Val wrote:
> "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.
Thanks, Val. I learned a good bit. Oat flour and rice (I have less
experience with it) flour have some of the nice keeping qualities of
arrowroot without the gloss. I'll review what McGee* has to say.
Jerry
__________________________________
* "On Food and Cooking" ISBN 0-684-84328-5
--
Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get.
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