7 Ways To Use Cornstarch To Cook

Corn starch is great at absorbing moisture and it’s this property that makes it super useful! But because of this, it’s important to store it correctly. Keep it in air-tight container where it won’t be affected by ambient humidity. If you store it properly, your corn starch will keep indefinitely!

1. Thicken up a sauce

There are many ways to thicken up sauce – add a roux, egg yolk, or flour it and stir. But a quick way is to use a corn starch slurry. Simply mix corn starch with a little bit of water (or milk) and stir it into the sauce.

2. Get crispy chicken

Next time you want to make crispy breaded chicken or fish, try coating it with corn starch instead of flour. Corn starch absorbs more moisture and helps to prevent gluten formation – all of which help to make the meat crispier.

3. Prevent soggy pies

Runny fruit pies are a common problem for bakers. To prevent your fruit pie from becoming too soupy, coat the fruits in corn starch. This will absorb moisture as it is released by the fruits while cooking, preventing a watery pie!

4. Prevent rubbery omelets

To get perfectly fluffy omelets, try adding a pinch of corn starch to the eggs when beating it. Rubbery omelets are usually a result of the eggs cooking too fast – the egg proteins ‘seize up’, moisture is lost, and the eggs become tough. Corn starch protects the eggs from drying out too fast and from turning out too rubbery.

5. Vegan baking

Corn starch works great as an egg substitute in vegan baking. Use 1 Tbsp corn starch together with 3 Tbsp of warm water and whisk. This also works if you accidently run out of eggs!

6. Remove grease stains

Ever had an accidental grease splatter on your favorite top that you can’t seem to get rid of? Simply sprinkle the grease stain with a bit of corn starch and leave it to absorb the oil for about 15 minutes. Add water (enough to make a paste) and rub the stain. Rinse, and see the stain disappear right before your eyes!

7. Make kids crafts

Corn starch is a popular ingredient in kids’ craft items. Homemade slime – that has been trending everywhere on the internet – is made with corn starch. You can also make non-toxic finger paints for the kids. Mix ¼ cup corn starch with 2 cups of cold water. Bring the mixture to a boil until it becomes thick. Pour into a container and add food coloring!