Corn starch, also known as maize starch, is a denser, courser powder made from the endosperm portion of the corn kernel. It yields a thick, non-clumpy, translucent consistency and a neutral flavor for the perfect stews, broths, or gravies.

Cornstarch is made from corn and only contains carbohydrates, so it is a gluten-free product. For this reason, cornstarch is an excellent gluten-free alternative to flour thickeners in gravy and sauce recipes. It's often preferred over flour as a thickener because the resulting gel is transparent, rather than opaque.

The most common use is being a thickening agent. It is a good thickener for soups, hot chocolate, pastry cream, ice cream, among others. Corn starch is also used in baked goods like brownies, bread, cakes and cookies as it adds more structure. Corn or maize starch helps to bind the ingredients in the recipe together, resulting in a light and chewy dessert. For cooking, it can be mixed with additives such as xanthan gum to emulate wheat flour in consistency.

Outside the culinary field, it is mainly used to give rigidity especially to the collars of shirts. It is also used in the preparation of wall paste, as well as in the production of talcum powder and for fighting skin chafing.

Related products and ideas

Make gluten free bread at home. You need: 1 cup corn starch, 1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour, 2/3 cups white sugar, 2 tbsp baking powder, 4 large eggs, 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, 1/3 cup sunflower oil, salt.

Preheat the oven. Whisk all dry ingredients in a large bowl until combined. Add wet ingredients until you get a homogeneous pale yellow batter (the batter will be rather liquid and have a pourable consistency). Transfer batter to a pan. Pour it into a previously-greased loaf pan. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Once the loaf is cool, slice and enjoy!