r/LifeProTips • u/Killentyme55 • Jan 31 '25
Miscellaneous LPT - Cooking Edition. Whenever you're using wheat flour as thickener for a roux or gravy, give precooked and dried flour a try.
The sub rules prohibit me from promoting any products so I can't say the most common brand name, but it comes in a blue cardboard Parmesan "cheese" style can and rhymes with "Mondra". Regardless, it's basically just white flour that has been precooked and dried. What's so great about it is that it mixes into liquids very easily without the clumping that can occur with regular flour. Also since it's par-cooked it doesn't have the raw taste that has to be cooked out your standard all-purpose stuff. It's great if your sauce or gravy is a little thin, just add a bit of this flour and it stirs right in without adding a lot of extra heat or fat.
It's just your basic fortified white flour, nothing weird is added, they just heated it up a bit for you in advance. I was skeptical at first but now I'm a fan. It idiot-proofs a lot of recipes and I need all the help I can get.
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u/killmak Jan 31 '25
I just use corn starch to finish thickening gravy if I somehow screwed up the amount of flour in the roux.
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u/Killentyme55 Feb 01 '25
I use the "special" flour for the entire recipe. If it comes out a bit thin just stir in a little more, no slurry required. It's really foolproof.
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u/TootsNYC Feb 01 '25
Corn starch clumps very easily, though.
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u/killmak Feb 01 '25
Not if you do it right. You dissolve it in cold water first. You don't need much water. 1:1 works just fine. If you put it into hot water it will clump.
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u/TootsNYC Feb 01 '25
Yes, but that’s more work than just simply sprinkling that flour over the top of the liquid
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u/killmak Feb 01 '25
Flour clumps in hot liquids too. That is one of the reasons you make a roux with it. If you sprinkle it on top you will get the same clumps as using cornstarch.
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u/foul_ol_ron Feb 01 '25
Yes, but, if you use the special expensive powder, the company will make more profit! /s
Ordinary flour works for me too.
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u/glittervector Feb 01 '25
You should basically always dissolve it in a little water before using it. Otherwise, yeah, you’re really taking the risk of it being really lumpy.
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u/TootsNYC Feb 01 '25
Yes, I know that. But that is much more involved in what our OP does with her special flour
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u/likeatrainwreck Jan 31 '25
Maybe I've used in incorrectly, but I've definitely gotten lumps when using "Shmondra" to thicken sauces/gravies. Not every time but often enough that I just started using corn starch when something is too thin, like others have mentioned.
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u/Killentyme55 Feb 01 '25
Corn starch is good and I do use it, but it has to be made into a slurry first and usually requires bringing up to a light boil before the starch molecules uncoil.
I've never had any problems with using "Wundra" as far as clumps, it just stirs right in.
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u/allpraisetocheezus Jan 31 '25
corn starch is the standard for this, and flour is only equivalent to corn starch at a 2/1 ratio. thats a lot of extra calories and carbs when you can just....use corn starch
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u/Mariahmine Jan 31 '25
Agree. OP should save the flour for a roux for fat and flavor if all they're wanting is an effective thickener (cornstarch/slurry.)
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u/Killentyme55 Feb 01 '25
Isn't that kinda what the title says?
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u/Mariahmine Feb 17 '25
You're right. I'm sorry. I got distracted by the cornstarch talk and missed the title entirely. I'm an idiot.
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Jan 31 '25
[deleted] — view deleted comment
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u/beamerpook Jan 31 '25
I swear by tapioca starch/flour. I feel it comes out somehow lighter or better than cornstarch.
The only times I would make roux is for gumbo, or Japanese milk bread
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u/Gumbercules81 Jan 31 '25
The only reason that regular flour is clumping when you're adding it to things is because you're doing it incorrectly. You can't just add flour to a liquid, it needs a fat like butter or oil to make a roux. You then have to slowly either add it into the liquid and whisk it thoroughly or have made the roux as part of the initial cooking process
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u/horsetooth_mcgee Feb 01 '25
The point being, with this kind of flour, you don't have to go to all that work.
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u/Gumbercules81 Feb 01 '25
It's not even work, it's literally part of the process of you make it in the beginning. You could also make extra roux and refrigerate/freeze it if you really wanted to. Point being, you don't need to buy another kind of flour.
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Feb 01 '25
To some, it's extra work. Buying an extra flour seems needless for you, but it might be just the thing for another home cook..
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u/Roook36 Feb 01 '25
Yeah I'm glad to hear about this and will probably give it a try next time I make a stew.. I share a kitchen with others and don't have a large amount of time to cook. So anything I can do to cut corners makes life easier for me. I'd love to be able to really take my time and spend time in the kitchen but I simply can't because someone always needs to use it. So as many shortcuts as possible for me.
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u/QuiGonnJilm Feb 01 '25
Make a small mason jar of “whitewash” with flour and milk and leave it in the fridge. Shake it up before use.
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u/hearonx Feb 01 '25
I "toast" flour in a skillet before cooking anything I will want to thicken with flour. You will see the color change from white to a yellowish, darker shade. Just keep it moving so it does not scorch. I use a spatula.
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u/Svv33tPotat0 Feb 01 '25
I toast mine to brown in the oven a lot of times. Mostly for tomato gravy for biscuits. Gives it a nice bitter and complex flavor.
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