The blog of cooking-ez.com

The super powers of cornstarch


 The super powers of cornstarch
I start this new year by evoking an old product, that you most probably have in your cupboards, a white powder, often in a small cardboard package with a slightly outdated look, only the "gluten free" is relatively recent, it is simply cornstarch, hence its name of maïzena.

It's used for a lot of things, mainly as a thickener in pastry, but it can also, sometimes, work small miracles in the kitchen.
8,851
Grade this page:

Last modified on: January 14th 2022

Keywords for this post:FlourCornCornstarchThickenerStarchSaucePastry
The super powers of cornstarch

How does it work?


See what happens when you make a béchamel sauce? It's pretty liquid because of all the added milk, but it heats up slowly while you stir regularly, and suddenly bim! The whole thing thickens and your béchamel is there, thick and creamy.

béchamel


A simple physical thing happened, the grains of starch in the flour, contained in the roux, finally exploded under the effect of the heat, around 60°C, and immediately absorbed a big part of the milk to form a starch, that's the béchamel.

The link with cornstarch is that it can do the same thing, but as it contains only starch (from corn), its binding power is stronger.
Add to that the fact that it doesn't add any taste, and you have a binder that can be used in many recipes, sweet or savoury, and situations of which here are a few.


Soups and veloutés


When you make a soup (a blended soup) of pumpkin for example, there is sometimes a little problem of texture: it settles, vegetable pulp at the bottom of the pan and water on top.
It doesn't change the taste, but it's not a very pretty or pleasant texture, especially if it's been waiting a while.

potage potimarron



Solution : Mix 2 tablespoons of cold water with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, and incorporate this mixture with a blender or a whisk at the end of the cooking time, you will be amazed by the creamy effect obtained.

Dishes in sauce


When you make a dish in sauce like beef bourguignon, coq au vin, or blanquette de veau, you often need to add flour and cook for a very long time uncovered to obtain a thick sauce. Sometimes, frustratingly, it doesn't even thicken (well).

bœuf bourguignon



Solution: Same treatment as for the soup, a tablespoon is enough, added by mixing briskly (whisk, spatula), the neutral taste of cornstarch ensures a thick sauce with an unchanged taste.

You want to prepare a sauce with a deglazing (you pour a liquid, wine for example) of the cooking pan, but without using cream?
No problem, deglaze, bring to a boil and whisk in the cornstarch + water mixture, a large teaspoon is enough. Velvety sauce guaranteed.

Catching up with disasters


You have made a custard, for example, and it has dissociated? All is not lost, add 1 teaspoon of cornstarch + water to the mixer.

Replacing the flour


In some preparations, pastries, creams etc. traditionally made with flour, you can very often replace the flour with cornstarch, because flour, in this context of cooking at low temperature, has a tendency to soften the preparation. That's why pastry cream, almond cream, and even some cookies, will be better and easier to make with cornstarch than with flour.

As you can see, cornstarch is your friend, it's always good to have a pack of it in your cupboards, and it can be used in many ways, mainly as a thickener.

The power of cornstarch again: Make this delicious chocolate cornstarch cream with your kids (less than 5 minutes), you'll have a huge success!

crème maïzena au chocolat



To sum up: Cornstarch is an excellent binder in cooking and baking, it can be used in many recipes, but also to make up for small disasters.

Lasts posts
The different cooking modes
The different cooking modes
In cooking, cooking means bringing food into contact with a source of heat, to transform it: improving its taste, and sometimes its texture. This contact with the heat source can be achieved in a number of ways: these are the cooking methods, and let's take a look at the main ones.
4975 July 24th 2024
Clean your mixer easily
Clean your mixer easily
If you use a "bowl" or "blender" mixer, as opposed to a plunger, you've probably noticed that it's a bit of a hassle to clean it after use. And yet, with a simple trick, it can be done very quickly. See how here.
1,8445 June 26th 2024
Preserving egg yolks
Preserving egg yolks
If you're using only the egg whites in a recipe (such as meringues ), you'll need to store the yolks until you're ready to use them again. There's nothing very complicated about this in principle - all you have to do is chill them, but there are a few pitfalls to be avoided in practice.
2,3255 June 18th 2024
Preservative oil, an asset for taste
Preservative oil, an asset for taste
When you prepare a dish using an ingredient that has been preserved in fat, for example a springtime mixed salad with tuna in oil or sun-dried tomatoes, you're probably going to make a french dressing (vinaigrette) next. In that case, why not use the preserved oil from the tuna or tomatoes?
2,4645 June 5th 2024
Don't throw away disposable piping bags
Don't throw away disposable piping bags
Nowadays, it's fairly easy to find what professionals use as piping bags, i.e. disposable or "single-use" plastic ones. They're practical, functional and inexpensive, but disposable? That's debatable...
3,8645 May 28th 2024
Other pages you may also like
Fruits which can ruin your jelly
Fruits which can ruin your jelly
There are many ways of making a fruit mousse, but one of the simplest is to prepare a fruit jelly (basically a fresh fruit coulis with gelatine) and then mix this jelly before it sets completely with whipped cream. The result is perfect for filling a charlotte, for example. But do beware;...
69K4.0 March 6th 2013
Steam for baking bread
Steam for baking bread
What does steam have to do with bread-making? This is not only a bakers' secret, it is something you might not think of at all: if you make bread and bake it like a cake, you will end up with bread, but pale and with a thick, hard crust – a long way from the golden-brown crusty loaf you had in...
137K4.5 June 16th 2021
Candied fruits: don't get ripped off
Candied fruits: don't get ripped off
Do you like candied fruit? You might like to nibble a handful or add it to a recipe, like a classic fruit cake or delicious Italian specialities like panettone or sicilian epiphany pie.
54K 24.2 June 21th 2017
The right weight of pastry for a pie
The right weight of pastry for a pie
Let's try to solve a thorny problem: How much dough will I need when I make my next pie? You're planning to make a pie, you're going to use your favourite mould or circle, but how much pastry will you need to fill it completely with a well spread pastry, without being too thin, or on the contrary...
59K4.3 March 20th 2020
Sugar syrups
Sugar syrups
In cooking, and especially in pastry, we often use sugar syrups, a simple mixture of water and sugar in varying proportions. Here is a presentation of their differences. .
6,6384.8 January 17th 2023
Post a comment or question
Posted by:
I am not a leaving thing
Follow this page
If you are interested in this page, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the page is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
I am not a leaving thing
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.

Back to top of page