Corn Starch

Let's talk about corn starch, friend. You're making a sauce, you stir in a spoonful, and suddenly thin liquid turns into something that coats a spoon and clings to it. Watch the pot: it goes from cloudy to glassy right before your eyes, and that's the moment you pull it off the heat.

Choose it by look: pure white, fine, almost like flour but silkier between your fingers. Rub a pinch — it should feel dry, pour freely and smoothly, with no lumps clinging together. If it smells musty or feels damp or packed, leave it on the shelf.

Now, some people say corn starch and wheat flour do the same job, so you can use them interchangeably in any amount. No! Spoon for spoon, corn starch thickens far more than flour does, and it turns glossy and clear in the pot, while flour stays cloudy and tastes raw unless you cook it longer. Believe that myth, and you'll dump in flour-sized spoonfuls, ending up with a sauce like wallpaper paste — thick, heavy and gummy on the tongue, tasting of nothing but starch. Use a light hand, stir it into a little cold water first, and add it slowly. You can always add more; you can't take it back out.