Cornflour is the magic ingredient for thickening sauces without changing the flavour! Using cornflour (or corn starch) is one of the favourite tricks of the traditional home cook.
What does cornflour do?
Cornflour (known as corn starch in the United States), is an oft underrated kitchen essential, and invaluable for easily thickening sauces, gravies, soups, and desserts, and can transform your cooking.
This gluten-free ingredient is your go-to for almost magically transforming thin liquids into velvety smooth, rich, thick sauces, with an enviable glossy appearance, without altering their colour or flavour.
If you’re dealing with a watery sauce or a thin soup, cornflour is you best friend for almost magical thickening. It truly is kitchen alchemy!
Here is everything you need to know about how to use cornflour to perfectly thicken different types of dishes!
What can you thicken with cornflour?
- Sauces and gravies – cornflour is perfect to make a thick lump free finish, with no need to make a roux. Try it in my hot cheese dip.
- Asian dishes – cornflour is my go to when making a thick rich glossy sauce. Try it in my sweet and sour turkey.
- Soups and stews – Cornflour is one of many ways that you can use to thicken soup, it is also a go-to in slow cooker stews that need thickening like my slow cooker chicken curry.
- Puddings and pie fillings – cornflour thickens my power blender custard, and also gives a smooth thick glossy sauce for fruit compotes like a blueberry compote.
What is cornflour? What’s it made from?
Cornflour (or corn starch in the US) is made of the starch from maize or corn that comes from the endosperm of the kernel.
What the British call cornflour, Americans know as corn starch, while in North America cornflour (or corn flour) is used for cornmeal, the coarse maize flour used in corn bread. Which us Brits also call polenta!
Cornflour is mainly used to change the texture of food; it does have a few other uses for both cooking & cleaning, but it’s powers of thickening is the number one reason to have some in the cupboard.
It is the easiest way to quickly thicken a liquid, without adding flavour, colour, opaqueness, and without having to precook it.
How to thicken with cornflour
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to use cornflour effectively to thicken your dishes.
Step One – Prepare the “slurry” – by mixing equal parts of cornflour and cold water in a small bowl.
Cold water will help prevent the cornflour clumping and will ensure a smooth consistency, although you can use also liquid from the dish you want to thicken.
I start with 2 tsp of cornflour for around 4 cups of liquid.
Step 2 – Mix until smooth – Stir until the cornflour and water are completely smooth without any lumps.
It is really important to remove the lumps at this stage.
Step 3 – Add to your dish – Pour the slurry into your hot dish, stirring all the time. Adding slowly and stirring constantly will ensure you distribute the thickener evenly and prevent any clumps whether it be a sauce, stew, gravy or soup.
Step 4 – Heat to thicken – Slowly bring the dish up to a simmer, as the cornflour needs heat to activate and thicken.
Cook for a couple of minutes, this will allow maximum thickening, the white slurry to turn clear, and to get rid of any residual taste of the cornflour.
Step 5 – Adjust if needed – If you need to thicken more, prepare more slurry and repeat.
Tips for Perfect Thickening
- NEVER is add the dry cornflour straight into the hot dish, as you will never get the lumps out.
- Mix the slurry properly – it is really important to mix the slurry properly before you add to the dish, with a ratio of 1:1 cornflour to liquid by volume. I find that at this stage it does not matter if you use the hot liquid from the dish or cold water PROVIDED you mix it properly
- Stir constantly as you add the slurry – this will prevent lumps and ensure the dish thickens evenly.
- Do not overheat – cornflour is an amazingly effective thickener, however over heating / cooking will cause it to break down and your dish will thin. Once you have the perfect thickness, reduce the heat.
- Go sparingly – too much cornflour can make the dish gummy, so go slow and repeat if needed.
Other uses for cornflour
Using cornflour for a crispy coating
When it comes to coating food for frying, cornflour gives a crisper result than ordinary wheat flour. Use it to get a delicious coating on dishes like salt and pepper prawns or crispy tofu.
Cornflour in confectionery
Cornflour is a traditional part of the coating for marshmallows which otherwise would be too sticky to handle.
Substitutes for cornflour
If the kitchen cupboard or the grocery shelves are bare, what can you use instead of cornflour?
It depends, of course, on what you want to do.
Plain or self raising flour which is in most kitchens and will thicken sauces, gravies, stews and soups, though you need twice as much flour as cornflour. You can also use it as a coating when frying, though it doesn’t give the same degree of crispness.
You can also use rice flour. Again, you will need to double the quantity, but like cornflour it is also gluten free. If you have glutinous rice flour (despite the name this is also gluten free) can be substituted on a 1:1 basis.
FAQs
Yes, cornflour is gluten free and therefore suitable for coeliacs. HOWEVER, as all those with coeliac disease know, cross contamination in the factory can be an issue, so do read the packet and check that it is suitable.
There is a difference between UK and US English on this one. UK cornflour is the same as US cornstarch or corn starch. In the US, cornflour can mean the same as corn meal, a coarse maize flour.
Yes, absolutely! To thicken a white sauce with cornflour, you mix a little cornflour with milk in the pan to form the slurry. Then add the rest of the milk, stir and heat.
Once you have a white sauce with a good consistency, you can melt cheese in or add herbs or other flavours.
I use a slightly different method as a short cut in this hot cheese dip, and find it works brilliantly.
Cornflour will usually last many months past the best before date as long as you store it in a sealed container in a cool, dry place. If moisture or mites get into the container, then you must discard it.
How to Thicken With Cornflour
Ingredients
- 2 tsp Cornflour / Corn starch
Instructions
- Prepare a "slurry" – by mixing equal parts of cornflour and cold water in a small bowl. For moderate thickening start with 2 tsp of cornflour per 4 cups of liquid.
- Mix until smooth – Stir until the cornflour and water are completely smooth without any lumps.
- Add to your dish – Pour the slurry into your hot dish, stirring all the time. Adding slowly and stirring constantly will ensure you distribute the thickener evenly and prevent any clumps whether it be a sauce, stew, gravy or soup.
- Heat to thicken – Slowly bring the dish up to a simmer, as the cornflour needs heat to activate and thicken.Cook for a couple of minutes, this will allow maximum thickening, the white slurry to turn clear, and to get rid of any residual taste of the cornflour.
- Adjust if needed – If you need to thicken more, prepare more slurry and repeat.
Notes
- NEVER is add the dry cornflour straight into the hot dish, as you will never get the lumps out.
- Mix the slurry properly – it is really important to mix the slurry properly before you add to the dish, with a ratio of 1:1 cornflour to liquid by volume. I find that at this stage it does not matter if you use the hot liquid fro the dish or cold water PROVIDED you mix it properly
- Stir constantly as you add the slurry – this will prevent lumps and ensure the dish thickens evenly.
- Do not overheat – cornflour is an amazingly effective thickener, however over heating / cooking will cause it to break down and your dish will thin. Once you have the perfect thickness, reduce the heat.
- Go sparingly – too much cornflour can make the dish gummy, so go slow and repeat if needed.
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