# Master Chef



## workinforwood (Jun 23, 2011)

I like to watch Master Chef and not just because it rhymes with Master Jeff:wink::biggrin: 

Last episode a guy used raw flour to thicken mash potatoes and thus was booted for breaking a cardinal rule of cooking. I would never do this, thought never even occured to me as my potatoes are always thick. But regardless, they act like everyone knows this, but I did not. Why can't u add raw flour?


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## el_d (Jun 23, 2011)

Its Sacralicious.....:tongue: :biggrin:

Not too sure, :redface:


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## nava1uni (Jun 23, 2011)

I have never heard this rule, but I was taught that you lightly brown flour before using it as a thickener so that it does not cause gastrointestinal upset.


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## Jim Burr (Jun 23, 2011)

Kind of the same reason you cook a roux...raw flour tastes like....raw flour. Cooking it a bit changes the taste to a nutty flavor instead of yuck


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## philipff (Jun 23, 2011)

Jim has the correct answer!  Phil


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## Holz Mechaniker (Jun 23, 2011)

I would have thickened it with Corn Starch... but that would be for the Gravy. I, like you, don't have thin Potatoes.


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## penhead (Jun 23, 2011)

I have never heard of that either...maybe because they are both starches...?


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## maxwell_smart007 (Jun 23, 2011)

Thin mashed potatoes means there's too much liquid in the potatoes.  The only way to fix it is to start over, or perhaps add cheese or some other binder to it.  You can't just add anything to it that will make it more 'mashed potatoie', except more already-cooked potatoes (if you wait to cook more to add, the earlier stuff will become glue).    

Flour is grainy and tastes awful raw - if you cook it, that begins to breaks down the starch into simple sugars and makes it creamier and tasty - but raw flour will taste awful in any recipe!


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## PenMan1 (Jun 23, 2011)

The answer about browned flour tasting better is correct. Additionally, flour is not "cooked" but ground from dried corn or wheat.These grains may contain bugs and parasites. The browning also eliminates any living bugs, worms or parasites. Eating "uncooked" could cause havoc with the digestive system.

Bleached four usually takes cake of the parasites, but many "cooking" flours are unbleached.


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## THarvey (Jun 23, 2011)

Salmonella is commonly found in flour.  Cooking is the only way to eliminate the salmonella bacteria.


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## Rick P (Jun 23, 2011)

Slight correction Salmonella contaminated flour is not uncommon. Salmonella is a digestive tract bacteria and gets it's way into flour vis cross contamination, especially where untreated manure is used as a fertilizer.

The main reason is taste followed by an increase in the release of gluten which acts as a thickening agent. He got booted because it's doctoring food! He should have started over..........like a cook who cant make decent potatoes had a chance of winning anyway.


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## maxwell_smart007 (Jun 23, 2011)

They doctor food all the time - but the issue with adding flour is taste and texture...it won't taste good, and it makes the texture gluey.


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## arw01 (Jun 23, 2011)

How do you "cook" flour?   put it in a sauce pan on low and stir the powder?


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## workinforwood (Jun 24, 2011)

arw01 said:


> How do you "cook" flour?   put it in a sauce pan on low and stir the powder?



I bet your head is spinning now too! Thank god for Digiorno.


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