What does cornstarch do?

Answer 1

CORNSTARCH.....

Did you know...... that cornstarch has twice the thickening power of wheat flour? Nor does it need fat to make a smooth paste before being mixed into a liquid - just a small amount of cold water. This can cut calories - and lumps - from sauces and gravies.

Good luck! _;-)

Answer 2

Cornstarch is a must have in the kitchen for so many things.

Did you know it can be used for baby powder on the baby's butt!
It's soft to the touch and forms a barrier between the baby's skin and the wetness. To prevent a rash that is very painful.

In the kitchen it's used for thickening gravies and sauces. Plus it can be added to some cake recipes as part of the dry ingredients.

When added to any liquid wet ingredients the LIQUID must be COLD..to prevent lumping when added to the hot mixture you are preparing like gravy or a sweet dessert sauce.

Usually you add about 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to 1 cup of liquid to make a gravy or sauce. You stir the cornstarch with the water or broth etc. that is COLD..until it's dissolved.

Then it's all added back to the hot liquid....stir as you go on med. high heat then lower to simmer. keep stirring so it won't burn on the bottom. Whatever your recipe calls for...when it's thick as you want it to be remove from heat and give it a taste test for extra seasonings.

There is another product called "agar agar" that is also the same use as Cornstarch. When it's used it will have a more clear quality to it.

Many use these for thickening fruit pies.

Best of luck with your CORNSTARCH!

Answer 3

A dense, powdery "flour" obtained from the endosperm portion of the corn kernel. Cornstarch is most commonly used as a thickening agent for puddings, sauces, soups, etc. Because it tends to form lumps, cornstarch is generally mixed with a small amount of cold liquid to form a thin paste before being stirred into a hot mixture. Mixing it with a granular solid like granulated sugar will also help it disperse into a liquid. Sauces thickened with cornstarch will be clear, rather than opaque, as with flour-based sauces. However, they will thin if cooked too long or stirred too vigorously. Cornstarch is also used in combination with flour in many European cake and cookie recipes; it produces a finer-textured, more compact product than flour alone. In British recipes, cornstarch is referred to as cornflour

Answer 4

Cornstarch is a thinckener and is a good substitution for people with gluten allergies - it can be used to thicken gravies, sauces, soups etc.

Just add a tablespoon to water, mix it up to get rid of the lumps and slowly add to simmering liquid.

Answer 5

Cornstarch added and mixed with cold water will make gravies and
also good in a stir fry with soy sauce.

Answer 6

1/ Thickens. Like soup into stew. Mix it with room temperature water and add to heated soup to thicken it.
2/ Glue. Make things stick together. Like in hamburger patties.
3/ Coating. Mix with herbs and spices, coat and deepfry. With fish, try light soy sauce and deepfry.

I hope that helps.

Answer 7

cornstarch acts in two ways...it holds things together, think of it like a glue and provides thickness, which is why it is often called for in gravy and soup recipes...

Answer 8

Thickens liquids without forming lumps as easily as flour-think gravy and white sauce.

Answer 9

It is a thickener, more for a fruity sauce. It will turn clear as not to change the colour of the sauce.

Answer 10

It is a great thickener and it does not take much to do it- and is good in sauces and gravies-D