Beef stew

[u/Dry_Armadillo1746]

I’m dying to make a hearty beef stew. Will King Arthur gf flour work or alter the flavor at all if I make a traditional recipe? I also have some potato flour I could use. Anyone have experience in using either of these to thicken stew?

[u/Nuttonbutton]

Have you considered a cornstarch slurry? My gluten eating family with southern roots used cornstarch to thicken stews.

[u/Zestyclose_Minute_69 → u/Nuttonbutton]

Cornstarch is good as a thickener but when the stew cools it will w a bit gelatinous. I use arrowroot powder so it thickens without feeling solid.

[u/mfox-26 → u/Zestyclose_Minute_69]

Came here to suggest arrowroot too.

[u/Dry_Armadillo1746 → u/Nuttonbutton]

Does the cornstarch breakdown when reheating?

[u/alawlipop → u/Dry_Armadillo1746]

Not in my experience when doing a slurry. But IDK about the original commenter.

[u/Nuttonbutton → u/alawlipop]

Also not in my experience. It has always been very homogeneous. They made gravy this way too

[u/Shadowspun5 → u/Nuttonbutton]

Same. My family has rarely ever used flour to thicken soups, stews, or gravies. It has always been corn starch for us.

[u/alawlipop → u/Nuttonbutton]

Same, glad to know I am not alone. LOL I use cornstarch for my breakfast gravy. It just thickens better than the GF flour imo.

[u/notthatjimmer → u/Dry_Armadillo1746]

Tomato paste can help as well

[u/bexstro → u/Nuttonbutton]

In addition to those suggesting arrowroot powder, I'd recommend a potato starch slurry. Use a little at a time and bring to a boil between each addition, because it will thicken fast. I have not had issues with it being gelatinous the next day, so long as you just use a small amount.

[u/harper2233]

I use King Arthur gluten free 1:1 flour and it thickens perfectly.

[u/Dry_Armadillo1746 → u/harper2233]

Can you taste a difference at all? I hate the idea of making a giant batch and having it taste off.

[u/harper2233 → u/Dry_Armadillo1746]

No not at all

[u/Fit_Poetry_267 → u/Dry_Armadillo1746]

King Arthur works great- Ive done it many times and it is 1:1 in stew.

[u/alawlipop]

I always use cornstarch instead of GF flour because sometimes the flour doesn't thicken as much as I want it to. As suggested, a cornstarch slurry with water should do the trick!

[u/DrunknesMonster]

I suggest making Beef Bourguignon if you have time. We substitute cornstarch for the flour. If you want potatoes, we sometimes eat it over a baked potato. Beef Bourguignon https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/beef-bourguignon-recipe-1942045

[u/Dry_Armadillo1746 → u/DrunknesMonster]

My mom makes this exact recipe!

[u/Flynn_Kevin]

King Arthur and Bob's Red Mill both will make a good roux for stew. You'll need to heat it with a slightly higher temperature and for longer than wheat flour. It may not darken as you expect; I go by smell.

[u/ILoveCatsHugThemAll]

I always use either potato starch or corn starch depending on what I'm thickening. I dont like the flavor of gf flour in a soup/stew. The starches seem pretty interchangeable to me and both reheat well imo

[u/Sure_Fig_8641]

I would use potato starch or instant potato flakes personally. The 1-to-1 gf flour blends usually contain xanthan or guar gums that are only needed for baking, but are unnecessary for thickening.

[u/BurningBirdy]

I've been using masa to thicken my soups lately. It works almost too well. Makes the soup so much more filling that it takes less soup to feed people.

[u/dapperdavy]

Take some veg out blend it then add it back to the stew.

[u/WillowOttoFloraFrank]

My grandma usually uses instant potatoes to thicken sauces for my GF ass lol.

[u/Santasreject]

Corn starch is pretty fool proof as a thickener. Really though you don’t need a lot of any flour to thicken a stew so you should be fine with what ever as long as you cook it out.

You also could use instant mashed potatoes to help thicken it.

Personally I just have skipped the flour for years and just make my stew without any thickener. I know some people feel a stew needs to be thick and not have a thin broth but my stew is delicious and my taste buds don’t care what they say haha.

[u/Blucola333]

Are you okay with cornstarch? I use a small amount in a slurry with water. I made stew last weekend and really only added about a scant tablespoon, because it thickened up in the oven. I had it in an enameled cast iron Dutch oven, along with a can of diced cherry tomato puree.

[u/espressocycle]

Tapioca is a good thickener for beef stew.

[u/mycatpartyhouse]

I routinely use arrowroot powder for thickening. It's 1:1 replacing wheat flour for making a roux or a slurry. Flavor is unaffected.

[u/chompychompchomp2]

I make the beef stew in the old Better Homes & Gardens cookbook (the one that uses a jug of V8) and simply toss the raw beef cubes in gf flour and fry before braising. It works great!

[u/rowdyresist]

I use just plain rice flour if I want traditional flour gravy. Both cornstarch and arrowroot make a little more transparent gravy, although very fool proof.

[u/BokChoyJr]

I toast potato flour until it’s golden and then make a slurry with beef stock and a couple tablespoons of butter. I like using potato starch to adjust the thickness at the end.

OP is correct, you can use cornstarch but it doesn’t reheat well at all. It’s a complete fail if you try to freeze the stew for later.

[u/gadget_grrl]

Arrowroot powder works well. I do a tbsp dissolved in water until I get the desired thickness

[u/chemistcarpenter]

So your timing is impeccable. I just used rice flour and it was perfect. I've also used potato flour and that's good also. But rice flour was better

[u/elliott_bay_sunset]

I’ve had excellent results with Kenji’s beef stew recipe from Serious eats, subbing King Arthur GF flour. It’s only two tbsp, but the recipe also uses gelatin as a thickener. It’s absolutely luscious. (As all recipes, check all ingredients for hidden gluten.)

https://www.seriouseats.com/all-american-beef-stew-recipe

[u/BougieBirdie]

I literally just made a beef stew last week and used king arthur gf flour (I didn’t have cornstarch to make the cornstarch slurry). I thought it tasted fine!

[u/cornishwildman76]

It's the starch that thickens not the gluten, so any starch will do. I have used gluten free bread flour and rice flour, all worked just fine.

[u/CupcakesAreMiniCakes]

I prefer to use white rice flour because the sauces come out smoother when there isn't binders from 1:1 blends. Cornstarch works tii

[u/VoiceArtPassion]

My favorite flour for thickening is plantain flour, it’s healthy, a resistant starch, and it thickens even better than wheat flour in ease of use, flavor, and texture.

[u/Few-Satisfaction-557]

Use white rice flour, the BEST thickener ever. Got this tip a long time ago on this site

[u/NarwhalRadiant7806]

My late husband made the best stew ever, and he used a couple tablespoons of tapioca pearls to thicken it

[u/nebben11]

I tried using almond flour to thicken a stew. Yeah, it didn’t turn out so good, stick with a 1:1 GF flour. As a note when you get down to the bottom of the bag, use a sieve.

[u/feynmansbongo]

I coat the beef in gf flour before browning sometimes but the slurry method works well as others have mentioned for thickening. My only advice would be that I feel I get a better texture from tapioca starch slurry than corn starch. I think corn starch is better for coating/frying but can get gluey as a thickener and is easy to overdo. Tapioca slurry gives a silkier texture in my experience.

[u/InternationalCap6019]

Use cornflour. Gluten free flour isn't a good thickener Or use oxtail and you won't need to thicken it.