Cornstarch has a place in every kitchen cabinet. This starch is often used as a thickening agent in stir-fries, soups, sauces, and more. But turns out this humble ingredient does far more than just that. Learn all about cornstarch and its many uses that can go even beyond the kitchen.
What Is Cornstarch? Not to be confused with corn flour, which is made from whole kernels, cornstarch is made from the endosperm found at the center of the corn kernel. The starches inside the endosperm are removed, rinsed, dried, and milled into a fine powder. This leaves us with cornstarch — a white, chalky powder that has a variety of uses in the kitchen. It is most commonly used as a thickener for sauces and stews. What Is Cornstarch Used For? Cornstarch is primarily used as a thickening agent. It’s made up of a long chain of starch molecules that will unravel and swell when heated in the presence of moisture. This swelling, or gelatinization, is what causes thickening. While thickening soups, stews, sauces, or custards, is what cornstarch is famous for, there’s a lot more you can do with this kitchen pantry staple. What Can I Use Instead of Cornstarch? If you ran out of cornstarch (it happens), don’t worry about your sauces and stews. You can still thicken them by substituting a few other pantry staples: All-Purpose Flour: This flour contains about half the thickening power of cornstarch, so for every tablespoon of cornstarch required, you’ll need to use two tablespoons all-purpose flour. Rice Flour: Like all-purpose flour, rice flour also has half the thickening power of cornstarch, so you’re going to want to measure accordingly. Arrowroot Powder: If you happen to have this starch on hand, you’re in luck: it has the same thickening power as cornstarch. But one caveat about arrowroot — it doesn’t hold or reheat well. Potato Starch: Like arrowroot, the potato starch has strong thickening powder, but it doesn’t last long after cooking. Tapioca Starch: Tapioca is extracted from cassava, a root vegetable found throughout South America. It doesn’t have quite the thickening power of cornstarch, so for every tablespoon of cornstarch required, you’ll need to use two tablespoons tapioca starch. 7 Ways to Use Cornstarch While you know cornstarch as a thickening agent, this versatile kitchen helper goes even beyond the kitchen. Between a little crowd-sourcing here in the office and a little online research, I found some pretty unique uses for cornstarch. 1. Egg Substitute in Baked Goods Cornstarch is key in vegan baking, or anytime you don’t have an egg on hand: Mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of warm water and you have a great egg substitute in cookies, cakes, or breads. 2. Make Fluffy Omelets For fluffy omelets every time, mix a pinch of cornstarch with an egg, beat, and cook the omelet. 3. Make Crispy Waffles The starch powder may help you scrap the soggy waffles. It can be added to the waffle mix to get a really crispy waffle crust. 4. Mix With All-Purpose Flour When You Don’t Have Cake Flour No cake flour? No problem. Mixing cornstarch with a bit of all-purpose flour and baking powder can create this cake flour substitute when you’re in a pinch. 5. Thicken Sauces Okay, this one goes without saying. To thicken sauces and other liquids, mix a bit of cornstarch with cold broth or water in a small bowl to create what’s called a “slurry.” Then whisk the slurry into the liquid you want to thicken as it simmers. 6. Thicken Fruit Pie Fillings What’s the secret to a thick, almost gel-like pie filling? Cornstarch, of course. As the fruit cooks in pie, it releases juices. Without a little cornstarch, your pie would turn into a soupy mess. To avoid clumps, mix cornstarch with sugar before adding it to your filling. 7. Make Crispy Gluten-Free Fried Coatings Try using it to ‘bread’ chicken, shrimp, or tofu to get it crispy instead of the regular flour or breadcrumbs. The corn starch offers a gluten-free crispy coating on your meats and veggies just like that of your favorite take-out.
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Although small, sesame seeds are packed with nutrients such as healthy fats, protein, calcium, antioxidants and dietary fiber. The primary fats in the seeds are monounsaturated fatty acids called oleic acid. Oleic acid has been shown to lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and increase the HDL (“good”) cholesterol.
The seeds — which are available in a range of colors, including white, black, red and yellow — are sources of essential minerals such as calcium, iron, manganese, zinc, magnesium, selenium and copper. Did you know that ¼ cup of sesame seeds has more calcium (350mg) than an 8-ounce cup of milk (300mg)? The nutrients in sesame seeds are better absorbed if they are pulverized, but eating them whole is by no means unhealthy. Here are some simple ways to incorporate sesame seeds into your daily diet: 1. Sprinkle On Salads Sesame seeds are a crunchy, natural addition to any delicious salad, whether it’s Asian-inspired or any other kind. Simply sprinkle roasted or raw sesame seeds over a finished salad and enjoy! You can even complement their flavor with sesame dressing. 2. Whip up a Stir-Fry Adding a crunch and nutrients to any stir-fry dish, sesame seeds are a staple in Asian food. Create your own take on Asian texture and flavor by stir-frying sesame seeds with your vegetables and meats or sprinkling them over your finished dish. 3. Bake Into Bread Planning to make a homemade sweet or savory loaf? Throw some mixed seeds — including sesame seeds — into your dough to spice up your texture, add extra flavor and pack your bread with nutrients. 4. Use as a Healthy Breading Alternative Next time you’re reaching for the breadcrumbs to coat your friend fish or chicken, try covering your meat with sesame seeds and dry-frying it instead! It’s healthy and delicious. 5. Cook Sesame Balls Looking for a delightful, Asian-inspired treat featuring sesame seeds? Try this Chinese classic: 3 cups rice flour 2 1/2 slabs brown candy 1 cup sweetened red bean paste 2 quarts vegetable oil 1 cup white sesame seeds Dissolve brown candy in a cup of boiling water and let cool overnight. Mix the candy water and rice flour until smooth but sticky. Then, roll the dough into a rope and cut into 24 pieces, forming each one into a ball and flattening it. Use your fingers to make the round pieces into cups, then fill each one with a teaspoon of the red bean paste. Close the dough over the filling, seal well and roll into balls, then cover each ball in sesame seeds. Fry in a pot of boiling vegetable oil for six to eight minutes until the balls float. Serve warm. 6. Make Sesame Milk Did you know you can make your own sesame milk to use in recipes? All you need is: 2 cups of water 1 cup of sesame seeds Soak the sesame seeds in water overnight, then blend the mixture in a food processor until smooth. You can drink sesame milk plain or add it to your recipes! 7. Prepare Tahini Tahini is a favorite Middle-Eastern paste or spread used in hummus and Mediterranean cuisine, and you can use sesame seeds to make your own. Here’s how: 1 cup of hulled sesame seeds 2 to 4 tbsp. of canola oil or another neutral-flavored oil Pinch of salt First, toast the sesame seeds in a dry saucepan over medium-low for three to five minutes until fragrant and still light, stirring constantly. Next, add your seeds to a food processor and process until they blend into a slightly crumbly paste. Add your oil and process for two to three more minutes, occasionally stopping to check the consistency and scrape out the bottoms and sides of the processor. Add salt to taste. Your tahini should be smooth and slightly runny. Buy Your Sesame Seeds at HL Agro Products When it comes to sesame seed recipes and other ways to eat sesame seeds, HL Agro has the most natural, high-quality ingredients to incorporate into food formulations. All-natural, raw Hulled Sesame seeds from HL Agro Products are perfect for making Tahini, Hummus, Halvah, or as a garnish for bread, stir-fries and salads. Browse our sesame seeds and book your batch today. |
AuthorH.L. Agro Products is a noted manufacturer & exporter of sesame seeds, corn starch & corn derivative products from India.. Archives
July 2021
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