Various starches have almost the same function in our daily cooking, but they are quite different in taste, viscosity and water absorption. Let's talk about what starch is first. Starch is a kind of white and tasteless high molecular carbohydrate, which is polymerized by glucose molecules. Starch is also divided into amylose and amylopectin, which are slightly different: amylopectin is much more viscous than amylose, while amylose is more soluble than amylopectin.
Having said that, I think everyone must want to know the difference between various starches. Then let's talk about the uses of various starches in detail.
Chengfen, called wheat starch, also called Chengmian. After the flour is rinsed with water, the gluten and other substances are separated, and the rest is clear flour. The viscosity of Chengfen is higher than that of raw flour, but lower than that of cassava starch, but its transparency is very high, so it is suitable for making crystal shrimp dumplings, rice rolls and other foods.
Raw flour generally refers to corn starch in our place. Corn starch should be the most used starch in our cooking. It has low viscosity and average toughness, but it tastes crisp after frying, so corn starch is usually added to the hanging paste of fried food. Moreover, corn starch is very absorbent and can keep its shape after cooling, so it is often used in baking.
Therefore, when frying food, it is impossible to replace corn starch with other starches, and corn starch can also be used to thicken dishes.
Cassava starch is a kind of powder made from the rhizome of a plant called cassava, which is dehydrated and dried after starch extraction. Cassava starch has no taste, it is transparent after cooking, and it can remain soft and chewy after cooling, so it is suitable for making sticky and easy-to-cook foods, such as taro balls.
Pea starch is a good starch. It tastes crisp and has moderate hardness, but it is not as crisp and hard as corn starch. Its best use is to make bean jelly or bean jelly, and it is most suitable for frying crispy meat.
Mung bean starch is precipitated by soaking mung beans in water and grinding them. Mung bean starch is more expensive, less absorbent, white and shiny, and is most commonly used to make vermicelli. The vermicelli made of mung bean starch is almost the best vermicelli, which is extremely thin but not easy to break, and the taste is still very strong.
Too white powder, also known as potato starch, is starch made from raw potatoes. However, too white powder has poor water absorption, and when heated with water, it will condense into a transparent and sticky shape, so we often use it on the thickening of dishes. Mix the white powder with cold water, and then add it to the cooked dishes to make a tick, which will make the soup look thick and make the food look shiny. However, potato starch sizing and thickening are not as good as raw flour, and it is prone to aging reaction, which reduces the taste of dishes.