question about cooking with no fat dairy products

[lesliem]

Hi everyone,

I posted this question under a different subject heading and had no responses so I thought I'd try again- hopefully someone has some suggestions!


I made the Fragrant Chicken from the Aug. issue. It was tasty and is definately fragrant but it did not thicken. I halved the recipe including halving the amount of flour- I don't know if that was the problem. I have had this happen other times when I have used non-fat dairy products in cooking, specifically using evaporated skim milk for cream. Has anyone else had the same problem and solved it? Or, does anyone have any tips for me? I thought I followed the instructions but maybe I missed something????

[Zinnia]

Hi Lesliem,
IMHO, halving the recipe probably didn't have anything to do w/ the recipe not thickening. I, personally do not cook with no-fat/non-fat ingredients in (some) recipes because I DO think it makes a difference in the way they taste & turn out. Sometimes it just depends on the recipe-but, when that is a problem I use the "good stuff" & change the ways I cook the rest of the courses to make sure I am not over-doing it. That way, I am still getting a healthy meal & being good; well-maybe! Lol! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif Zinnia

[CathyPA]

Not sure if this will work, but whenever I want to thicken a sauce that I think is too soupy, I mix up some cold water and cornstarch in a small cup/bowl and add a little at a time until I get the consistency that I want. You must make sure that the cornstarch is thoroughly dissolved in the water first, then be sure to keep stirring as you add the mixture so it doesn't lump. I have to confess that I use no precise measurements, but probably about a half cup of water and two-three tablespoons of cornstarch. Basically it looks like a really watery skim milk- sorry for the visual! I personally have not had a problem with the taste of dishes after I've done this, but since I'm not familiar with this dish, I can't say if it would be a problem. Sort of a trial and error thing. Good Luck with whatever you try.