Arrowroot Vs. Cornstarch

By Bailey1_

Ingredients

• To use arrowroot powder as a cornstarch substitute, prepare it in the following manner.
• 2 teaspoons Arrowroot Flour = 1 tablespoon Cornstarch (3 teaspoons Cornstarch)
• 1 tablespoon to 1 cup of liquid, when used as a thickening agent

Details

Servings 1
Adapted from buzzle.com

Preparation

Step 1

1 While cornstarch is known to have a peculiar flavor, i.e., it affects the flavors of the recipes it is used in, arrowroot flour is relatively neutral in flavor and tasteless. It is a particularly good thickening agent for dishes that have delicate flavors.
2 It mixes well with liquids at a lower temperature, unlike cornstarch, and can be cooked for longer periods. It also has the capacity to tolerate ingredients that are acidic in nature, so you can use arrowroot flour to prepare a delicious hot and sour oriental sauce.

3 You may have noticed that when you prepare a sauce with cornstarch
, and when it is refrigerated or frozen, it becomes jelly-like and messy. On the other hand, if you make a sauce with arrowroot, you can easily freeze it and thaw it, without creating a mess.

4 The use of arrowroot as a thickening agent is ideal for vegetarians, as its ability to thicken into jelly makes it the perfect gelatin substitute. The properties of cornstarch for this purpose are not as effective.

5 Arrowroot powder also makes a great thickening agent when you want to prepare a clear sauce that gives a beautiful glaze to desserts. On the other hand, cornstarch tends to make sauces appear cloudy. Also, when used to prepare ice creams, it prevents the formation of ice crystals.

Arrowroot does not take to overheating well, and this can affect its thickening properties. To use arrowroot while cooking at high temperatures, first mix it with an equal amount of cool liquid. Then pour this liquid into the hot sauce and let it blend only for 30 seconds.