Croc Pot Question

Morgaen73

Hi

I recently got a croc pot as a gift and I love it. The problem is that I am left with a lot of water after the food is done (with the food). I only add a cup of water each time.

What is a healthy alternative to flour to thicken the sauce?

Thanks

JustSomeEm

Hmmm... I usually use corn starch, but no idea if that's healthier.

Morgaen73

I will need to google lol How much do you use?

Ainesilver

From this website: http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/cooking/a/locarbthickener.htm

Pureed vegetables - This is especially good for creamy soups, but works for other sauces as well. Almost any cooked vegetable can be blended and used to thicken a soup or sauce (think broccoli or pumpkin soup). Tomato paste is a great thickener. Eggplant, zucchini or other squash, cauliflower, or the lower carb root vegetables are all excellent choices when you don't want the vegetable to add too much flavor.

Morgaen73

Thanks I used to use Psylium husks but it just makes the sauce snotty lol

nettam3re3

It all depends on what you got in the pot! I love my crock pot and use it 1-4 times a week. For meats I only add a few tablespoons of water and let it roast in it's own juices. For combo meals (meat and veggies) I aim for a consistency of stew so I don't add much water in that either. For thickener, you could also try a few table spoons of instant potatoes, other veggies as notes above or yogurt. I've also taken the water out and boiled it on the stove to reduce the water content but not the flavor before adding it back to the pot.

RoxieDawn

Corn starch for sauces.. For soups it usually all purpose flour and butter to make a roux.

Cooking chicken in the crockpot will cause more water. I pre-cook the chicken (about half way) before adding it to the crockpot. Also I precook any recipe that calls for noodle in the last couple of hours..

I am curious as what you are cooking that causes so much water. My crockpot does not sweat that much causing execs water... I cook in the crock pot almost every week for bulk meal preparation.

earlnabby

Morgaen73 wrote: »

Hi

I recently got a croc pot as a gift and I love it. The problem is that I am left with a lot of water after the food is done (with the food). I only add a cup of water each time.

What is a healthy alternative to flour to thicken the sauce?

Thanks

davis_em wrote: »

Hmmm... I usually use corn starch, but no idea if that's healthier.

Cornstarch and arrowroot are both good at thickening and healthier because you only use half the amount compared to flour. I usually use cornstarch and add it about 30 minutes before serving and leave the lid off. That seems to help thicken up the juices. I also found that recipes where I shred the meat at the end of cooking tend to become less liquidy. It seems that the shredded meat absorbs some of the liquid.

I made a beef stew yesterday that included 1 c water and 16 oz of stout. I used 1 Tbl. of cornstarch to thicken it up.

Balaga8611

I seldom add water to the crock pot. When cooking in a slow cooker, the moisture in your food doesn't have a chance to evaporate since it is covered. There is plenty of moisture in your food, especially vegetables. I always have plenty of sauce, without having to add much additional water.

softblondechick

Take the lid off the last hour, and turn to high. Let the liquid boil off.

LandyBreigh

I use the leftover 'stuff' to make a soup base. I add a bunch of veggies and sometimes leftover chicken. I've never added anything to make it thicker, though.

AmazonMayan

Adding the cornstarch to a little bit of cold liquid will help avoid lumps too. You can either take some liquid from the pot and cool it down and use that, or use just a small amount of water and mix cornstarch in before adding it to anything hot.

earlnabby

If I am making a stew that I will serve over rice, I add the dry rice (I use quick cook brown rice. You may need more time if you use regular brown) about 1/2 hour before serving and it absorbs the extra liquid. You can always add more water or broth if there isn't enough and the stew seems a little dry.

Morgaen73

Thank you very much everyone.

I've gone for cornstarch (with chicken based stews) and Bisto (with red meat based stews).

It seems to work so far and doesnt seem to add too many calories.

Sydking

Morgaen73 wrote: »

Thank you very much everyone.

I've gone for cornstarch (with chicken based stews) and Bisto (with red meat based stews).

It seems to work so far and doesnt seem to add too many calories.

I love bisto pretty low cal and good to thicken stuff

Morgaen73

Sydking wrote: »

Morgaen73 wrote: »

Thank you very much everyone.

I've gone for cornstarch (with chicken based stews) and Bisto (with red meat based stews).

It seems to work so far and doesnt seem to add too many calories.

I love bisto pretty low cal and good to thicken stuff

That was my thinking too.

ndwildbill

Tapioca is a great thickener in the crockpot as well.

Janegienger

Skip the watwer

DeserveVictory

When I make a roast I skip using the water or making a sauce all together. I just use the meat and pair it with some steamed or roasted veggies. If I'm making shredded chicken, I scoop the chicken out first and shred on a plate or cutting board.

jessicasim92

To thicken sauce, leave the lid off after the meat is cooked. There's a 6 ingredient crockpot beef salsa recipe I use from the sidechef app.

Hearts_2015

Janegienger wrote: »

Skip the watwer

agreed! No need to add water to a Crock Pot unless a recipe calls for it. A Crock Pot adds a lot of moisture to foods ....that's it's job, it's why the foods turn out so tender and moist. Veggies etc. release quite a bit of their own water during cooking so to add any additional..I can see why you would have a great deal left at the end.

tinascar2015

^^^ Yep, Hearts nails it. All foods contain high amounts of water and they shed that water as they cook (when covered). I almost never add liquid to a slow cooker, and when I do, it's usually some kind of broth, maybe 1/4 to 1/3 cup.