To ask you how I can fix this?

[gchali]

I think I've had a cooking disaster

I just put a beef stew on low in my slow cooker to cook overnight and the recipe said to add 5tbsp of flour which I did, but now the stew is an awful pale colour and I don't know how to fix it

Can I salvage it or is it ruined? I've tried to Google it but it's not giving me any answers.

Sarsons do it. You can buy it in Tesco. I expect you will find it anywhere. It is not expensive.

This stuff!

Gravy browning is in bottles, women used it on their legs in the 40s to give the appearance of stockings. It is a thin colouring for things like the OP's stew issue, not necessarily intended as stocking replacement. Marmite or a bit more bistro may help. Worcester sauce will only add colour if used in largeish quantities I would have thought.

Sorry pic didn’t post!

Well I've learned something tonight (and I'm not going!) never knew about gravy browning in bottles.

So does it add nothing only colour? No taste, no thickener?

Hangs head in shame of never knowing.

Not young instead of not going.

My grandmother used gravy browning to get just the right colour in gravies and sauces. 🙂

If it’s still too pale in the morning try adding a little Marmite or Bovril, or chop up a couple of onions and brown them well, add a spot of sugar to them to help them caramelise then add them to your casserole and cook for a little while longer.

Failing all that, call it Blanquette when serving.

If it’s only just started cooking the flour will cook so won’t taste floury and all the juices will come out of the meat. See what it’s like in the morning and if it’s still pale eh, taste it. Add stock and cook until lunch?

Actually it it’s a beef stew and you can do a few more hours shove half a can of Guinness in.

How about some red wine? That would add colour and flavour too...and somebody would have to deal with the leftover in the bottle 😉🍷

Loving all the browning talk, took me back to my grandmothers kitchen.

@gchali, next time put the flour in bag with some salt and pepper and/or any other seasoning. Then pop the cubed meat in and move it about so the meat is coated. Then take the meat out and discard any flour left. Brown the meat and then pop in the slow cooker with the other ingredients.

Have you got a beef stock pot to hand?

I'm overly invested in this stew now. I hope we get pictures.

I add soy sauce or marmite to veggie gravy got colour.

I really hope OP just left the stew alone. Surely you realise it will look different when it's been cooking all night?

Gravy browning is caramel. It doesn't contain thickeners or flavouring.

If it's a darker colour you are after, try adding a heaped tablespoon of Farrow & Ball Tanner's Brown (Estate Emulsion)
That should do something - although I have no idea what...

Just wait and see what it does. If it tastes ok, you can eat it in any case.

Try putting some soy sauce in. Just taste as uou go tho as it can make it too salty.

With that amount of flour you will end up with a loaf in the morning

I've just been to check it and it is now a normal colour! haven't tasted it yet but it smells good

I do hope the flour hasn't affected the taste of it though

@gchali the flour should cook out and you won’t taste it

Five tbs of flour isn't a lot when you're using it to coat the meat. It will be fine.