Cornflour - what am I doing wrong?

[custardcream1988]

I just cannot get my stew thick enough! --Excuse the total first world problem.

What am I doing wrong?

I mix the cornflour with cold water, quantities as per instructions. Stir it into the stock/veg. I've tried it right at the start of cooking, in the middle, with an hour left to go. It just does not thicken very much and we end up with veg swimming in thin brown liquid.

Can anyone shed some light?! Is it because I'm using a slow cooker?

If it’s a meat stew add gravy granules if it’s veggie get veggie ones and add them. Don’t bother with cornflower

I know you need to heat it up before it thickens. Maybe your slow cooker doesn't get it to a high enough temperature?

I was going to say the same thing. Cornflour makes it a funny colour too.

Too much stock to start with? But I could never get on with a slow cooker, I gave mine away after a succession of samey, tasteless disasters.

does the liquid boil in the slow cooker?
if no then it's not hot enough to use cornflour this way.
you could trying to temove some liquid at the end of cooking, bring to a boil on the stove after adding water/cornflour and then stirring the gloop back into the stew.

Stew liquids don't evaporate in a slow cooker so put in very little liquid to start with then a little cornflour (or instant mash) should do the trick.

Cornflour only thickens when it boils so your gravy/stock/sauce isn't hot enough.

It's the slow cooker that's the problem

yes the liquid needs to be boiling (but it also does for quite a few gravy granules as well)

using a slow cooker you need to drastically reduce the amount of liquid you use in comparison to cooking something in an oven/ on a hob.

As per @brownelephant cornflour only thickens liquid at a rolling boil, so try their suggestion.

Yes, you need it to be hotter and to stir it.
You are possibly adding too much liquid to start with though.