Thickening agent
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Thickening agents, or thickeners, are substances which, when added to a mixture, increase its viscosity without substantially modifying its other properties, such as taste. They provide body, increase stability, and improve suspending action. Thickening agents are often food additives.
Food thickeners are frequently based on polysaccharides (starches or vegetable gums) or proteins (egg yolks, demi-glaces, or collagen). Common examples are agar, alginin, arrowroot, carageenan, collagen, cornstarch, fecula, gelatin, guar gum, katakuri, locust bean gum, pectin, rehan, roux, tapioca, and xanthan gum.
Flour is often used for thickening gravies, gumbos, and stews. Roux, a mixture of flour and fat, is used for gravies and stews. Cereal grains (oatmeal, couscous, farina, etc.) are used to thicken soups. Yogurt is popular in Eastern Europe and Middle East for thickening soups. Soups can also be thickened by grated starchy vegetables. Egg yolks have rich flavor and offer a velvety smooth texture but can prove to be difficult to use. Pectin is used as a gelling agent for jams and jellies. Other thickeners used by cooks are nuts or glaces made of meat or fish.
For acidic foods, arrowroot is a better choice than cornstarch, which loses thickening potency when mixed with acids. If the food is to be frozen, tapioca or arrowroot are preferable over cornstarch, which becomes spongy when frozen.
When using a thickening agent, care must be taken not to overcook the food. Some starches lose their thickening potential when cooked for too long or at too high of a temperature.
