What is starch? Starch is actually stored polysaccharide in cells in the form of starch granules during plant growth, which is rich in cereals, beans and potatoes. The commonly used starches in the kitchen are: sweet potato starch, corn starch, potato starch, mung bean starch, wheat starch and so on.
What are the functions of starch? Starch is very common in the kitchen. To sum up, it has three functions:
1. Sizing: water starch is adhered to the surface of the food, and a protective film is formed after heating at high temperature to keep moisture and nutrition from being lost. 2. Hanging paste: the surface of the ingredients is covered with starch paste. After frying, it not only forms a protective layer, but also achieves a crisp and tender taste. 3. Thickening: Using the gelatinization of starch at high temperature, the soup has a certain viscosity. Thickening has two functions: ①. Helping the dishes to taste and wrap the taste on the surface: the soup thickens to produce thickening effect, which makes the dishes more delicious. (2) Increase brightness: After gelatinization, starch has certain transparency, which makes dishes bright and moist, and can prevent evaporation and oxidation of water on the surface of dishes. After heating and gelatinizing, different starches produce different viscosities and glossiness, which will have different effects on the finished dishes. The following focuses on potato starch, corn starch and sweet potato starch:
● Potato starch: sticky enough, white in color, bright in luster, and delicate in texture. After gelatinization, it quickly reaches viscosity and has high transparency, which is very suitable for thickening and can ensure the original flavor of ingredients to the greatest extent.
● Corn starch: its viscosity is poor, although it is shiny, but it can't reach a certain viscosity after gelatinization. At this time, if the dosage is large, the transparency will be poor, and it is especially easy to leak when it is cooled. With the characteristics of corn starch, it is most suitable for hanging paste, and the finished product is crisp.
● Sweet potato starch: The viscosity is also poor, but it has strong water absorption, is easy to precipitate, and its color is dark. Although it has the ability to thicken, the finished product is not translucent.
Summary: Each starch has different characteristics and different functions. Both corn starch and sweet potato starch can be fried or sized. For example, sweet potato starch can be used to make crispy meat or to size fish fillets. But as far as thickening is concerned, potato starch is the most suitable of the three starches. When it comes to the use of potato starch, we have to mention the potato starch used in our hotel kitchen, which is not the same as that used in ordinary families. The dishes cooked in the hotel look brighter, but actually use "modified starch". To put it bluntly, modified starch is to change the properties of starch through chemical or physical methods to make it more in line with the requirements of our operators and make the finished dishes more stable, brighter and appetizing. This kind of starch is made from Dutch potato and other starches, and its price is much higher than that of ordinary potato starch.