January 17th, 2010
Cornstarch Healthier Than Flour?
Anyone know if this is true? We were at an expo show yesterday and a waterless cookware demonstrator said making gravy with cornstarch was healthier than using flour. I never have used flour (unless desperate!) because my mom taught me how to make lump-free gravy using cornstarch. I can’t really make a decent gravy with flour. I use cornstarch for making LOTS of stuff thicker – I just love the consistency it gives. You can thicken puddings, gravies, sauces, and syrups with cornstarch. It’s one of my favorite kitchen pantry items.
But – as much as I love cornstarch, I’ve always assumed starch is starch, so I never thought of it as being healthier than flour. I would love to know if this is true or not!
Also – if any of you have any favorite recipes using cornstarch, I’d be happy to post them on here!
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January 18th, 2010 at 8:15 am
Actually, cornstarch and white flour are both bad for you. I use whole wheat flour as a healthier thickening option, but it does make things brown and adds a “nutty” flavor. This is OK for gravy, but takes some getting used to in things like mac & cheese. Arrowroot powder is a better alternative as it has an end product that is closer to cornstarch. I just use whole wheat because I have it on hand and my family doesn’t mind it.
January 18th, 2010 at 10:59 am
I have used arrowroot and it does work almost as well as cornstarch. Am I right in thinking it is derived from kudzu roots? I think I read that once. Anyway, I usually don’t use it because it is more expensive than cornstarch…and I’m a horrific cheapskate.
We do use whole wheat flour (I even have a Whispermill grinder which I love!)to make bread. I hadn’t thought of using it for thickening. I’ll have to try that sometime!
Thanks for the comment!