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Cornflour is a very important part of the kitchen and is a must-have for people who bake very often. The thickening properties of cornflour are already very well-known, but there is more to cornflour than just being used as an outer coat. Cornflour is made from some ground corn kernels. These corn kernels come in the form of very fine particles that are mostly made from the yellow dent corn variety that is first dried before being made into flour.
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Generally, metal rollers are used to turn corn kernels into fine flour that makes cornflour. A lesser-known variety of corn flour is the whole green cornflour, which is comparatively rare to find. This variety is considered more fibrous and nutritious but has a brief shelf life, which is why it is not as popular. Here are some of the top culinary uses of cornflour that everyone must know.
* Crafting Desserts
Cornflour has a very luscious texture and can instantly enhance the texture of a particular dessert. One can use cornflour to fix different types of desserts like custard, puddings, cakes, fruit tarts, and other similar things. Not only does it help fix the texture of a dessert, but it is also quite useful in balancing sweetness in a particular dish. So, this can be a baker's secret weapon when things don't go as planned.
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* Bye Bye Lumps
The accumulation of lumps while making mixtures for desserts and even savoury dishes is pretty common. The process of dissolving these lumps can be extremely frustrating as sometimes there are quite a few of them. However, cornflour has special abilities that don't lead to the creation of any types of lumps in a mixture. Cornflour can be blended seamlessly in a mixture without having to continuously blend it to remove lumps. So, if one wants to improve the texture of their sauces and gravies and stay away from lump formation, then using cornflour is a great idea.
* For Marination
One of the most frequent uses of cornflour is for the marination of meat. Cornflour gives a very nice and sturdy outer coating to chicken that not only creates a fine texture but also helps ensure that the meat is cooked properly. Simply covering the meat with some cornflour from the outside and some crunchy particles like semolina or cornflakes can ensure that the chicken is juicy from the inside and crunchy and succulent from the outside. The best part is that this marinade made from cornflour doesn't even need a lot of time to be prepared.
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* Alternative For An Egg
Baking cakes and muffins without using an egg can be challenging as it helps give a fine text to the cake and makes it fluffy. However, using corn flour instead of an egg for baking vegan or vegetarian cakes is a wonderful option. One has to simply combine cornflour with some water to make a thick mixture. This mixture is going to have binding properties that are very similar to that of an egg. This fuss-free alternative to an egg is also very efficacious, and one can simply make egg-free desserts that have almost the same texture and taste.
* Gluten-Free Thickening Agent
People who suffer from gluten allergies have to choose what they eat very carefully. Cornflour is an excellent gluten-free flour that one can add to their food. It is an excellent thickening agent, so it allows one to enjoy sauces, stews and soupe without having to worry about one's allergies. The best part about using cornflour is that it gives an extremely delicious taste and texture to the food.
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* Frying
Most people think deep frying is a simple process and can be cracked easily. However, one has to be extremely careful while deep-frying a particular food as the food must be cooked perfectly soft from the inside and stay crunchy from the outside. The delicate particles of cornflower make the perfect outer coat for a snack that has to be deep-fried. One can use cornflour to cover seafood, vegetables, and other types of food that they want to deep fry.
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* Soft Omelettes
A lot of times, homemade omelettes have a very rubbery texture. In this case, adding a pinch of cornflour to the omelette mixture can make a world of difference. One will observe that the omelette tastes a lot better and has a soft texture after adding some cornflour to the mixture. Generally, omelettes become too rubbery because they are cooked at high temperatures. Cornstarch helps prevent the eggs from drying too fast, which is why the texture is enhanced.
