How Much Should I Add?

Mike

Mike

Well-known Member
Location
London
Corn Starch USA, Corn Flour UK, both names are the for
the same product.

I have read some recipes and watched some videos about
cooking/baking various dishes that require the above to be
added to keep the results dryish!

But how much should be used, I have yet to see an amount
stated, they all say add a little Corn ???? if you want it to be
dry.

Any suggestions please, is a teaspoon too much or too little
I know that it depends on what is being cooked, plus the
amount being used, but I can't even find a guide on how to
determine that quantity.

Thank you.

Mike.
 

Unless you have made a recipe several times you will need to experiment.

Usually, they recommend one tablespoon to a cup of hot liquid for a thin sauce and two tablespoons to a cup of liquid for a thicker sauce.

Make a slurry of water and cornstarch then add a small amount to the hot liquid give it a stir and see how it looks. If the sauce is still too thin add a little bit more until you are satisfied. If you attempt to add dry cornstarch to the hot liquid you run the risk of having lumps in your sauce.

Good luck.
 

So what exactly are you making Mike? Cornbread? Corn Tortillas? I never use cornstarch. It's usually for thickening gravies and sauces. However, some people use cornstarch to make lighter cakes. If your recipe is asking you to add corn to make it drier they probably mean corn flour.
 
Last edited:
A good basic cornstarch cookie is the old-fashioned Melting Moment or Bachelor Button.

https://www.argostarch.com/Recipe/Melting_Moments
ImageResize.axd


The basic recipe can be used to make a variety of small fancy cookies by using a spritz gun or rolling them in nuts or powdered sugar, thumbprints to be filled with jam, chocolate, frosting, different flavorings like almond or lemon, etc...
 
My friend mr google just called and he said....
Corn flour is a yellow powder made from finely ground, dried corn, while cornstarch is a fine, white powder made from the starchy part of a corn kernel. Both may go by different names depending on where you live. Corn flour is used similarly to other flours, whereas cornstarch is mainly used as a thickener.

However that's not true because the cornflour in my cupboard is fine white powder, so I think Mr Google has it the wrong way round
 
hollydolly said:
My friend mr google just called and he said....
Corn flour is a yellow powder made from finely ground, dried corn, while cornstarch is a fine, white powder made from the starchy part of a corn kernel. Both may go by different names depending on where you live. Corn flour is used similarly to other flours, whereas cornstarch is mainly used as a thickener.

However that's not true because the cornflour in my cupboard is fine white powder, so I think Mr Google has it the wrong way round
Click to expand...
do you use the cornflour as a thickening agent?
 
flour and cornstarch are two different things. you can thicken with flour but it's my understanding the flour is for non-fatty items and the cornstarch is for fatty items. not sure if that makes sense. flour is a fine powder but it's texture is heavier than cornstarch.
 
Thank you Ladies one and all for the excellent replies and advice.

Lara I am not making anything particular, it is just something that
I am not sure about.

In the past I have made Scottish Butchers Steak Pies and if I put a
bottom crust on it, it doesn't cook because it is wet, soggy bottom,
similar has happened with an apple pie or two.

Last week I was channel surfing on the TV and came across a show
that was all about making Cornish Pasties, in a Factory, near where
I lived for many years and I knew some people, there.

During the programme when they were mixing the contents, they
included "Corn Starch", so that they didn't get a wet product, I had
missed the amount if they even gave it, but anyway, I thought that
it was a good idea, but how much to use.

Marciks, we can get that flour in our stores here too, but the one I
am asking about is the thickener, I asked google and here is the reply.

Mike.

CORNMEAL – UK corn flour is the same as U.S. cornstarch. Potato flour,
despite its name, is a starch, and can not be substituted for regular flour.
It often can be substituted for corn starch and vice versa. In the U.S., corn
flour means finely ground cornmeal.

Questions and Answers - British Cooking Terms vs. American ...​







 

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