<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
Here's a nice discussion of the differences between these two starches. This
is one of the few cases where the GF alternatives are *better* than the
wheat flour one. Don Wiss.
Newsgroup: rec.food.cooking
Subject: arrowroot
From: Carol Dunlap <[log in to unmask]>
Date: 25 Nov 95 13:46:19 -0400
Hi there. I've been reading several low-fat cooking recipes that call for
arrowroot. Graham Kerr says its superior to other thickeners, such as corn
starch. Can someone tell me about it, how it differs, etc. I'm not such a
tightwad that I wouldn't buy it, I'm just curious to hear more about it. It
looks like such a little bottle of powder for the $5 price tag.
==============================
From: Len S <[log in to unmask]>
Date: 27 Nov 95 03:59:07 -0500
Well, I _am_ such a tightwad that I've used cornstarch for years
whenever arrowroot is called for. However, here's what Kerr says:
In his book "Minimax Cookbook", Kerr says that both arrowroot and
cornstarch are pure starches. He prefers them to flour for thickening
liquids.
He recommends arrowroot for dark hot sauces because of its
clarity and its lack of taste that might mask the food flavor.
Arrowroot is good, too, he says, for giving pasta a glaze when he
wants the pasta to have the look of oil on it.
Arrowroot, however, has a drawback in that when it cools,
especially in contact with dairy foods, it develops an unusually
slippery feel. So for foods containing dairy products or crispy cooked
vegetables, he prefers cornstarch.
Cornstarch, he continues, does cause a slightly misty film that
dulls the light reflection, but since this happens anyway in dairy
sauces and lighter colored casseroles that contain beans, it's not a
real loss.
Another difference, according to Kerr, is that cornstarch
requires thirty seconds at the boil to remove its starchy taste, while
arrowroot clears in very hot liquid without the need to boil it.
So there you are.
.
-Len
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