# Need help quick with flour alternatives for beef stew!



## mamamilkers (Nov 11, 2005)

My DD and I are wheat-free right now and I totally forgot about the flour that I need to make beef stew for dinner. What can I use instead?

The way I make it is I coat the cubes of beef in flour and then that also helps the stew thicken.

I'm stumped!


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## reeseccup (Jul 3, 2003)

is it the gluten? If not whatever flour you have will work. I would use buckwheat which isn't actually wheat.

http://www.imbris.net/~mastent/wheatfre.html


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## LemonPie (Sep 18, 2006)

Tapioca makes a good, stable thickener.
Jen


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## Arduinna (May 30, 2002)

For what you are using it for, I'd use cornstarch. That is the same cooking method that I use when making coated chicken Chinese dishes with sauce.


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## SneakyPie (Jan 13, 2002)

I know you probably already made the stew, but I'll chime in anyway:

We're gluten-free too. I coat meat in either buckwheat flour, Bob's Red Mill all-purpose gluten-free flour (which is mostly garbanzo), or instant potato flakes. They all brown nicely and thicken the stew too.

If the stew doesn't thicken as much as you want, just smoosh up a few pieces of the potato as it cooks in the stew. Thickens beautifully, it's already in the stew anyway, and meets your g-f criterion.


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## Panserbjorne (Sep 17, 2003)

arrowroot


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## *Robin* (Aug 30, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *2Bugs* 
Tapioca makes a good, stable thickener.
Jen

That's what I use too! Minute Tapioca.


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## mamamilkers (Nov 11, 2005)

SO weird, I could have sworn I posted a thank you on here last night. Maybe it went somewhere else?









I bought some rice flour at the store and that worked perfectly. All of these suggestions are great!


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## NatureMama3 (Feb 25, 2004)

Teff flour is awesome for thickening. Gluten-free, not related to wheat.


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## tuansprincess (Oct 25, 2005)

All great suggestions from pp!

This beef stew doesn't use a thickener at all!


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## kallyn (May 24, 2005)

It's probably too late to be helpful, but arrowroot works like a charm.


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## Anna06 (Jul 4, 2005)

My dd2 is GF CF (nut free), lots of good infor here.

Thanks tuansprincess for link.


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## UUMom (Nov 14, 2002)

kudzu, arrowroot, or cornstartch will work. Sometimes you don't need a thickener. Barley and potatoes will thicken a stew nicely.


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## Ruthla (Jun 2, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *UUMom* 
kudzu, arrowroot, or cornstartch will work. Sometimes you don't need a thickener. Barley and potatoes will thicken a stew nicely.

Barley isn't gluten-free.


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