Thickeners and Binders

Sauces and soups often require a method to thicken the liquid. While reduction through evaporation is one way to get a thicker consistency it sometimes does not yield to the expected texture.  In this case, thickeners can be used.  In our modern gastronomy, we have a considerable arsenal of thickeners and binders we provide here a list of commonly used ingredients that are used as thickeners.

A. Vegetable-based Binders

1. Starch

Cornstarch is favorite, but potato starch, rice flour can do the trick. These starches result in forming a thickening jelly when mixed with liquid. Starch is used to thicken soups, fruit seasonings, gravies and sweet and savory sauces. The starch will be dissolved in cold water and then incorporated into the liquid by a whisk. For the starch molecules to be released, you need to heat up the sauce by simmering it. If you do not, your sauce will not thicken.

Sago: Because of its shape, this binder is also known as Perlsago because it comes in small globules, therefore. As a rule, a distinction is made between genuine and fake sago. The real binder comes from the sago palm; the spurious variety is obtained from other plants, such as the tropical plant cassava. Sago is a binder of granulated starch it can be used as a thickener for other dishes, or it can be used as a consistent flour. It is used for making bread, piadina or biscuits or it is mixed with boiling water to form a dough. The sago can be added to steamed pudding, such as plum and sago pudding.

Tapioca: The binder tapioca starch, or tapioca for short, is very similar to the sago in appearance and it is used. Here are the balls just a little bigger. Tapioca is mainly obtained from cassava, but sometimes also other tropical plants. Like sago, it serves as a thickener for soups and desserts.

Arrowroot flour is a vegetable binder made from the tubers and roots of various tropical plants. It is exceptionally fine and is often used for clear sauces and soups as it does not make it cloudy like other types of flour. Arrowroot flour is also used in puddings and creams.

Kuzu:  Is suitable as a binder and is popular in Asian. From the kuzu root, a vegetable starch is produced, which has much higher cooking qualities than corn or wheat starch. Their binding power is also twice as strong as z. B. the arrowroot flour. Has a neutral taste and gives food a creamy consistency.

Potato flakes: Measure one tablespoon of potato flakes for 25 cl of sauce. These are pre-packaged, dehydrated, mashed potatoes that can be used as thickeners in peasant sauces, soups, gravies, and stews. Avoid using this method for light sauces or those that have a subtle taste.

2. Flour 

Starchy flours of Wheat Corn, Rice Oats, can be used.

Wheat Flour can be mixed with water, milk or wine and the added under stirring to the boiling liquid. This thickening method contains fewer calories than the Roux.  Fried or steamed meat or vegetables can be lightly dusted with flour and then water, milk or wine is added, stirred while brought to a boil. The advantage of this method is that doesn’t taste starchy because it is like an instant light roux.

Beurre manié is a mix of kneed butter and flour in 1:1 ratio. It will be kept in a plastic wrap and stored cold. If needed,  one can cut a small piece and add it to the boiling liquid. It will be stirred in until the sauce thickened. Therefore it can be used for reheated starch sauces that lost viscosity just shortly before serving. Please, not that Beurre manié has to be prepared at least 24 hours before usage.

Roux is made by roasting at low heat white flour and can be made with a variety of oils and animal fats. Once it has a blonde color, it is slightly cooled and hot or boiling liquid is added and continued to be simmered. It is the base for many white sauces as well as Demi-Glace, classic weight Sauce, and meat, fish, and shellfish soups ( chowders). Wheat flour is used to make a classic roux, but corn flour is a good alternative for this.  Also, sweet rice flour that is milled to make glutinous rice gives velvety gluten-free roux. From Oat Roux vegan Bechamel was made.

Bread, Crackers: Old bread can be used to bind gravy. Grind some dry bread or bread and simmer with the sauce. The texture becomes thick. It is a traditionally used in many countries that were used for many generations to create gravy from meat crust and fat leftovers in the roasting pan.

3. Gums
Vegetable gums are similar starches and thickening agents, gelling agents, emulsifying agents, and stabilizers. Although these polysaccharides are wildly popular in the food industry for preprocessed and cooked frozen food, most home chefs are not familiar with these. Hydrocolloids are widely used in many food formulations to improve quality attributes and shelf-life.
In contrary to a general belief, the majority of gums are natural and come from either seaweed or trees ( either sap, beans, seeds). E.g., guar gum is derived from the Indian cluster bean. A few gums such as Xanthan gum is a product of bacterial fermentation. Xanthan gum, pectin, agar-agar and guar gum are popular thickeners used for glutenfree foods. All gums have been used in the food industries are FDA approved and had been extensive studies and are considered not harmful.

Guar Gum: Smallest quantities are already sufficient to make liquids viscous. It is also often used in conjunction with other substances, such as locust bean gum because it further enhances their thickening properties. One can use cold guar gum to add it to baked goods to increase their fiber content. It is also used in salad seasonings. The binder is also commonly found in light products because it improves the melting properties and helps to create the impression of a creamy consistency.

Xanthan gum:  A small amount of this gums is enough to thicken a sauce without changing the taste or the color, and it can be used for sauces and glazes.  Many times combinations such as xanthan gum and Guar gum or xanthan gum and pectin resulted in superior products. Usually, the thickeners are added directly to the sauce in the last 15 minutes of cooking.

Pectin:  The pectin must be boiled for at least one minute to activate its gelling action, while it is not necessary to boil the xanthan gum. You can do it directly in the last 15 minutes of cooking. Pectin is found in fruit treats, jellies, and compotes. It is also used to thicken dairy products and yogurt. Agar is often used to thicken dairy products or to replace gelatin in desserts or compotes. It comes in the form of flakes or powder. The agar-agar and guar gum need to be mixed with the with the liquids before cooking.  The agar is heated and mixed with water while the guar gum is added to the oil required by the seasoning recipe.

Locust bean gum is made from the ground seeds of carob bread. It is used for binding, swelling, and thickening of sauces and soups, as well as in mayonnaise and ice cream. Even in diabetic products, this binder is often found.

4. Other Vegetable Thickeners

Chia-Seeds  Are suitable as a thickener and egg replacement. One can make a gel from the seeds together with water. A tablespoon of chia gel replaces an egg, but not if it’s egg whites. Making chia gel: Put 1/3 cup chia seeds in a glass with 2 cups of water and stir to avoid lumps. Let it swell for 30 minutes. Chia-Gel stays in the closed glass for about 1 week in the fridge.

Okra an East African vegetable plant. Okra belonged to the mallow family and was cultivated more than 3,000 years ago by the ancient Egyptians.  The okra fruit looks like a mixture of bean pod and pepper. The pods taste harsh to mild and can be served raw as a salad or prepared as a vegetable. If you boil, but it is a slimy substance. This acts like starch and can, therefore, be used as a binder for a sauce.

2. Animal-based  Binders

Animal-based thickeners are egg yolk, pig’s blood, and gelatin, etc. All of them are proteinaceous binders. Egg yolk and blood swell due to water absorption at 80° C to 83° C. Above this temperature proteins start to coagulate and it loses its binding properties.

1. Blood

In the past, blood was traditionally used where pig’s blood is mixed with a little cream and will be stir under the sauce at low heat. Of course, fresh blood should be used. This method is particularly suitable for game stews (German cuisine). Similarly on can work finely pureed raw liver (veal) and come cognac and cream for more delicate stews and ragout (French cuisine).

2. Egg yolk 

Slowly add small amounts of your hot sauce to the egg yolk while you whip it. When you do that, you say that the egg is tempered: it is slightly heated so that it does not immediately cook when added to the hot material. Bring your sauce to a boil. Do not boil it. This method is suitable for most sauces. As soon as your sauce warms up, the water will evaporate and leave you with a thicker and more concentrated sauce. For setting creams or English creams: Mix some sugar with the egg yolk and add hot milk. Heat to 83° C and allow to cool immediately.

Liaison: Another binder from the storage cabinet: the so-called liaison or alloy. Purees, soups, and sauces are added to a mixture of egg yolk and cream, creating a velvety texture. Mix the liaison with a portion of the hot soup or sauce to temper it and add it slowly to the remaining soup or sauce while stirring. The temperature must not rise above 83° C. Otherwise, the yolk

Although fatty substances are not actual binders, they can bind with liquids if there are enough lecithins (e.g., egg yolks) and they combine fat and water with constant stirring. Examples: mayonnaise, Dutch sauce.

4. Gelatine

Gelatine swells in water and dissolves when heated to about 50 ° C. It is a hydrocolloid in which the gel formed (on cooling) becomes liquid again on heating. Gelatine is temperature sensitive. If it is heated above 80 ° C for a long time, it is hydrolyzed, thus losing more and more of its gelling power. The swelling temperature of gelatine is low (around 5 ° C). The collagens are therefore used for binding cold liquids.