Corn starch is often used to prepare various dishes, but many do not know what it is and what it is for. Let's look into this issue in more detail.
Material Content:
Corn starch - what is it?
Corn starch is a food supplement that is used to thicken the mass. As a result, dishes come out softer and more tender.
Get this additive under the influence of light during photosynthesis. Corn grains are placed in a solution of sulphurous acid, after which they are crushed, the core is removed and crushed. At the last stage, starch is released, which is separated from the protein and dried.
It tastes like corn in taste, it also has a yellow color and a corresponding smell.
Chemical composition and calorie content
It is generally accepted that starch is an extremely harmful supplement, but this is not at all true, unless, of course, they are abused. Corn starch contains vitamin PP, sodium, calcium, phosphorus and some other trace elements.
As for calorie content, the product is quite nutritious - 343 calories per 100 grams. In this case, the energy value is mainly carbohydrates, which account for 83 grams of the total weight. Protein in starch is only one gram, and fats are practically absent - 0.6 grams per hundred grams of the product.
In starch, there are almost no dietary fibers that our body needs so much, but there are a lot of calories. Therefore, its irrepressible use can lead to excess weight, which means that you need to use it with caution and in small quantities.
Corn starch can be of several varieties: higher, first and amyl-pectin. Identification of ownership is very simple - just look at the color and purity.
How to replace corn starch in baking
Often you can find recipes in which housewives offer to cook something using this type of starch. Do not headlong run to the store for the missing ingredient, because you might think how to replace it. Perhaps a product with similar properties will be at your place.
- If you cook pastries, then you can completely abandon starch - as some experienced cooks say. But then you should definitely sift the flour (even several times) in order to saturate it with oxygen, and the result will be no worse.
- Making cottage cheese casserole, you can also abandon the product under discussion, replacing it with semolina in the same amount.
- In any cream, corn starch can be safely replaced with flour. There will be no difference at all. Flour can also be used in the preparation of homemade ice cream.
Also, gelatin, coconut flakes or agar-agar are quite suitable as a thickener.
And another option is eggs. They act as a binding component and at the same time make baking more magnificent and crumbly. Instead of two tablespoons of starch, you can take just one chicken egg.
In some cases, corn starch can be replaced with potato, but it will need half as much as the first. If there is neither one nor the other, make the starch yourself: the potatoes are rubbed and squeezed through cheesecloth. The resulting precipitate will be the component you need.
What are the differences from potato starch
Another question that concerns those who first encounter corn starch is what are its differences from potato? It would seem that both are starch, two almost identical nutritional supplements. But in fact, the difference between them is quite tangible.
So, for example, by preparing jelly on potato starch, you will get a thick and transparent mixture, and using corn, you will get quite liquid, easily pouring and opaque. This is due to the increased viscosity of the potato product.
Therefore, for desserts and sauces, only corn starch is used - it makes baking more tender and not dry. But for the sand cakes and jelly, the potato version is perfect.
How to Make Corn Starch Jelly
For many, jelly is a long-forgotten drink. And very in vain, because it is very useful for people with diseases of the stomach. But of course, you should not drink a purchased product, it is better to cook it yourself.
Required Products:
- two liters of milk;
- vanilla sugar to your taste;
- six large spoons of sugar;
- eight tablespoons of corn starch.
Cooking process:
- If you have milk from the refrigerator, then pour one liter into a deep container and leave it for a while so that it reaches room temperature.
- After this, pour the indicated amount of starch to milk and knead the mixture well so that it completely dissolves.
- We put another liter of milk in a pan, put it on the stove and bring to a boil over medium heat. When he goes, pour milk mixed with starch here, add sugar, vanillin and at the same time constantly mix the composition so that the contents are uniform, without lumps. Kissel with lumps is not very tasty.
- Hold the mass for about seven minutes on the stove. This time is enough for it to thicken well. Before serving, cool a little jelly or drink immediately.
Is corn starch and corn flour the same thing?
Despite the similar names, these are completely different products and they are obtained in far from identical ways.
The composition of corn flour already includes the same name starch, while it is absent in it.Of course, both are obtained from corn, but in the first case, the grain is ground into flour, and in the other, several processing options can be used. For example, soak the grains in water, rub them through a sieve. In the process, starch is washed and then decanted.
As you can see, corn starch is a fairly common food supplement. Just because no one eats it, but it is always present in ketchup, mayonnaise, some confectionery, sausages, dairy and other products, which in assortment are presented on supermarket shelves.
