Q&A for How to Thicken Liquid with Cornstarch

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  • Question
    How do you make liquid thicker with cornstarch?
    JoAnna Minneci
    Professional Chef
    JoAnna Minneci is a retired Professional Chef based in the Nashville, Tennessee area. With 18 years of experience, Chef JoAnna specialized in teaching others how to cook through private cooking lessons, team-building events, and wellness and nutrition classes. She also appeared in numerous television shows on networks such as Bravo and Food Network. Chef JoAnna received Culinary Arts training from the Art Institute of California at Los Angeles. She is also certified in sanitation, nutrition, kitchen management, and cost control.
    Professional Chef
    Expert Answer
    You have to mix it into a slurry first with cold water and keep that off to the side. Then, the thing that you're trying to thicken should be at a pretty good simmer, not necessarily a full boil. Add the slurry a bit at a time, stirring continuously.
  • Question
    Can I use cornstarch to thicken my protein powder, mixed fruit, and almond milk smoothie?
    Community Answer
    I wouldn't use cornstarch for a smoothie. Cornstarch needs to be cooked to thicken foods. Your best bet is to freeze the fruit, get that started in the blender, and then add almond milk to get the consistency you want.
  • Question
    How does liquid mix simultaneously?
    Michelle Rodriguez
    Community Answer
    Infusion with foods, especially liquids. Heat is a factor as well depending on your recipe infusion constant motion and struct of foods cells and breakdown of cells in foods.
  • Question
    How much cornstarch should be added to a beef stew? 4 cups liquid in stew already.
    Torpi
    Top Answerer
    Start with a paste of one tablespoon cornstarch and two tablespoons water - just one tablespoon of cornstarch can thicken a recipe substantially. You can always add more later if you need to.
  • Question
    Is there any danger when thickening with cornstarch (or flour for that matter) that the liquid will thin out if cooked too long?
    Torpi
    Top Answerer
    Yes. Cornstarch (as a paste with cold water) should only be added shortly before serving, and should only be boiled for about a minute. This doesn't happen with flour, but sauces thickened with flour may become lumpy if cooked too long.
  • Question
    Can you can apple pie filling with cornstarch in it?
    Lesley Ochiora
    Community Answer
    Yes, the best method to do this would be getting 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, mixing with water until it becomes a white, cloudy mixture, and then adding it to your filling while mixing. Your mixture should thicken up within a couple of seconds and you'll notice the change in texture and thickness. I'd also say to only use 1 1/2 tablespoon of water, make sure it's not too stiff, nor too watery and thin.
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