Cornflour

Cornflour (cornstarch) is a fine, white powder milled from corn and used to thicken custards and in desserts such as blancmange. Cornflour must be slaked into a liquid first mixed with a small amount of cold water) before it is heated. Pure cornflour contains no protein (gluten) and, unlike flour, when it is cooked it will turn clear. Sauces made with cornflour will begin to thin again if cooked for too long. Some types of cornflour are milled from wheat and are labelled as ‘wheaten cornflour’ to prevent confusion. Pure cornflour has a stronger thickening power and produces a smoother liquid than wheaten cornflour.