What is the difference between cornstarch and starch? Which is better? How to tell the difference?

In fact, in many cases, cornstarch and starch refer to the same type of condiments for cooking, but they are called differently depending on the region. But strictly speaking, there is still a certain difference between cornstarch and starch in terms of production materials. If you pay attention when you read the recipes, you will find that cornstarch generally appears in Hong Kong and Taiwan recipes.

It refers to an ingredient used to starch and thicken. The cornstarch used in cooking in Hong Kong is generally made from corn flour, while Taiwanese generally prefer to use too white flour. The role of cornstarch in Hong Kong and Taiwanese cuisine is to increase the smooth taste of food and soften the meat.

In addition, cornstarch can also be used to make cold noodles and pancakes. The name starch is generally found in Chinese food. And the starch used in different regions is also different, for example, the starch in Sichuan cuisine is made of sweet potato starch, and in Shandong cuisine, corn starch is used as a thickened starch.

In Chinese food, some starch is generally used when stir-frying, and the function is to thicken and starch. When a dish is almost cooked, you can pour the mixed starch juice into the pot and stir-fry it slightly to enhance the color and taste of the dish. In addition to the different names, another difference between cornstarch and starch is that their materials are different.

The materials of corn starch are generally potato flour and corn flour, while there are many starch materials, such as sweet potato flour, arrowroot flour, tapioca flour and so on. Corn starch is mostly made from potato flour and corn flour. Their biggest feature is that they have a delicate texture and white color, but their water absorption is relatively poor, and they are not as good as the starch made of sweet potato flour in terms of sizing and thickening.

When we cook food, we will often use cornstarch and starch, but there are many people who can't tell how to use it, and the result will cause the phenomenon of "overturning" when we make food, in fact, the cornstarch we use to cook food is also a kind of starch, so cornstarch can also be said to be starch, because most of our cornstarch is made of corn starch, and in real life, what we generally call starch is potato starch. Therefore, the two are not the same, and there are the following differences:

Difference 1: cornstarch is commonly used in the thickening of food, so that the food has a smooth taste, and can also be used to soften the meat to make the meat more tender, while starch here refers to potato starch, which is mostly used as a thickener for food, mostly used in the wrapping of fried food, and some baked goods, which can keep food moist.

Difference 2: The expansion and water absorption capacity of cornstarch and starch, if you want to compare, the starch is stronger, so the use of starch in fried food has a better effect, especially when frying meat products, it can make meat products more compact, elastic, and tender and palatable.

Difference 3: Meat products with added starch can be stored for a long time and have better water retention when refrigerated at low temperatures, while cornstarch is much worse in this aspect, so cornstarch is mostly used as an ingredient for meals.

Difference 4: The gelatinization temperature of starch is low, which can reduce the loss of nutrients and flavor caused by high temperature. However, cornstarch does not have such an effect, so cornstarch is mostly used after food thickening, and when it comes out of the pot, the thickened cornstarch is poured into the pot, so that the soup we make dishes becomes thicker, and the adhesion of other raw materials on the food is increased, so that the powderiness of the soup of the dish is also improved. Therefore, cornstarch still changes the flavor of food to a certain extent.

Difference 5: The starch has high transparency and mild odor, which can give other sauces a good appearance, and the starch will not cover the taste of the original food. Cornstarch, on the other hand, does not have these characteristics.

The above five differences show that cornstarch and starch are still different, only by understanding the specific uses of cornstarch and starch can we cook better and more delicious food, and no longer be stupid to confuse cornstarch and starch. In daily life, it is only said that fried food should be thickened, starched, pasted, and used as dry powder, and starch should be used if it is fried food.

Cornstarch and starch are made from different raw materials. The raw material of starch is extracted from some ingredients with high sugar content, such as corn, potatoes, and kudzu, and it is a processed powder. Cornstarch, on the other hand, is generally made from corn or potatoes and is an unprocessed raw material.

If you pay close attention, you will find that the instructions on the packaging bag of corn starch usually have the ingredients written on it.

Cornstarch is not the same as starch, cornstarch is generally made from potato flour or corn flour, while starch is generally made from sweet potato flour, tapioca flour or arrowroot flour, but both are generally used to thicken when making food.

It's not the same. The cornstarch will be more delicate to the touch and whiter in color. In addition, starch is used to thicken, while cornstarch and water are thicker when fused together, making it less suitable for cooking.

Cornstarch is generally made of corn and potatoes as raw materials, which is not processed raw materials, and on the packaging, the ingredient list will be written with corn starch or potato starch, which is mainly made of sweet potatoes, kudzu, cassava and other potato foods with high polysaccharide content. So, to put it simply, cornstarch is actually starch, but starch is not necessarily cornstarch.

Cornstarch and starch are not the same, cornstarch is also known as soybean flour! His powder is more delicate and white, which can be used as a seasoning for stir-frying, as well as cold powder, and starch can be used to make alcohol, dextrin, etc.

Answer, difference 1, ingredients Cheng flour is flour extracted from the gluten removed, and the ingredient is wheat. Corn flour is a starch extracted from corn kernels. The corn starch used in mainland China is potato flour, the corn flour used in Hong Kong is corn flour, and the corn starch used in Taiwan is tai white flour, which is made from potatoes or cassava.

2. Uses Flour is generally used to make pastries, which can be used to make various snacks such as shrimp dumplings, flour fruit, rice rolls, etc. Corn flour is used to thicken soups and gel when preparing pastry batter. It is also used as an anti-binder in powdered white sugar, and can also be used as a coagulant for foods such as pudding.

It is also used as an additive when making biscuits to improve the fluffiness of the internal tissue. Cornstarch is generally used to thicken and as one of the marinades to soften meat. It can be used as a seasoning for stir-frying, as well as cold powder, and can also be used to spread pancakes.

It is mainly used for sizing and thickening meat raw materials during processing. 2. Commonly known as 1, Chengcheng flour (Chengmen) is also known as wheat Chengmen. 2. Corn flour, also known as corn flour, corn starch, corn flour, corn flour, and some places call it soybean flour.

3. Cornstarch does not specifically refer to any kind of starch, but mostly refers to tapioca starch. Cornstarch is a noun that often appears in mainland recipes and Hong Kong-style recipes, and is mostly used to hook it. The corn flour used in mainland China and Hong Kong is corn flour, while the flour commonly used in Taiwan is too white flour.

In Chinese cooking, cornstarch is not only used to give food a smooth texture, but also commonly used as one of the marinades to soften meat. 3. Cornstarch is not the usual noodles, and the ingredients in it are different.

1. Different raw materials: cornstarch is generally made of potatoes through complex production processes. Starch is made from fruits and vegetables with a high starch content, such as corn, sweet potatoes or tapioca flour.

2. Different ways of use: The consumption of cornstarch is generally carried after cooking, like thickening in dishes, and it is generally used at the last time. Starch is used before cooking or baking, and it is mixed together, just like baking is mixing starch with other ingredients to be used and then doing it.

3. Different storage methods: The storage method of cornstarch is normal indoor storage. Starch needs to be sealed and preserved, because it has strong water absorption, and oranges will be damp when exposed to the air for a long time.

1. The difference between starch and cornstarch: cornstarch (i.e., too white flour), also known as soybean flour, is made of broad beans or water chestnuts. Cornstarch has a wide range of uses, such as seasoning for stir-frying, cold powder, and pancakes.

It is mainly used for sizing and arrears in the processing of meat raw materials. In Chinese food, it refers to starch, which is used for thickening and sizing when stir-frying, and there are many kinds of starch, such as sweet potato starch, soybean flour used in Sichuan cuisine, and corn starch. Cornstarch is starch, which can be used in many varieties, generally referring to cornstarch.

2. Starch is a polymer of glucose, which is hydrolyzed to the disaccharide stage as maltose, and glucose is obtained after complete hydrolysis. There are two types of starches: amylose and amylopectin. Amylose contains hundreds of glucose units, and amylopectin contains thousands of glucose units.

Among the natural starches, the amylose accounts for about 22 26, it is soluble, and the rest is amylopectin. When tested with an iodine solution, the amylose solution appears blue, while amylopectin turns reddish-brown when it comes into contact with iodine.

3. Starch is the nutrients stored in the plant body, existing in seeds and tubers, the starch content in all kinds of plants is higher, rice contains 62 86 starch, wheat contains 57 75 starch, maize contains 65 72 starch, and potatoes contain 12 14 starch. Starch is an important part of food, and it feels a little sweet when chewing rice, etc., because amylase in saliva hydrolyzes starch into simple sugars. After food enters the gastrointestinal tract, it can also be hydrolyzed by amylase secreted by the pancreas, and the glucose formed is absorbed by the wall of the small intestine and becomes a nutrient for human tissues.

Partial hydrolysis of amylopectin produces a mixture called dextrin. Dextrin is mainly used as a food additive, glue, paste, and in the manufacture (finishing) of paper and textiles.

4. Types of starch:

The starch used for thickening, also known as dough powder, is a polysaccharide polymer formed by the condensation of multiple glucose molecules. The starch used in cooking mainly includes mung bean starch, potato starch, wheat starch, water chestnut starch, lotus root starch, corn starch, etc. Starch is insoluble in water, and when heated to 60 with water, it gelatinizes into a colloidal solution.

Thickening is to take advantage of this property of starch.

Mung bean starch: Mung bean starch is the best starch and is generally rarely used. It is made by soaking and grinding mung beans in water and then precipitating. The characteristics are: sticky feet, low water absorption, white and shiny color.

Potato starch: Potato starch is a starch commonly used in households, which is made by grinding potatoes, kneading and precipitating. The characteristics are: sticky enough, delicate texture, white color, luster is better than mung bean starch, but poor water absorption.

Wheat starch: Wheat starch is made by wheat bran after washing gluten and precipitating or making it from flour. The characteristics are: white color, but poor luster, the quality is not as good as potato flour, and it is easy to precipitate after thickening.

Sweet potato starch: Sweet potato starch is characterized by strong water absorption, but poor viscosity, dull, dark red with black color, made of fresh potatoes ground, kneaded and washed, and precipitated.

In addition, there are corn starch, water chestnut starch, lotus root starch, water chestnut starch, etc.

OneCornstarch and starch are kitchen seasonings that we often use when cooking, mainly used to make soups, thickening, pickling, etc., but there are many people who mistakenly think that they are the same thing, in fact, the difference and use of cornstarch and starch are completely different. Starch is mainly made from sweet potatoes, kudzu, cassava and other potato foods with high polysaccharide content. It belongs to the flour that has been processed, and the corn starch is generally made of corn and potatoes as raw materials, which is not processed raw materials, and on its packaging, the ingredient list will say corn starch or potato starch, so in short, corn starch is actually starch, but starch is not necessarily corn starch.

IIStarch is a general term, and cornstarch can only replace some of the starch names, such as common corn starch and potato starch, but other types of starch such as mung bean starch, sweet potato starch, pea starch and broad bean starch, etc., these generally cannot be replaced by cornstarch. For example, when thickening, we usually use starch water, and the corn starch used in this starch water is actually cornstarch, and we mainly use thickening when making meat delicacies such as fish-flavored shredded pork, sweet and sour loin, fried shredded pork and boiled pork slices. The purpose of thickening is to thicken the soup to lock in the nutrition and taste of the dish.

IIINext, let's talk about making the batter. Usually before we make fried food, we generally use starch to wrap the food, the main purpose is to lock in the umami of the food itself, in addition, it can also make the food more crispy. Tapioca starch and sweet potato starch, on the other hand, have coarser particles and stronger water absorption, which can make fried food drier.

At the same time, it can also make the skin of the food more crispy, without excess moistness, such starch is generally used to hang more paste, and usually when making soup porridge food, if we want to make the soup thicker, we generally have to add a little starch to the pot, that is, water starch to thicken.

FourthThe starch does not dissolve easily in cold water, but when heated, it becomes a paste, so it thickens the soup. The water absorption of cornstarch is not as good as that of starch, so cornstarch cannot be used to cook soup. Finally, let's talk about pickling, and when pickling, we can use cornstarch.

Cornstarch can make the marinated meat more tender, and at the same time, it can also lock in the nutrition and umami of the meat, so that the texture of the fried meat will be more tender. When we cook different dishes, we should use different powders, don't get confused, if you get it wrong, it will ruin the taste of the dish, you must remember.

Summary:The above is the difference between starch and cornstarch, in general, starch is suitable for thickening, and in making fried food for paste, and cornstarch is generally used to marinate meat, in addition, cornstarch can not be used as starch, if you are cornstarch or potato starch, you can use it as cornstarch. Have you learned?