Beef stew is thicker and tastes better when 1 ingredient is added to the pot

Autumn marks the perfect season for preparing hearty British classics that provide warmth during the bitter cold months, with beef stew being particularly straightforward to create provided you properly thicken the gravy. Adding plenty of vegetables to your beef stew enhances the taste significantly, though they release considerable moisture while cooking, which can result in disappointingly watery gravy.

Nevertheless, Hayley Ryczek, a culinary expert and founder of Health Starts in the Kitchen, has revealed that creating a thicker beef stew is straightforward provided you incorporate a starch such as cornflour. Hayley explained: "Nothing is worse than a too-thin beef stew with too much liquid. Thickening a beef stew is very easy; in a small bowl simply combine equal parts of starch with cold water, mixing until smooth. Starches like cornstarch, arrowroot and potato starch are wonderful and gluten-free thickener options that are so delicious and easy."

Cornflour, Britain's equivalent to cornstarch, serves as an effective thickening agent and absorbs the surplus moisture from vegetables without altering the taste, reports the Express.

This technique helps create a more luxurious and satisfying texture whilst adding a glossy finish, ensuring your beef stew appears far more appetising.

Simply one tablespoon of cornflour provides sufficient thickening to coat the meat and vegetables properly, guaranteeing each mouthful delivers maximum flavour.

How to make a thicker and tastier beef stew in autumn

You will need:

• 450g of beef stew meat
• Four medium potatoes (chopped)
• Four medium carrots (chopped)
• Four sticks of celery (chopped)
• Four cloves of garlic (minced)
• Two medium onions (chopped)
• Two bay leaves
• Half a teaspoon of dried thyme
• One tablespoon of tomato purée
• One tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
• 240ml of dry red wine
• 950ml of beef stock
• 30g of plain flour
• Salt and pepper
• One tablespoon of cornflour
• 60ml of neutral cooking oil (like vegetable, avocado or sunflower oil)

Instructions:

To start, put the cornflour and some pepper into a bowl. Add the beef and toss it to coat thoroughly.

Next, pour three tablespoons of oil into a large cooking pot, then add the beef chunks. Ensure each piece can sit at the bottom of the pot, and it is not overcrowded.

Cook the beef for five minutes until the meat is brown on all sides. Then, remove the beef pieces from the pot and set aside for now.

Add the onions, celery and carrots to the pot. Cook for three minutes until the onions and celery are fork tender, then season with salt and pepper.

Add the garlic then cook for two to three more minutes. Use more oil if you need it to cook the vegetables, and once they are done pour in the wine and tomato puree.

Let the stew simmer for roughly five minutes until the liquid has reduced, then add the beef back into the pot along with the beef stock and bay leaves.

Lower the heat, cover the pot with a lid, then leave the stew to bubble away for one and a half hours.

Once the time is up, add the potatoes and continue to let it cook until they have softened for roughly 20 more minutes.

You can thicken up the beef stew by mixing equal parts cornflour and cold water into a bowl. Pour a small amount in at a time, place on a medium-low-heat, and let the stew boil for two minutes.

The beef stew should have a rich and savoury taste with a thick velvety gravy, and will be so flavourful that you will want to keep making it throughout the rest of autumn.