarch, Roux, Beurre Manie) | Cook's Illustrated.

Something to remember when you're using cornstarch: If your sauce is quite acidic (like maybe it's tomato-based), the acid will cause cornstarch to lose some of its effectiveness as a thickener. In that case, you can substitute arrowroot or tapioca starch.

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.

Cornstarch (and other starches, such as arrowroot or tapioca) are powerful thickeners. Adding just a small amount into a sauce can quickly and easily change the consistency of the dish.