Kitchen Tip: Thickening Soup or Stew

[BlueTang]

In our family my mom and I like thinner soups, stews and Chili's while my dad likes it thick. Here's a tip my Great Grandmother passed on that we tried on the trail this past winter with some Chicken Noodle soup.

At home mash together clarified (or regular butter if your trip is short) along with some all purpose flour. This needs to be done in equal parts. So a tablespoon of butter to a tablespoon of flour.

To thicken a soup or stew add some of this mixture a teaspoon at a time on the trail and simmer.

Being that my Great Grandmother is 88 and lived through the depression, she has given my dad alot of interesting things. She pronounced this as "Burmany" but after we did some searching found that it's actual name is Beurre Manie' - or French for kneaded butter.

Website launches tomorrow afternoon ;)

[Two Tents]

Thats a great tip. I'll give it a try. I use instant mashed potatoes, they work for thickening stuff and I usually have some along on trips.

[srestrepo]

perfect. i hate soupy chili on the trail.

[LaurieAnn]

Can't wait to see the website and add it to my resource list!

A few other ideas for thickening soups and the like are....

- cornstarch (mix it with a little water before adding it to the soup)
- potato flakes/instant mashed potatoes (I see that was already mentioned)
- potato starch
- for chili... a little masa harina used with the butter much in the way Blue Tang mentioned

[JAK]

Thanks for that recipe, and the lovely anecdote about your great grandmother.
I will think of her when I try it out, or call it by name, Beurre Manie.

[GGS2]

Why do I always seem to have to comment on food threads? Mmmm.

Look up bé (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beurre_mani%C3%A9)chamel one day. Here's what Wikipedia has to say:
Béchamel sauce

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A9chamel_sauce#column-one), search (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A9chamel_sauce#searchInput)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c3/Lasagne.jpg/200px-Lasagne.jpg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lasagne.jpg) http://bits.wikimedia.org/skins-1.5/common/images/magnify-clip.png (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lasagne.jpg)
Béchamel sauce is a key ingredient in many lasagne (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lasagne) recipes[citation needed (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)]


Béchamel sauce (pronounced /bɛʃəˈmɛl/ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:IPA_for_English) in English, IPA: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:IPA) in French) or [B]besciamella (Italian, IPA: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:IPA)), also known as [B]white sauce (sauce blanche), is one of the mother sauces (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sauce#Sauces_in_French_cuisine) of French cuisine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_cuisine) and is used in many recipes of the Italian cuisine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_cuisine), e.g. lasagne (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lasagne) emiliane. It is used as the base for other sauces (such as Mornay sauce (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mornay_sauce), which is Béchamel with cheese (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheese)). It is traditionally made by whisking (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whisk) scalded milk (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scalded_milk) gradually into a white flour (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flour)-butter (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butter) roux (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roux) (equal parts clarified butter (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarified_butter) and flour). Another method, considered less traditional, is to whisk kneaded (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knead) flour-butter (beurre manié (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beurre_mani%C3%A9)) into scalded milk. The thickness of the final sauce depends on the proportions of milk and flour.


Notice the reference to beurre manié? Beurre manié is kind of a shortcut to béchamel. And Béchamel is a particular french version of the universal thickened sauce or pudding recipe: add some kind of starch and cook until thick. Without butter, this is library paste, or possibly one of many things like dumplings and such, or could be soup with a suitable stock for the water. With butter, or one of a thousand other oils or fats, it is gravy, soup, pudding, béchamel, stir fry sauce, and on and on. Amend with sugar, various flavourings, salt of course, herbs and spices to taste.


Why am I going on about this? Because it is one of the universal, foundations of cooking: starch plus water and heat gives you a thick, sticky mass. This is the beginning of many delicious meals, and also of the lumps in cream of wheat, etc. Add fat and it becomes a smooth, luxuriant sauce or pudding. Add cheeze and it is a form of white gravy which is great on veggies, etc. Add mustard and you get another famous french sauce. Add vinegar, add lemon juice, ad whatever you like. All you need to carry is some form of powdered, dry starch, like flour, cornstarch, potato flour or flakes, etc., and the amendments you prefer.



Beautiful. Next: eggs and what you can do with them.

[mister krabs]

buerre manie (burr man-yay) is one end of the spectrum of roux (roo.) Dark roux like you use for gumbo is the other end. about 2 beers worth of stirring lies in between :D

The only thing I don't like about beurre manie is the uncooked flour flavor that you get if you don't simmer it long enough.

Interesting point about roux is that as you carmelize the proteins in the flour, they lose their thickening power so that buerre manie will thicken almost twice as well as dark chocolate colored roux. That's one of the reasons that very dark gumbo is usually thinner than lighter gumbo, unless someone sneaks in some kitchen bouquet.

[mister krabs]

Forgot to note that the basic method of use will work just as well with oil as with butter. This might make it more convenient for the trail.

[Spogatz]

cornstarch works wonders to thicken any soup. It doesn't take much to do the job either. You can watch it thicken as soon as it get close to a boil.

[Grinder]

AAAH! the infamous "simmer"!!

Herein lies the rub!!

It is decidedly difficult to simmer on a regimen of 1/2 oz alcohol per 2 cups of water boiled as done with freezer bag cooking.

But, folks, I'm here to testify that potato flakes work pretty well. I tested shepherds pie yesterday. The meat never thickened, but when added to the potatoes the liquid thickened up in no time.

[Appalachian Tater]

Crumble in some saltines. I even do that at home if it's just for me. It's like a roux in that it's cooked flour and some fat but it's a lot easier to crumble a saltine especially if you decide after the fact you need to thicken something.

[moytoy]

I use what I have with me and that is usually rolled oats. (oat meal). But I like the sound of the flower and butter for my home kitchen. And I love the story about your Great Grandmother. What is this website you speak of?

[moytoy]

OK...negate my question about the website. I researched your previous post and got the answer. Good Luck!

[Chaco Taco]

In our family my mom and I like thinner soups, stews and Chili's while my dad likes it thick. Here's a tip my Great Grandmother passed on that we tried on the trail this past winter with some Chicken Noodle soup.

At home mash together clarified (or regular butter if your trip is short) along with some all purpose flour. This needs to be done in equal parts. So a tablespoon of butter to a tablespoon of flour.

To thicken a soup or stew add some of this mixture a teaspoon at a time on the trail and simmer.

Being that my Great Grandmother is 88 and lived through the depression, she has given my dad alot of interesting things. She pronounced this as "Burmany" but after we did some searching found that it's actual name is Beurre Manie' - or French for kneaded butter.

Website launches tomorrow afternoon ;)

So with the butter, when you are on trail, dont you worry about the butter becoming spoiled? It curdles after a few days esp in the spring and summer. Makes for some awful privy visits.

[Chaco Taco]

Can't wait to see the website and add it to my resource list!

A few other ideas for thickening soups and the like are....

- cornstarch (mix it with a little water before adding it to the soup)
- potato flakes/instant mashed potatoes (I see that was already mentioned)
- potato starch
- for chili... a little masa harina used with the butter much in the way Blue Tang mentioned

I got to go with this suggestion. Corn starch is much safer and you can pack it out of town. Just saying that carrying a product that requires refridgeration is a tad risky in warmer months.

[scottdennis]

I just use less water. :D

[JAK]

Should I pass on this thread? Nah.

NO SOUP FOR YOU!

- the soup nazi

[Chaco Taco]

I just use less water. :D

Obviously youre not a golfer.

Now that was a joke, maybe not a funny one, but it was an attempt at humor. Dont freak out

[LaurieAnn]

I got to go with this suggestion. Corn starch is much safer and you can pack it out of town. Just saying that carrying a product that requires refridgeration is a tad risky in warmer months.

Chaco... where do you keep butter at home? On the counter or in the fridge? Most people, from my experience, keep it on the counter. Regular butter is salted and doesn't go rancid as quickly as European/cultured butter.

Also, if you clarify the butter to make Ghee, it will last in high temps for months without refrigeration.

[Hikes in Rain]

So with the butter, when you are on trail, dont you worry about the butter becoming spoiled? It curdles after a few days esp in the spring and summer. Makes for some awful privy visits.

Not on short trips, and for longer ones you can clarify unsalted butter first, to remove the solids that go rancid. The resulting ghee is shelf stable.

[Chaco Taco]

Chaco... where do you keep butter at home? On the counter or in the fridge? Most people, from my experience, keep it on the counter. Regular butter is salted and doesn't go rancid as quickly as European/cultured butter.

Also, if you clarify the butter to make Ghee, it will last in high temps for months without refrigeration.

I keep it in the fridge at home and where I work. I am also a chef. Also in terms of what kinds of butter you can find on the trail, Id refridge that stuff.
On days with mid 80's, alot of butters will go bad pretty quickly. Speakin from experience. And the smell it puts in your food bag will attract lots of hungry critter

[mister krabs]

nothing worse than using rancid butter or oil unknowingly, I've thrown away full pots of food because of that.

[Mags]

So with the butter, when you are on trail, dont you worry about the butter becoming spoiled? It curdles after a few days esp in the spring and summer. Makes for some awful privy visits.

I think that is why she suggested clarified butter... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarified_butter)

It is good for backpacking. I never used it, but I other people who have.

You can make your own and some ethnic stores, along with stores like Whole Paycheck, sell it as well.

[BlueTang]

I keep it in the fridge at home and where I work. I am also a chef. Also in terms of what kinds of butter you can find on the trail, Id refridge that stuff.
On days with mid 80's, alot of butters will go bad pretty quickly. Speakin from experience. And the smell it puts in your food bag will attract lots of hungry critter

Hi Chaco! In my post I pointed out to use clarified butter. It's easy to make, excellent to carry on the trail for weeks on end.

Laurie - We keep our butter dish on the counter too. Dad told me when they were kids Butter and Mayo were always on the table, never refrigerated.

You guys taught me alot with this post, thanks!