Mary, Ok, we do have a health food store, near me, sort of so perhaps I'll try it there. I've heard of it. but haven't ever "thickened" anything, so wanted to perhaps dabble into at least once! Does this thickening include spaghetti sauce? I know you can get tomato paste, but just asking! Is this arrowroot in powder form too? Do they sell potato starch though? I've not seen that either! That might be good for stew, perhaps if so! Tell you the truth, being a city girl basically, though Ohio is an agricultural area too, but just not totally, I'm from the city, & really didn't know many that lived on the country side of town, until I met my husband. His parents built on a cattle pasture. I guess that's what Lynn's Manual was talking about suet & adding to something for the birds! Or I've heard about that for the birds! Not sure which it was, really! Cathy ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mary Sayman" <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Saturday, January 17, 2009 1:33:14 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [PD-LIFE] Thickening stuff Cathy, I usually get my arrowroot from the health food store where they sell it in bulk, or from the Amish stores where they also sell it in bulk. I love the stuff. It is a little frustrating to get used to at first, but now I hate to use flour. It actually acts a lot like cornstarch. I haven't tried ordering it on line. I'll have to check that out. Potato starch is another thickening agent. My mom used to make gravy on any kind of drippings. Some times, to stretch it, she would add a little bit of lard to the drippings, heat it up, then add either her flour or cornstarch (usually flour) mixture to it, constantly stirring it while it thickened. You can still buy lard in the stores. Ours came from processing our beef or pork. Mom spent hours cooking down what we call suet - the fat we got from slaughtering. When she figured she had enough lard processed, she would take the remaining suet and mix it with bird seed and hang it out in onion sacks for the birds. Hugs, Mary -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Cathy And donald w raber Sent: Thursday, January 15, 2009 10:44 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [PD-LIFE] Thickening stuff May I've never heard of the arrowroot as a thickening agent. That's interesting, but have for flour & cornstarch. It's interesting that all do the same job though. Does it come like they do at the store, or do you order it through the mail? I was wondering along these lines, does anyone know about making a hamburger gravy with cornstarch> If so please post it. Or perhaps I'll talk to my mother about it soon. She used to make this & we would boil potatoes & eat vegies with it, when I grew up & reading about these emails brought up the memory, I guess! Later, Cathy ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mary Sayman" <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Thursday, January 15, 2009 10:19:27 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [PD-LIFE] Thickening stuff I also use arrow root. It works like cornstarch and flour, but it usually takes less of it. It also assumes the taste of whatever you are thickening so you never get that 'taste' you get with the other two. You need to mix it with cool water before adding it to what you are thickening. It will set up really quickly when you add the water (like Lynn said, you can eat it with a fork if you aren't quick), but a few drops more make it into a nice smooth mixture. I use a touch of sour crème (sometimes with chives) in my mashed potatoes. There are times when I don't even have to add any butter (or margarine - I personally use Land 'O Lakes 'Fresh Buttery Taste' because it tastes like butter, is very healthy for me, and was recommended by my nutritionist) to them. I also use a touch of sour crème in my tuna fish salad instead of using so much mayonnaise. For a real treat, add some celery, garlic, and onion powders to your tuna. That's after you add freshly chopped onion and some sweet relish. YUM!! Ok, dag nab it.... now you guys have got me talking about food, and I'm starting to drool!!!! LOL Hugs, Mary -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Lynn Vondran Sent: Tuesday, January 13, 2009 3:33 PM To: [email protected]; [email protected] Subject: [PD-LIFE] Thickening stuff Hi Tracy, Things I use to thicken_flour, cornstarch, sour cream, cream, cream cheese_depending on what you are making_but flour, cream cheese, and cream mostly. I just used cornstarch to thicken my hot chili pepper sauce the other night, and it got good, but you have to be careful how much you use, because it is a sneaky sort of thickener_before you know it, it can be cut with a fork and chewed, instead of slurped from a spoon :o) Lynn ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Hi, Cathy. Yes, you can use this in spaghetti sauce.... I've actually used it that way myself when I got it too thin and didn't have any tomato paste. I like it better, because paste tends to add bitterness to the sauce. But, that's just me. Yes, the arrowroot is in powder form - an extremely fine powder, just like cornstarch. I haven't seen the potato starch at the health food store. In fact, I haven't seen it around here at all in a long time. But one of the list members reminded me that you can use instant potatoes in much the same way. You can pour some instant potato mix into a pyrex measuring cup, add some water, mix it up, and let is stand for a few minutes. That's actually how I make my instant potatoes when I do use them. Then, just before we eat, I pop them into the microwave for a minute or two and they are done! There's no shame in being a city girl. You can't know about those things to which you aren't exposed, taught, or told. Life is nothing more than one large learning experience. Use what you need and leave the rest. I actually had a brother-in-law, Bill, who was raised in NY City. His parents were well-to-do, and his mother never, ever did any cooking. All meals were ordered in from the restaurants, the delis, and the caterers. My mother-in-law used to make pickles every year, which were out of this world. We were all picnicking at mom's and dad's one summer (my ex-husband had three sisters), and mom ran out of pickles. Bill put on his jacket and was going to go to the store to get some. Mom said to just go to the basement and get some from the shelf. He laughed, thinking she was joking. As things went along, it came out that he didn't know where pickles came from and he thought mom was kidding him when she told him she picked cucumbers and made them. He had never been exposed to cooking, let alone where the food came from. So, ask away. We list members will be more than happy to share any and all things with you. If you lived a little closer, I'd be happy to show you how. Hugs, Mary -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Cathy And donald w raber Sent: Saturday, January 17, 2009 4:00 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [PD-LIFE] Thickening stuff Mary, Ok, we do have a health food store, near me, sort of so perhaps I'll try it there. I've heard of it. but haven't ever "thickened" anything, so wanted to perhaps dabble into at least once! Does this thickening include spaghetti sauce? I know you can get tomato paste, but just asking! Is this arrowroot in powder form too? Do they sell potato starch though? I've not seen that either! That might be good for stew, perhaps if so! Tell you the truth, being a city girl basically, though Ohio is an agricultural area too, but just not totally, I'm from the city, & really didn't know many that lived on the country side of town, until I met my husband. His parents built on a cattle pasture. I guess that's what Lynn's Manual was talking about suet & adding to something for the birds! Or I've heard about that for the birds! Not sure which it was, really! Cathy ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mary Sayman" <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Saturday, January 17, 2009 1:33:14 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [PD-LIFE] Thickening stuff Cathy, I usually get my arrowroot from the health food store where they sell it in bulk, or from the Amish stores where they also sell it in bulk. I love the stuff. It is a little frustrating to get used to at first, but now I hate to use flour. It actually acts a lot like cornstarch. I haven't tried ordering it on line. I'll have to check that out. Potato starch is another thickening agent. My mom used to make gravy on any kind of drippings. Some times, to stretch it, she would add a little bit of lard to the drippings, heat it up, then add either her flour or cornstarch (usually flour) mixture to it, constantly stirring it while it thickened. You can still buy lard in the stores. Ours came from processing our beef or pork. Mom spent hours cooking down what we call suet - the fat we got from slaughtering. When she figured she had enough lard processed, she would take the remaining suet and mix it with bird seed and hang it out in onion sacks for the birds. Hugs, Mary -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Cathy And donald w raber Sent: Thursday, January 15, 2009 10:44 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [PD-LIFE] Thickening stuff May I've never heard of the arrowroot as a thickening agent. That's interesting, but have for flour & cornstarch. It's interesting that all do the same job though. Does it come like they do at the store, or do you order it through the mail? I was wondering along these lines, does anyone know about making a hamburger gravy with cornstarch> If so please post it. Or perhaps I'll talk to my mother about it soon. She used to make this & we would boil potatoes & eat vegies with it, when I grew up & reading about these emails brought up the memory, I guess! Later, Cathy ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mary Sayman" <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Thursday, January 15, 2009 10:19:27 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [PD-LIFE] Thickening stuff I also use arrow root. It works like cornstarch and flour, but it usually takes less of it. It also assumes the taste of whatever you are thickening so you never get that 'taste' you get with the other two. You need to mix it with cool water before adding it to what you are thickening. It will set up really quickly when you add the water (like Lynn said, you can eat it with a fork if you aren't quick), but a few drops more make it into a nice smooth mixture. I use a touch of sour crème (sometimes with chives) in my mashed potatoes. There are times when I don't even have to add any butter (or margarine - I personally use Land 'O Lakes 'Fresh Buttery Taste' because it tastes like butter, is very healthy for me, and was recommended by my nutritionist) to them. I also use a touch of sour crème in my tuna fish salad instead of using so much mayonnaise. For a real treat, add some celery, garlic, and onion powders to your tuna. That's after you add freshly chopped onion and some sweet relish. YUM!! Ok, dag nab it.... now you guys have got me talking about food, and I'm starting to drool!!!! LOL Hugs, Mary -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Lynn Vondran Sent: Tuesday, January 13, 2009 3:33 PM To: [email protected]; [email protected] Subject: [PD-LIFE] Thickening stuff Hi Tracy, Things I use to thicken_flour, cornstarch, sour cream, cream, cream cheese_depending on what you are making_but flour, cream cheese, and cream mostly. I just used cornstarch to thicken my hot chili pepper sauce the other night, and it got good, but you have to be careful how much you use, because it is a sneaky sort of thickener_before you know it, it can be cut with a fork and chewed, instead of slurped from a spoon :o) Lynn ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message