How to Thicken Beef Stew in a Slow Cooker

1. Reduce 1 1/2 cups broth by half by simmering it on the stove the night before you plan to make the stew. Add this cooled broth to the contents when you prepare the slow cooker meal the next morning.

2. Stir in 1/4 cup instant potato flakes to the watery juice when you get home after finding the stew that needs thickening. Stir again well after the flakes absorb the liquid.

3. Add a 2-oz. packet of Au Jus gravy mix to the contents of the slow cooker beef stew and stir it into the raw ingredients before turning the appliance on. The gravy should mix with the meat juices and thicken while cooking.

4. Mix 1 tbsp. flour with 2 tsp. water in a small bowl. Pour some of the juice out of the slow cooker into a 1-qt. sauce pan. Heat to a soft boil and add the flour and water mixture into the juice, stirring well. When the juice is thickened into a gravy, pour it back into the slow cooker and stir well.

5. Add 1 heaping tbsp. barley pearls into the juice when you prepare the slow cooker ingredients. The tasty grain is a good thickener.