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thickener

thickener

1 4.4
Something added to a liquid to make it thicker
  • noun
  • /ˈθɪkənər/
translation icon : espesante
  • Many modern recipes include cornstarch as a thickener to create a smooth texture in dishes.
  • thickener mixed with water

It's it's vinegary and it's, it's like balsamic and wine and, and, and the kind of thickener that you give for elderly that can't chew on their food.

Examples

  • Gaviscon or milk thickeners can help.

    Academic text (2014)
  • So to use cornstarch as a thickener, you have to make what's called a slurry.

  • The binder (glue) was usually gum arabic, which also acted as a thickener.

    Blog text (17)
  • Use an alternative thickener in place of the all-purpose flour, such as cornstarch or a GF flour blend.

    Blog text (20)
  • And when added to a dish with some liquid in it, say turnips braised in broth, the blood acts as a thickener much like flour or cornstarch, only more so (and with a more disturbing color), creating a thick, dark brown sauce.

    Academic text (2004)
  • Arrowroot is commonly used as a thickener in soups and sauces to improve their consistency.

  • A thickener like gelatin can help achieve the desired creaminess in desserts.

Synonyms

thickening
vsthickener
2 3.2

A substance added to make a liquid less runny, often in cooking

is the general term for this additive across all liquids and mixtures

How Thick

gelatin
  • Specialized
10 3.2
thickener
1 4.4
cornstarch
  • US
14 2.5
to flour
2 3.2

Surface Forms

thickener singular
thickeners plural

Morphology

thickener = thicken (transparent) = thick + en + er

Standard agent/instrument noun formed from the verb 'thicken' by adding '-er'; 'thicken' is verb formed from 'thick' + '-en'.

Etymology

Thickener comes from the simple word thick, meaning 'not thin', and the verb thicken, meaning 'to make thick', plus the ending -er that shows a person or thing that does the action. So a thickener is literally 'something that makes a liquid or mixture thicker'.