How to thicken a casserole

[Queenkong]

Currently have a beef one in the oven looking very watery. Should I a) take the lid off for a bit b) add some flour (did this before and got lumps though) c) add some lentils d) none of the above?

Gravy granules.

Add flour - but rub it into a lump of two of butter 1st. As the butter melts into the stew the flour is absorbed. Then leave lid off for a while to evaporate more liquid if needed.

D) mix a little cornflour (or plain flour if no cornflour) into a paste with water and add it whilst stirring. Stick back in oven.

What HauntedLittleLunatic said.

How much longer does it need to cook? if there's still a while left you could put in some small chunks of potatoes to disintegrate, or red lentils which would take maybe 30-40 mins to cook.

or if there's not much cooking time left you can thicken with cornflour. Just make sure you mix the cornflour, say a tablespoon, with a small amount of cold water first (or else it goes lumpy in contact with the heat).

Add the cornflour/water mix cautiously as it can thicken quite suddenly and you can't take it out.

Still have quite a while to go but maybe I put too much liquid in. Have cornflour so will give that a go and if that doesn't work, will call it a soup.

I'd take off the lid now and then review, with cornflour as necessary! :D

yes, it might be ok when it's done. Cornflour as a last step as it can taste floury.

Ok, lid coming off...

Pearl barley is my usual fallback! Failing that, corn flour and/or bisto!

Just tasted it. It has a weird bitter aftertaste. Could that be the beer in it? Will that go?

A good tip for the future for those of us who can't manage to make cornflour work is thickening granules! You can usually find these in the supermarket in the same section as flour. It's a godsend as you just chuck a couple of spoonfuls into a casserole / sauce / soup whilst it's bubbling and, job done!

You can use smash (instant potato) for this too, as recommended by Keith Floyd. I just never have any in the house to try it!

Small pasta shapes can work too, or snap spaghetti into shreds if it is that sort of meal that would work with pasta.

Ohh or egg noodles, but don't put those in till about ten minutes before the end, they cook so quickly....but again depends if the meal would work with noodles or not.

Cornflour will cloud the liquid. This might not matter in a casserole, but if you want to thicken liquid and retain its clarity, use arrowroot (found in baking department of shops).

Or take lid off!

Oh, another idea. Potatoes absorb water too don't they? Well, I have a casserole recipe where potatoes are optional, and I always leave them out as then the casserole ends up too dry.