Applications of Starch in Food
Starch is an important reserve material in plants, widely موجود in various grains, tubers, and legumes. In food preparation, starch plays a significant role, and its applications can be mainly summarized as follows:
1. Modifying Food Texture
Starch can modify the texture of food, making it more viscous, smooth, or crispy. For example, adding starch when thickening can make the soup thicker and richer in taste; coating food with starch before frying can create a crispy shell on the surface.
2. Enhancing Food Flavor
Starch can absorb water and fat, helping food lock in moisture and nutrients, making it more tender and juicy. For example, adding starch when stir-frying can prevent food from overcooking; adding starch when marinating meat can make the meat more tender.
3. Enriching Food Color
Starch can make the color of food brighter and more attractive. For example, adding starch when making desserts can make the desserts appear晶莹剔透.
4. Making Various Foods
Starch is an important raw material for making various staple foods, desserts, and snacks. For example, starch can be used to make steamed buns, dumplings, noodles, dumplings, cakes, biscuits,粉絲etc.
Selection of Starch
Different types of starch have different properties, so different types of starch should be selected according to different needs in cooking.
- Cornstarch: Strong hygroscopicity, high viscosity, good transparency, suitable for thickening, sizing, battering and making desserts.
- Potato starch: High viscosity, good transparency, suitable for thickening and making puddings.
- Sweet potato starch: Low viscosity, suitable for making粉絲and vermicelli.
- Wheat starch: High gluten content, suitable for making pasta.
Precautions for Using Starch
- Starch should be dissolved in cold water before use to avoid agglomeration.
- When thickening, add the starch slurry slowly to the food, stirring constantly to prevent the sauce from being too thin or too thick.
- When sizing and battering, the starch slurry should be adjusted to a suitable consistency to avoid affecting the taste of the food.
Starch is an indispensable ingredient in food preparation. Mastering the uses and methods of using starch can help us make more delicious and attractive food.