Croc Pot Question

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Skip the watwer

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.

^^^ 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.