Beef stew will be thicker and tastier if you add 1 simple ingredient to the pot.
Beef stew can easily turn watery and dry when cooked with lots of vegetables but there is a simple kitchen cupboard ingredient that can help you achieve a richer and thicker sauce.
Autumn is a time to make lots of classic British food to help keep warm during the freezing cold weather and beef stew is easy to as long as you thicken up the gravy.
It is important to add a lot of vegetables to beef stew to bring out the flavour but they release a lot of moisture as they cook which can cause the gravy to become really watery.
However Hayley Ryczek a and founder of has shared thickening up beef stew is simple to make as long as you use a starch like cornflour.
Hayley said Nothing is worse than a too-thin beef stew with too much liquid Thickening a beef stew is very easy in a small bowl simply combine equal parts of starch with cold water mixing until smooth Starches like cornstarch arrowroot and potato starch are wonderful and gluten-free thickener options that are so delicious and easy.
Cornflour the British version of cornstarch is a thickening agent and will draw out the excess moisture released by the vegetables without changing the flavour.
It will help give the gravy a richer and more satisfying texture while also making it glossy so your beef stew will look much more appetising.
Just a tablespoon of cornflour thickens the gravy just enough to stick to the meat and veg so every bite of your beef stew will be packed with flavour.
How to make a thicker and tastier beef stew in autumn.
You will need 450g of beef stew meat Four medium potatoes chopped Four medium carrots chopped Four sticks of celery chopped Four cloves of garlic minced Two medium onions chopped Two bay leaves Half a teaspoon of dried thyme One tablespoon of tomato puree One tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce 240ml of dry red wine 950ml of beef stock 30g of plain flour Salt and pepper One tablespoon of cornflour 60ml of neutral cooking oil like vegetable avocado or sunflower oil.
To begin place the cornflour and some pepper into a bowl Add the beef and toss it to coat thoroughly Then add three tablespoons of oil into a large cooking pot and then add the beef chunks Make sure each piece can sit at the bottom of the pot and it is not overcrowded Cook the beef for five minutes until the meat is brown on all sides Then remove the beef pieces from the pot and set aside for now Add the onions celery and carrots to the pot Cook for three minutes until the onions and celery are fork tender then season with salt and pepper Add the garlic then cook for two to three more minutes Use more oil if you need it to cook the vegetables and once they are done pour in the wine and tomato puree Cornflour will help make stew richer and also give it a beautiful glossy finish Simmer the stew for roughly five minutes until the liquid has reduced then add the beef back into the pot along with the beef stock and bay leaves Reduce the heat to low cover the pot with a lid then leave the stew to bubble away for one and a half hours Once the time is up add the potatoes and continue to let it cook until they have softened for roughly 20 more minutes You can thicken up the beef stew by mixing equal parts cornflour and cold water into a bowl Pour a small amount in at a time place on a medium-low-heat and let the stew boil for two minutes The beef stew should have a rich and savoury taste with a thick velvety gravy and will be so flavourful that you will want to keep making it throughout the rest of autumn.
Beef stew can easily turn watery and dry when cooked with lots of vegetables but there is a simple kitchen cupboard ingredient that can help you achieve a richer and thicker sauce.
Autumn is a time to make lots of classic British food to help keep warm during the freezing cold weather and beef stew is easy to as long as you thicken up the gravy.
It is important to add a lot of vegetables to beef stew to bring out the flavour but they release a lot of moisture as they cook which can cause the gravy to become really watery.
However Hayley Ryczek a and founder of has shared thickening up beef stew is simple to make as long as you use a starch like cornflour.
Hayley said Nothing is worse than a too-thin beef stew with too much liquid Thickening a beef stew is very easy in a small bowl simply combine equal parts of starch with cold water mixing until smooth Starches like cornstarch arrowroot and potato starch are wonderful and gluten-free thickener options that are so delicious and easy.
Cornflour the British version of cornstarch is a thickening agent and will draw out the excess moisture released by the vegetables without changing the flavour.
It will help give the gravy a richer and more satisfying texture while also making it glossy so your beef stew will look much more appetising.
Just a tablespoon of cornflour thickens the gravy just enough to stick to the meat and veg so every bite of your beef stew will be packed with flavour.
How to make a thicker and tastier beef stew in autumn.
You will need 450g of beef stew meat Four medium potatoes chopped Four medium carrots chopped Four sticks of celery chopped Four cloves of garlic minced Two medium onions chopped Two bay leaves Half a teaspoon of dried thyme One tablespoon of tomato puree One tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce 240ml of dry red wine 950ml of beef stock 30g of plain flour Salt and pepper One tablespoon of cornflour 60ml of neutral cooking oil like vegetable avocado or sunflower oil.
To begin place the cornflour and some pepper into a bowl Add the beef and toss it to coat thoroughly Then add three tablespoons of oil into a large cooking pot and then add the beef chunks Make sure each piece can sit at the bottom of the pot and it is not overcrowded Cook the beef for five minutes until the meat is brown on all sides Then remove the beef pieces from the pot and set aside for now Add the onions celery and carrots to the pot Cook for three minutes until the onions and celery are fork tender then season with salt and pepper Add the garlic then cook for two to three more minutes Use more oil if you need it to cook the vegetables and once they are done pour in the wine and tomato puree Cornflour will help make stew richer and also give it a beautiful glossy finish Simmer the stew for roughly five minutes until the liquid has reduced then add the beef back into the pot along with the beef stock and bay leaves Reduce the heat to low cover the pot with a lid then leave the stew to bubble away for one and a half hours Once the time is up add the potatoes and continue to let it cook until they have softened for roughly 20 more minutes You can thicken up the beef stew by mixing equal parts cornflour and cold water into a bowl Pour a small amount in at a time place on a medium-low-heat and let the stew boil for two minutes The beef stew should have a rich and savoury taste with a thick velvety gravy and will be so flavourful that you will want to keep making it throughout the rest of autumn.