Cornstarch
Cornstarch is also known as cornflour and it’s a carbohydrate extract. It comes directly from the endosperm of the corn. It’s a white, powdery substance that you can use for both industrial and culinary purposes. Initially developed in 1844 in New Jersey, Cornstarch as quickly managed to become extremely popular all over the world. Its main use is in the kitchen and it’s a thickening agent for gravies, pies, soups, glazes, gravies, marines and many others.
Where does it come from?
You expect Cornstarch from corn. Normally corn will store starch as an additional source of energy and it’s extremely important for humans since it’s an organic compound. If you want to acquire Cornstarch, you will need to separate it with the use of a saline solution from swollen and sterilized grain, all during a washout process.
What can you use Cornstarch for?
Cornstarch can be used in a variety of different situations. Since it’s a great thickening agent, it’s particularly good for pastries, biscuits, tarts, cakes and many others. One thing to keep in mind about it is the fact that this is a gluten and lactose-free product. That alone makes it great for baking since a lot of people want to stay away from allergies. Plus, if you have lactose intolerance, dealing with it can be very tricky and this approach is certainly a professional, reliable one.
Aside from that, you can also use Cornstarch as a binder for sauces, veggies and soups. You can use it to bring in a bit of thickness to your food, something that can be incredibly helpful. On top of that, there are many desserts like red fruit jellies, pudding, fruit dishes and creams that you can mix with corn starch and that will help quite a lot.
While you can use Cornstarch for baby food, you really need to pay attention to the right dosage. Since this is a thickener at its core, you don’t want too much of it in your baby’s food. Thankfully, you can fortify the vial food in order to bring more satiety. But as we mentioned earlier, dosage is crucial here, since you want your baby to avoid abdominal pain, constipation or anything else similar to that. All you have to do is to make sure that you are tackling it correctly, and results can be second to none.
If you have allergies, it can be a very good idea to use Cornstarch. That being said, some manufacturers tend to include milk and gluten in Cornstarch, so in those situations it’s not ok for allergic people. You need to double-check the ingredient list just to be safe, and that can be an incredibly important aspect that you need to take into consideration for the best possible results every time.
You can even use Cornstarch as an anti-caking agent. Some people tend to combine Cornstarch with shredded cheese because it prevents clumping and that alone can be a very good idea. You can also use a mixture of Cornstarch with powdered sugar to achieve similar results if you want, that’s all up to you.
Cooking with Cornstarch
You should avoid adding Cornstarch into hot liquid, as that leads to various lumps. What you want to do is to mix it with water at room temperature so you can avoid any possible issues. Only after you already made that mixture you want to start heating and using everything adequately for the best possible results. We recommend you to not freeze the Cornstarch mixture, as that can be broken down during that process, so the smart thing to do is to avoid it.
You can use substitutes if you want. Flour works great here, and it can bring in front some amazing results every time. With that in mind, you can also use arrowroot, tapioca starch or rice flour if you want to.
Conclusion
Using Cornstarch is a very good idea if you want to opt for a healthy diet. It’s very helpful if you want to cook a variety of different meals. However, you need to pay attention to its dosage, especially if you choose to use it for your baby’s meal. Don’t worry about using it however, it’s safe and easy to use and there are tons of amazing Cornstarch recipes that benefit from its thickening properties!
