Help with corn flour/cornstarch?

[Rachelanne]

thankyou so much for tracking me down thru my website. I can not wait to find out what you have discovered about these confusing starches esp. since there is so much miss-information out there. In fact I propose you write a book!

Hello, I have just signed up to Discuss Cooking due to your thread, I have the opposite problem, I live in the UK and find that US recipes involving Cornstarch don't turn out very well with the Cornflour that we use in the UK. Could you please clue me in on what you have learned regarding the difference in proportions required. I have a recipe for Turkish Delight that specifies cornstarch and I want to try and get it right

Many Thanks

 

[CWS4322]

Welcome to DC. I can't enlighten you, but I'm sure s/one will get on line soon with some information for you.

 

[Mslilypad]

Corn Starch Breakdown

Corn starch liquid used as thickening becomes thin from tasting the food and putting the spoon back into the food. Sometime you will notice soups thickened with corn starch gets thinner as you are eating it as does some creamed baby foods. That is caused from the enzymes in our bodies which transfer to the spoon are doing just what they are meant to do which is to digest and break down the food. Always use a clean spoon each time you taste and the problem will be solved.

 

[GotGarlic]

Corn starch liquid used as thickening becomes thin from tasting the food and putting the spoon back into the food. Sometime you will notice soups thickened with corn starch gets thinner as you are eating it as does some creamed baby foods. That is caused from the enzymes in our bodies which transfer to the spoon are doing just what they are meant to do which is to digest and break down the food. Always use a clean spoon each time you taste and the problem will be solved.

Welcome to DC. The enzymes (digestive juices) in our bodies are primarily in the stomach and further down in the GI tract, so they don't get transferred to spoons while eating.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Welcome to DC. The enzymes (digestive juices) in our bodies are primarily in the stomach and further down in the GI tract, so they don't get transferred to spoons while eating.

Sorry GG, digestion starts in the mouth with enzymes in saliva. Many people with digestion problems have a problem because of dry mouth. It's enzymatic action while digestion in the stomach is acid action.

Once in the intestines it's a combination of acid, base and enzymes, depending on where food is in the digestive tract.

 

[GotGarlic]

Sorry GG, digestion starts in the mouth with enzymes in saliva. Many people with digestion problems have a problem because of dry mouth. It's enzymatic action while digestion in the stomach is acid action.

Once in the intestines it's a combination of acid, base and enzymes, depending on where food is in the digestive tract.

I know - that's why I said primarily I meant to point out that it's not possible for enough enzymes to be transferred to the food by eating to affect its consistency.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I know - that's why I said primarily I meant to point out that it's not possible for enough enzymes to be transferred to the food by eating to affect its consistency.

We could do our own digestion show

 

[GotGarlic]

We could do our own digestion show

That would be fun! Anything with you would be fun! The only thing I don't like about Internet friends is that they usually live so far away.

 

[Mslilypad]

What you eat is important, but if you don’t digest it you don’t get the necessary nutrients from your foods. The most complicated foods for the body to digest are carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are any food that is not a fat or a protein and includes grains, beans, vegetables, and fruits, nuts, seeds, sugar, starches, herbs, spices, etc.

Carbohydrate digestion starts in the mouth when we chew our food. The salivary glands secrete mucus into the mouth, which lubricates the food prior to swallowing. Saliva contains the following enzymes:

Amylase is secreted from the parotid glands and breaks down carbohydrates
Protease is secreted from the submandibular glands and begins protein digestion Lipase is secreted from the sublingual (under the tongue) glands to initiate fat digestion.

 

[GotGarlic]

What you eat is important, but if you don’t digest it you don’t get the necessary nutrients from your foods. The most complicated foods for the body to digest are carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are any food that is not a fat or a protein and includes grains, beans, vegetables, and fruits, nuts, seeds, sugar, starches, herbs, spices, etc.

Carbohydrate digestion starts in the mouth when we chew our food. The salivary glands secrete mucus into the mouth, which lubricates the food prior to swallowing. Saliva contains the following enzymes:

Amylase is secreted from the parotid glands and breaks down carbohydrates
Protease is secreted from the submandibular glands and begins protein digestion Lipase is secreted from the sublingual (under the tongue) glands to initiate fat digestion.

All true. However, this doesn't mean that the enzymes end up in the food on your plate and start breaking it down before it reaches your mouth.

 

[GotGarlic]

Btw, when you copy and paste text from another site, it's good form to cite the source.