"Sandra Bodycoat" <sandybody@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:roOdnYS0VKLaHfrVnZ2dnUVZ8qfinZ2d@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Hi
> I would like to know what is the difference between arrowroot &
cornflour
> (cornstarch), and why you would use one instead of the other?
> Recently I seen a cooking show using arrowroot in place of cornflour.
What is called cornstarch in the USA is called cornflour or maize
cornflour
in Britain, Australia, and New Zealand. Don't confuse cornstarch with the
finely ground cornmeal that Americans call corn flour.
Cornstarch and arrowroot have almost twice the thickening power of flour.
Cornstarch produces a sauce that is almost clear and is ****ny or glossy to
look at. Arrowroot has the same qualities and produces a clearer sauce,
but
is much more expensive. To use the starches, combine them with a little
cold
water or wine and stir out any lumps to make a slurry. Add the slurry to a
boiling liquid and whisk until the sauce has thickened. If you allow the
sauce to cook too long, the starch will loose some of its thickening
capacity. Arrowroot tolerates prolonged cooking better than cornstarch.
Neither cornstarch nor arrowroot sauces hold up well being held over for
very long periods or being reheated. If you are making a roux thickened
sauce, you can make it just a little thin, then finish with cornstarch or
arrowroot to give the sauce a nice glossy look.
Sauces thickened with cornstarch turn into a spongy mess if they're
frozen,
those made with arrowroot can be frozen and thawed successfully. The
downside is that arrowroot is much pricier than cornstarch, and arrowroot
is
also not a good thickener for dairy-based sauces since it turns them
'slimy'.
Arrowroot is used often on television and in food photos, the high gloss
gives it a better 'camera presence.
Val
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