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How do you use Cornstarch?

 
steward
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My mom always told me how fattening cornstarch was so I rarely use cornstarch.

I recently have been looking at pastry recipes and found one that used a lot of cornstarch.

I really watch to try this pastry recipe that I found though I might need to buy more cornstarch.

What are some uses for corn starch?
 
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I use it for thickening gravy.
 
pollinator
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It was lifechanging for me to toss tofu in cornstarch before frying.  Before the tofu would kind of melt and fall apart - which can be the desired texture! - but with it, it stays intact better and gets crispy-ish surfaces.

I also use it for thickening gravy.  I assume flour would work fine for both purposes, too.

What kind of pastry are you seeing that calls for cornstarch?
 
Anne Miller
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A recipe for Baklova.

I have always had cornstarch in my cabinet to use for thickening soup and stews.
 
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Starch has the same amount of calories as sugar, and not much more than wheat flour, so you can gage how fattening it is by that. I mostly use it for tempura batter and for thickening lemon sauce for chicken.

You can also bake dry corn starch to turn it into dextrin, the kind of natural glue used on the old lickable envelopes.
 
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Not that I do this often, but I just made a cheesecake and it uses cornstarch to help avoid cracking.  Supposedly the cornstarch helps by interacting with the proteins in the eggs to keep them from coagulating.  Don't know, just following the recipe!
 
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I don't buy cornstarch because I discovered the little Asian market carries Tapioca starch. I don't know how the calories compare, but North American diets tend to have so much industrially grown corn in them, that I figured Tapioca starch was at least different! I basically substitute it 1 for 1. It's a powder - not the little balls they call tapioca pudding.
 
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I use it for making play clay, dry shampoo, and as an absorbent for things, like mixing with baking soda in drying/deoderizing powder for shoes... Not a food, as far as I'm concerned.
 
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I recently came across a recipe for sugar cookies that called for cornstarch to help the cut-outs hold shape.
 
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I was a bit confused about the statement that cornstarch (cornfour) was fattening, so I did a bit of diving and came up with the following (from various internet sources)

for 100g
wheat flour 349 kcal
arrowroot 357 kcal
potato flour 357 kcal
cornflour 365 kcal
rice flour 366 kcal

so cornflour is a bit higher than some other cereal flours, but not much. If you measure your ingredients by cups, there will be a greater difference since the particle size for cornstarch is smaller so more fits in a given volume.

I use cornfluor for thickening gravy and other sauces and for dusting my hands when rolling my chocolate truffles. I find it makes my hands less sticky for longer and doesn't seem to affect the chocolates at all. I love the quicksand effect of the cornflour slurry as you mix in the water -  it's thixotropic nature makes it fun to play with.
It also makes good white play clay, although the results do need keeping dry in a humid environment if you want them to last. I lost all my Xmas stars decorations because someone hadn't packed them in a sealed jar from last year.



 
Anne Miller
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Jordan Holland wrote:Starch has the same amount of calories as sugar, and not much more than wheat flour, so you can gage how fattening it is by that. I mostly use it for tempura batter and for thickening lemon sauce for chicken.

You can also bake dry corn starch to turn it into dextrin, the kind of natural glue used on the old lickable envelopes.



I am not really worried today about cornstarch being fattening.  That was just the reason that I have never used it much.  

I think my mom's reasoning would be a good "myth buster".
 
Anne Miller
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Carla Burke wrote:I use it for making play clay, dry shampoo, and as an absorbent things, like mixing with baking soda in drying/deoderizing powder for shoes... Not a food, as far as I'm concerned.



My babies got cornstarch rather than talcum powder.

The only reason I am consider trying it is to see how cornstarch work for making a pastry.

I love reading recipes, then I find one that says store-bought phyllo dough which in my lifetime I have never found in the store.
 
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Anne Miller wrote: store-bought phyllo dough which in my lifetime I have never found in the store.


Try looking in the freezer section next to frozen puff pastry. Every grocery near me carries 1 or 2 brands but it is easy to overlook since the package is little. Some are now using the spelling fillo vs phyllo. If you run a Google search on phyllo and choose the shopping tab you can select "Available nearby" to see where near you carries it.

My main use for cornstarch is egg-drop soup and coating tofu before cooking
 
Jay Angler
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Nancy Reading wrote:I was a bit confused about the statement that cornstarch (cornflour) was fattening, so I did a bit of diving and came up with the following (from various internet sources)

Only considering the calories can be deceiving. I always try to figure out the "nutrition" associated with the calories. If you grind your own fresh wheat flour which includes the wheat germ with all its associated minerals and vitamins, you'll get some decent nutrition balancing out the calories.

I have a friend who buys nixtamalized corn flour for a recipe. It will have B vitamins in it which non-nixtamalized corn starch will lack.
https://breadtopia.com/how-to-nixtamalize-corn-for-tortillas-tamales-posole-and-more/

However, if you're using it sparingly, it's less of an issue. Part of the problem is that Cornstarch and other corn products are hidden in many processed foods, so North Americans tend to get too much of it in their diets. If you mostly cook from scratch, adding a bit as a thickener or to improve the texture of something, it's likely pretty similar to using a white flour, the tapioca starch I mentioned above, or potato flour to do the job.
 
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I use cornflour (cornstarch) to thicken sauces eg, cheese sauce for macaroni cheese or cauliflower cheese.
My coeliac sister-in-law uses it to make the most beautiful Yorkshire puddings but unfortunately, I don't have the recipe to hand. I will post it when I get it.
 
Anne Miller
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Denise Kersting wrote:

Anne Miller wrote: store-bought phyllo dough which in my lifetime I have never found in the store.


Try looking in the freezer section next to frozen puff pastry.

My main use for cornstarch is egg-drop soup and coating tofu before cooking



Our local grocery store finally got a bread section in the frozen foods.  It is about 1 foot wide.  I glanced quickly and saw some bread items but no dough.

Life in small-town America has its drawbacks.  Even the local grocery store is a 60-mile trip.
 
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use as dry shampoo, if you are so inclined

I am currently eating cornstarch based chocolate pudding!

i like to use it to roll out cookies or rolls or other baked goods sometimes

my favorite, though, is to coat chicken in it and use it in my spanky air fryer oven to make AMAZING fried chicken

(I use various different kinds of starch- corn, tapioca [there is a sour one and a non-sour one, corresponds to Jordan's above], potato, arrowroot. None of them are super healthy, big picture, but i'm not eating it by the bowl.)
 
Denise Kersting
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Anne Miller wrote: the local grocery store is a 60-mile trip.


Goodness, that is a long drive!
 
Ara Murray
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Here is the Yorkshire pudding recipe. Sorry I don't have the conversions to cups or ounces.

200g cornflour/starch
pinch salt
6 eggs
300ml milk
vegetable oil to put in muffin tins

Make as you would ordinary Yorkshires and put into 12 hot, previously oiled muffin tins. Bake 15 to 20 mins at 200°C 450°F
 
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Denise Kersting wrote:

Anne Miller wrote: the local grocery store is a 60-mile trip.


Goodness, that is a long drive!



There's 11 grocery stores within a 7 mile radius (5 chains) that we frequent! there may even be a few more... not counting at least a dozen others (add 2 more chains...) that are on, or could be on my commute!!
 
Anne Miller
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Kenneth Elwell wrote:There's 11 grocery stores within a 7 mile radius (5 chains) that we frequent! there may even be a few more... not counting at least a dozen others (add 2 more chains...) that are on, or could be on my commute!!



Even when we make the 200-mile trip (like we made yesterday), there is not even anything like that.  As far as I know two chain groceries, two Walmarts, and a Sam's Club.

If you live in Boston like your profile says, probably.
 
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I use cornstarch for making body powder, dry shampoo, and face powder (with cocoa powder and other natural coloring agents). I make sure to get organic corn starch for eating though. I do the usual thickening of soups and sauces but my favorite use is for fried shrimp/prawns. I peel and de-vein the shrimp, slice them in half long ways, then season with salt and whatever else you like on shrimp. Just before dropping in the hot lard, I will coat the shrimp halves in corn starch, shake off the excess and fry for 1-2 minutes at most. By cutting them in half they curl into a long corkscrew shape, perfect for dipping or just eating in one bite. The corn starch gives it a crunchy texture and by seasoning the shrimp before coating, you get all the flavor without the spices burning in the oil.

I use this same method with beef or pork cut into bite-sized pieces except that I let the corn starch sit on the spiced meat chunks for 10-20 minutes. This is somewhat similar to the velveting technique in Chinese cooking.

I haven't tried this yet with other starches but it could be interesting to see how they behave.
 
Denise Kersting
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Here's another great use for cornstarch, lemon pie: https://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2006/12/calamondin-or-lemon-pie-with-oatmeal.html. I've made this using a store-bought graham-cracker crust (so not fat-free) and the lemon pie was great!
 
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