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Thickening & Blending. N5 HPC. Learning Intentions. To understand the function of a thickening agent To be aware of consequences (e.g. too thick/too runny) when using a thickener. Arrowroot. This starch thickener has several advantages over cornflour.
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Thickening & Blending N5 HPC
Learning Intentions • To understand the function of a thickening agent • To be aware of consequences (e.g. too thick/too runny) when using a thickener
Arrowroot • This starch thickener has several advantages over cornflour. • It has a more neutral flavour, so it's a good thickener for delicately flavoured sauces. • It also works at a lower temperature, and tolerates acidic ingredients and prolonged cooking better. Sauces thickened with cornflour turn into a spongy mess if they're frozen, those made with arrowroot can be frozen and thawed more easily • The downside is that arrowroot is pricier than cornflour, and it's not a good thickener for dairy-based sauces, since it turns them slimy.
Cornflour • This silky powder is used to thicken sauces, gravies, and puddings. Like other starch thickeners, cornflour should be mixed into a slurry with an equal amount of cold water before it's added to the hot liquid you're trying to thicken. You then need to simmer the liquid, stirring constantly, for a minute or so until it thickens. • Cornflour doesn't stand up to freezing or prolonged cooking, and it doesn't thicken well when mixed with acidic liquids. • Don't confuse cornflour with the finely ground cornmeal that Americans call corn flour (may have heard of it on cooking programmes).
Flour • Flour is a good thickener for graviesand stews, since it gives them a smooth, velvety texture. It's best to mix it with fat first, either by making a roux (e.g. in Macaroni Cheese) or by flouring and frying stew meat before adding a liquid to the pot. • If you wish to cut fat from your diet, you can instead mix the flour with water and add it to the sauce, but you'll need to cook it for quite a while to get rid of the starchy, raw flour taste. • Sauces thickened with flour become opaque, and they may become thin again if they're cooked too long or if they're frozen and then thawed
Task – Walk About Talk About! • Using the information we have just discussed and the additional resources provided by your teacher, complete the following; • WATAB – name of product, its advantages and disadvantages, possible dishes to use it in • You have 10 minutes at each station to write down and add as much information as you can • Each group must write in a differentcolour!! • Afterwards, discuss your findings as a class
