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Bob Pastorio
 
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Default Cornstarch vs. Flour?

AzuReBlue wrote:

> In article >,
> says...
>
>>AzuReBlue wrote:
>>
>>
>>>I was wondering what the difference is between using cornstarch to
>>>thicken something vs. flour. Is there any? Can I use cornstarch
>>>in place of flour with no noticeable effect?

>>
>>Depends on what you're doing and how you're doing it.
>>
>>What are you doing? How are you doing it? More info from you gets more
>>info.
>>
>>Pastorio

>
> I was making Chicken and Dumplings and the recipe called for flour &
> water to thicken. That got me thinking about other recipes I've made
> where cornstarch is called for, gravy if I remember correctly. Just
> wondered what, if any, difference there was.


You made a slurry (water-based liquid + starch) rather than a roux
(fat +starch). Slurries will thicken more quickly, but won't give the
finished smoothness of a simmered roux-based sauce.

Cornstarch is a very good, inexpensive and efficient thickener. When
chilled, it often breaks (separates, to some extent, into a watery
component and a gelled one) but comes right back together upon
reheating and stirring. It can't be frozen without permanently
breaking, but neither can a roux-based sauce.

The flour slurry will give you an opaque gravy but will need some
cooking time to get the raw flour taste out. The starch-thickened
gravy will be more transparent but will be fully cooked at the moment
of thickening. Matter of taste...

Pastorio