1, increase the viscosity and concentration of dish soup. When cooking many dishes, some soup or liquid condiments (such as soy sauce, vinegar and cooking wine) are added, and at the same time, some water overflows from the raw materials after heating, which becomes the soup of the dishes. These soups are too thin to adhere to the raw materials, which affects the taste. After thickening, the viscosity and concentration of the soup increase, which makes the soup and vegetables blend and taste delicious.
2. Protect vitamins. Glutathione is contained in starch, and the sulfhydryl group (-SH) in its structure has the function of protecting vitamin C. In addition, thickening can make the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients dissolved in the soup from the raw materials of the dishes adhere to the starch, so as not to waste the soup.
3. Keep the dishes crisp and tender. This effect is most obvious in stir-fried vegetables. For example, the characteristics of roasted vegetables are crispy outside and soft inside. If the sauce is not thickened, it will directly penetrate into the surface of the raw materials, which will soften the fried raw materials and destroy the effect of crispy outside and soft inside. After the sauce is thickened, the thickening juice wrapped on the surface of raw materials is not easy to penetrate because of the gelatinization of starch, and the flavor characteristics of dishes are maintained.
4. Increase the luster of dishes. After the dishes are thickened, the starch gelatinizes when heated to form a colloidal state, which can make the dishes more bright and clean.
5. Make the soup and vegetables blend and the main ingredients stand out. This effect is mainly manifested in the soup. Some soup dishes have more soup, and the umami flavor of the raw materials and the flavor of seasonings are dissolved in the soup, but the soup and vegetables are separated and cannot be blended together, so the soup is delicious and the food is light.
After thickening, due to the gelatinization of starch, the concentration of soup was increased, and the soup and vegetables were blended together, which not only increased the taste of vegetables, but also produced a soft, smooth and tender special flavor. After thickening, the soup became thicker, the buoyancy increased, and the main ingredients floated up and stood out, which changed the phenomenon that you can't see the dishes when you see the soup.
Extended data:
Starch is a nutrient stored in plants, which is stored in seeds and tubers. The starch content in all kinds of plants is high, including 62% ~ 86% in rice, 57% ~ 75% in wheat, 65% ~ 72% in maize and less than 20% in potato. Starch is an important part of food, and it feels a little sweet when chewing rice, etc. This is because salivary amylase in saliva hydrolyzes starch into disaccharide-maltose.
After food enters the small intestine, it can also be hydrolyzed by salivary amylase and intestinal juice secreted by the pancreas, and the formed glucose (monosaccharide) is absorbed by the villi of the small intestine and becomes a nutrient for human tissues and organs. Partial hydrolysis of amylopectin can produce a mixture called dextrin. Dextrin is mainly used as food additive, glue, paste, and in the manufacture (finishing) of paper and textiles.
The ignition point of starch is about 380℃. Starch not only plays an active and important role in cooking and seasoning, but also has a rich nutritional price. Starch is the most abundant carbohydrate in human diet. Starch is a polysaccharide based on glucose. Starch contains more than two components with different properties, and soluble starch that can be dissolved in hot water is called amylose; It can only swell in hot water, and the insoluble one is called amylopectin.
Starch is insoluble in cold water, but when heated to the boiling point with water, it will form a paste, commonly known as paste, which is also called gelatinization of starch. Thickening in cooking also makes use of the gelatinization of starch to make the dishes even. When starch is diluted, denatured starch is formed at first, and then dextrin soluble in water is formed. Starch can also produce dextrin at high N( 180-200'C), which is yellow.
What are the functions of people's network-thicken? Several simple methods of thickening
Baidu encyclopedia-starch