Corn flour

corblimey

By coincidence, both the meals I'm making this weekend use corn flour, but in very different ways. Yesterday I made Kung Pao chicken which had me sprinkling corn flour on the raw chicken after chopping it up. Today, I'm doing goulash, which includes the instruction to mix it up with some water and apply it towards the end of cooking.

I understand corn flour thickens up a dish, but why the 2 different methods of using it? Also, what's the difference between using it and just cooking a dish a little longer?

Mellor

In the first you are giving a coating the chicken, the second you are thickening a sauce.

As for why use it instead of cooking longer.
Well, it's a completely different process for a fifferent purpose. By cooking longer, you reduce a sauce. This removes water and increases flavour and often thickens a sauce as this is a higher liquid to solid ratio.
But you don't always desire a stronger flavour. Sometimes the flavour is fine and you only wish to thicken it. so you add a neutral thickener like flour, corn flour, guar gum etc.
Also, not every liquid thickens by reduction. Sauces made up of mostly liquid ingredients will get stronger, but still remain mostly liquid. Which is why adding a fine solid like flour works better.

At least that's my understanding of it.

vic20

Check out velveting chicken.
http://chinesefood.about.com/od/cookingtechniques/f/velvetchicken.htm

EZ24GET

corn flour ( which I assume is what we call cornstarch)Makes a lighter crisper batter for deep frying than wheat flour and twice as much wheat flour is needed to get the same degree of thickening as corn starch. also cornstarch will result in a clear thickening if used with water when cooking, when using as thicking for fruit desserts and jelly type sauces.

rubadub

I love cornflour on stir fried chicken. It results in less spitting than otherwise watery chicken would as it hits the pan. I mix in some dried garlic flour and chilli powder with mine. I leave them sit for a while and the moisture is drawn from the chicken more and forms a better coating on the chicken.

I find cornflour more forgiving than wheat flour, e.g. if it is not cooked for long enough the wheat flour batters/coatings can taste more "raw" while the cornflour seems to be fine if only cooked for seconds.

digitaldr

I have to say that I've kinda gone off corn flour - I think it can lead to gloopy sauces. One of the reasons I now prefer Thai to Chinese

EZ24GET

I don't know what you mean by "gloopy"

vic20

Did you ever use wallpaper paste? That's "gloopy"

EZ24GET wrote: »

I don't know what you mean by "gloopy"

EZ24GET

wallpaper paste is made with wheat flour I usually get a thinner sauce with corn starch. Not good for making a roux though or browning in the pan drippings. Must be mixed with liquid. So what do you use to thicken a sauce?

vic20

Arrowroot :P

It depends on what I'm cooking...I'd use cornflour (corn starch) to thicken an Irish stew and Oriental dishes but either roux (white or brown depending on the dish) or beurre manié for the rest.
carrageen moss is in my cupboard too.

EZ24GET wrote: »

wallpaper paste is made with wheat flour I usually get a thinner sauce with corn starch. Not good for making a roux though or browning in the pan drippings. Must be mixed with liquid. So what do you use to thicken a sauce?

EZ24GET

I don't think they even sell carrageen moss here. I might be able to get it at the health food store (30 miles away) or Jungle Jims (a wonderful international foods store but about 60 miles from me)
Arrowroot I have heard of but have never used, I am going to have to broaden my horizons and try something new,

huskerdu

I have been told that agar is a great way of thickening sauces. I would love to try it.

Has anyone tried it, or know where I can get some ?

Thanks,

rubadub

huskerdu wrote: »

I have been told that agar is a great way of thickening sauces. I would love to try it.

You can get it in asian supermarkets. Its a packet of flakes usually. It is an alternative to gelatin, also used by vegans because of this. It stays solid at room temp while gelatin would be liquid. For this reason it is used in biology labs on those glass petri dishes they streak with bacteria. They dilute nutrients in water and add agar and have a gel base to grow stuff on, which can be dissected.

But agar will be liquid above a certain temp, so I do not think it is really used to thicken hot sauces, more for desserts. It is a bit expensive too.

vic20

As rubadub said it's only for cold dishes and it is expensive.
AFAIR I paid about €7 for a 28g packet of flakes in my local health food shop. (One tablespoon of flakes per cup of liquid.)
Not something I'll buy again.

huskerdu wrote: »

I have been told that agar is a great way of thickening sauces. I would love to try it.

Has anyone tried it, or know where I can get some ?

Thanks,

huskerdu

Thanks.
Heston Blumenthal has a recipe for Chicken pie and he uses agar to thicken the sauce. Even without the agar, its a fab recipe. I was thinking of trying it with the agar some time.

He makes a jelly with the agar then liquidises into the sauce.

Magic Monkey

vic20 wrote: »

As rubadub said it's only for cold dishes and it is expensive.
AFAIR I paid about €7 for a 28g packet of flakes in my local health food shop. (One tablespoon of flakes per cup of liquid.)
Not something I'll buy again.

Most asian shops will stock the thai "Telephone Brand Agar-Agar Powder," a 25g packet costs around €0.90. Avoid health food shops for agar-agar, especially the flakes; they're overpriced.

If anyone is interested in various thickening/gelling agents, I recommend "Texture," it includes detailed information and various recipes, really good reference.

vic20

(banging head on table!):mad:
Thanks for the info.

Magic Monkey wrote: »

Most asian shops will stock the thai "Telephone Brand Agar-Agar Powder," a 25g packet costs around €0.90. Avoid health food shops for agar-agar, especially the flakes; they're overpriced.

If anyone is interested in various thickening/gelling agents, I recommend "Texture," it includes detailed information and various recipes, really good reference.

Minder

EZ24GET wrote: »

wallpaper paste is made with wheat flour I usually get a thinner sauce with corn starch. Not good for making a roux though or browning in the pan drippings. Must be mixed with liquid. So what do you use to thicken a sauce?

Xanthan Gum. Now available as a dough additive in larger supermarkets, it can be used to thicken sauces. White powder with no taste - a little goes a long way.