I make a sauce that’s thickened with cornstarch, and any leftovers become a solid block of goo that doesn’t simply break down when heated again.
Is there another thickener I could use to prevent this from happening (I’m a big proponent of the big weekly cook and leftovers), or is there some way to get around the solidifying effect of cornstarch?
I ask because Veganomicon has this divine mustard sauce with capers that just doesn’t work on the second day, and I want to avoid the big ugly block of goo problem.
I should ask if there’s a saucier in the house. But that term always reminds me of Chef in Apocalypse Now and the tiger scene. Never leave the boat!
I’d say file powder, but I don’t think the flavor would go with capers, so I’ll go for arrowroot.
Just too much cornstarch? You only need a tiny bit. When I’ve thickened something with wheat-cornflour (finely ground wheat flour, as we have a terminology difference), I just add some extra liquid to the leftovers. Same with bechamel made with wheat-cornflour, it freezes and defrosts fine so long as I didn’t make it too thick in the first place.
Adding something acidic is supposed to thin it - eg citrus juice.
When I have a soup or casserole thickened only by having pearl barley cooked into it, it seems to reheat even better. Wonder if you could make some extra-thick barley-water and freeze in cubes for thickening? Might not work so well in pure sauces, though; more for full-meal dishes.
Arrowroot flour is another option, or the other thickeners like guar or xanthan gums.
Could the sauce be thickened by reduction instead of with additives?
arrowroot starch works, as said above. Potato starch isn’t supposed to clump as much as corn starch.
I have been using arrowroot lately for thickening and it seems to work pretty similar to cornstarch. I haven’t had that problem with not being able to get it back to the same texture when reheating with either cornstarch or arrowroot though.
Things I learned this weekend: arrowroot is only good for about 18 months. After that, you have to toss it (since it doesn’t work). Or so says Rose Levy Beranbaum.
zuzu–shouts to ya–try potato starch.
Arrowroot is a good choice.
Cool! I’ll pick some up, then.
The rule with thickening is that as it heats it will not become any thicker than it is at the rolling boil, then it will thicken as it cools. So if the thickness is just right at the boil it will be thicker yet as it cools. It takes a bit of trial and error to get the feel for just how thick it should be at the boil for it to be just right at serving temp, but it is worth the trouble.