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Ingredientbeginnerdraft

Starch (corn, potato)

Also searched as: cornflour, cornstarch, potato starch, starch

In short: Pure starch thickens liquids and makes surfaces crisp. In the wrong place it makes things sticky.

Picture it

Like flour with everything else taken out: just the swelling granules, without protein that could make things tough.

What Starch (corn, potato) does
ROLEPROCESSthickens sauces andcustardsforms a crisp shell asa dustingas a loose film makesthings sticky…Starch gelatinisationCrispyWedges and chips won'tcrisp up

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What happens

Starch powder is nothing but starch granules. In warm water they swell and thicken. As a dry, thin layer in the oven they harden into a brittle crust. Potato starch thickens at a lower temperature and more clearly; cornflour has to boil and turns slightly cloudy.

What the ingredient does

thickens sauces and custardsStarch gelatinisation
forms a crisp shell as a dustingCrispy
as a loose film makes things sticky and brown too earlyWedges and chips won't crisp up

Rules of thumb

  1. Mix into cold liquid.
  2. Bring cornflour to the boil once.
  3. For crisping, use only a dusting.
Related entries
Starch gelatinisationDusting with starchSoaking potatoes in cold waterThickening with starchCloudy potato water
Sources · 1
  • Harold McGee: On Food and Cooking (2004), Kapitel Kartoffeln, Stärke, Frittieren