Any Xanthan Gum Users?

In article <[email hidden]>,

suzi_cream_cheese said:

Hello Everyone!

I purchased a half pound of Xanthan Gum ($12!) to use as a thickener
for sauces. Does anyone have any experience with this?

In a LC cookbook that I have, the author recommends using a blender vs.
whisking by hand. Apparently this stuff can get quite gummy.

Does anyone have a technique that works, without breaking out the old
blender?

Thanks,

suzi_cream_cheese

Hey, another blast from the past!

With the Xanthan, a little goes a *long* way. If you have other dry
ingredients (Splenda, ground nut, etc.), mix the Xanthan gum with them
and then add the liquid, or whatever.

When I make apple crisp for the holidays, I use 1/4 tsp of gum for 6 or
8 apples and whatever Splenda my recipe calls for. This gives the same
thickened juice that you'd get in an apple pie made with sugar and even
a bit of cornstarch. If you overdo it, you will indeed get something
with an unpleasantly gloppy consistency.

--
AF

Hi Alice. Nice to hear from you!

So, would you say that a quarter of a teaspoon of Xathan Gum replaces a
Tablespoon of flour. Does that ratio sound about right?

I'm making a nice pot roast right now and don't want to *gum* it up.

suzi_cream_cheese

In article <[email hidden]>,

suzi_cream_cheese said:

Hi Alice. Nice to hear from you!

So, would you say that a quarter of a teaspoon of Xathan Gum replaces a
Tablespoon of flour. Does that ratio sound about right?

I'm not sure...I never used much flour for thickening. But everything
I've read says start with 1/4 tsp, and work from there.

Quoted message said:

I'm making a nice pot roast right now and don't want to *gum* it up.

I almost never put thickening in pot roast anyway, but I don't add any
liquid per se, just a big can of chopped tomatoes. It's better to go for
too thin than too thick.

I tried making some blackberry syrup (fresh picked berries) and put in
too much gum. The consistency was just gross.

--
AF

x-no-archive: yes

Alice Faber said:

Quoted message said:

So, would you say that a quarter of a teaspoon of Xathan Gum replaces a
Tablespoon of flour. Does that ratio sound about right?

Quoted message said:

I'm not sure...I never used much flour for thickening. But everything
I've read says start with 1/4 tsp, and work from there.

When I make a casserole sized fruit cobbler, I must use close to a
tablespoon of xanthan in it, and it doesn't get gummy.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I'm making a nice pot roast right now and don't want to *gum* it up.

I almost never put thickening in pot roast anyway, but I don't add any
liquid per se, just a big can of chopped tomatoes. It's better to go for
too thin than too thick.

I'm with you. I prefer au jus to thickened gravies and sauces.

Susan

I use Guar Gum, don't know if there is much difference but it will ball up
pretty quick if you put a lot in at once. I sprinkle it on top of the
liquid, a little bit at a time and whisk in. A salt type shaker works well.

"suzi_cream_cheese" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
Hello Everyone!

I purchased a half pound of Xanthan Gum ($12!) to use as a thickener
for sauces. Does anyone have any experience with this?

In a LC cookbook that I have, the author recommends using a blender vs.
whisking by hand. Apparently this stuff can get quite gummy.

Does anyone have a technique that works, without breaking out the old
blender?

Thanks,

suzi_cream_cheese

Quoted message said:

I use Guar Gum, don't know if there is much difference but it will ball up
pretty quick if you put a lot in at once. I sprinkle it on top of the
liquid, a little bit at a time and whisk in. A salt type shaker works well.

Thanks. I didn't see the Guar Gum in our local markets and I'm not one
for purchasing food items over the Internet, so I bought the Xanthan.
It's said to provide the same results, but it cost about 3 times the
price.

suzi_cream_cheese

Alice Faber said:

I almost never put thickening in pot roast anyway, but I don't add any
liquid per se, just a big can of chopped tomatoes. It's better to go for
too thin than too thick.

We do pot roast cooked slow enough that the sauce simmers
and thickens with its own natural gelatin from the drippings.
The process is slow enough it isn't worth doing with
drippings from a steak or an oven roast, but a pot roast has
already been simmering for hours so it becomes a question
of boiling off some of the water and letting it cool/set.

A little xanthan goes a long way. For thickening gravey, sauces, etc,
I've found it works best to put it into a salt shaker and shake out a
little at a time. As long as you stir while doing this, it won't lump
up.

suzi_cream_cheese said:

Hello Everyone!

I purchased a half pound of Xanthan Gum ($12!) to use as a thickener
for sauces. Does anyone have any experience with this?

In a LC cookbook that I have, the author recommends using a blender vs.
whisking by hand. Apparently this stuff can get quite gummy.

Does anyone have a technique that works, without breaking out the old
blender?

Thanks,

suzi_cream_cheese

i use a shaker (it is a metal can with a fine mesh top and air tight
lid) -- sprinkle lightly over broth; stir well and hey presto gravy.

- Dragon Mom
ailing (but that is not related to this list)