Posts: 1,427
7/8/10 12:52 A

My spice selection is great for taking a boring pasty thickener to new heights with a flavor and texture of delightful combination; I usually repeat the success story on my plate.

Quinoa is good but I seem to use it up in whole berry bulk as a steamed side dish or cooked cold cereal, which I like and fail to pause to grind some of it in my Magic bullet grinder before it runs out. I can get it locally in a health food store and I do like it.
Tapioca is fair but the texture is pasty and goes to lumps if you do not stir in a cold liquid first. I like it best in oriental dishes or clear sauce selections.
Brown Rice flour in savory and sweet mixes and sweet rice flour in my sweet recipes is my preferred pattern. The price is right and my supplier provides a plentiful stock, I get the 1 pound box of sweet rice flour for $2.00, I use a few table spoons per serving of sauce recipes; I do not feel too bad with a flop recipe. This set is still my favorite.
Sorghum is on my no-no list.
Potato starch has too many sulfites added in processing and the natural glycemic factors of the classic russet count pretty high, I do not use it, due to my need to avoid sulfites during Fibromyalgia recovery.
Corn is a true bad boy, for me.
Amaranth often has wheat in the mix, is spendy, and I have not tired it yet.
Sunflower is on my no-no list.
Buckwheat is nutty and versatile but I just moved it to my no list for current testing abstention neurological reasons.
Bob's Red mill mixes, Glutino mixes, Pamela's are costly but well worth the order online or local purchase if the ingredients please you. I have problems with Ultra-pasteurized processed buttermilk or the powders and some of the additives and sweeteners of the ready mixed brands.
I have reduced the use of nut flours, as in Pamela's, or pure almond four due to my need to control lysine to arginine ratio in foods. I resist viral infections better with a higher lysine factor and arginine in any form natural in food or extracted as a supplement hurts in a few different ways. Nuts naturally contain high healthy arginine properties.

My body is too sensitive for xantham gum as I recover from insulin resistance and Systemic Candida (my progress here is encouraging) and baking soda alone is tart in quick bread baking challenges. I feel these testing steps to better know my response to food, which I have explored one by one, have been lessons only a person can test for them self. I am still looking for a leavening of sodium-pyro-phosphate baking powder mix without the cornstarch.


Edited by: MARGIE100%PURE at: 7/8/2010 (00:53)

Posts: 30,185
7/5/10 11:20 P

You have to be careful when you use the arrowroot, it does not like high heat. You have to cook it slowly to get it to thicken. So be careful. I use a combo of sweet rice flour and arrowroot. They seem to work better and you do get the thickness from them.

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Posts: 7,480
7/5/10 2:55 P

I use millet flour for roux's (sauces that start with butter and flour) and it works great. When adding to hot dishes, I usually use a slurry of cool water and corn starch or arrowroot, both work well. Arrowroot tends to "gel" more though.

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Posts: 7,082
7/5/10 10:59 A

I have used brown rice flour or arrowroot for thickeners.

Posts: 25
7/5/10 8:45 A

Yes, white or brown rice flour will thicken your chili and help hold the veggie burgers together. Corn starch or potato starch flour also work. Corn starch tends to make a broth thick and clear, white the rice flours (like wheat flour) make the broth creamy looking.

Posts: 182
7/5/10 6:40 A

I want to make a chili recipe, and it calls for flour, which I assume, is to "thicken" the broth. I also have a veg burger recipe that calls for flour. Can I use Bob's Red Mill AP GF flour? Or will that not work? I assume you wouldn't use xantham gum for 2 tbl of flour, right? I am new to this, so please forgive me for my possibly silly questions! Thanks!