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Add potato starch to your stir-fry and, in a matter of seconds, watch a loose sauce transform into a thick, burbling glaze. But the magic doesn’t end there: Potato starch also has the ability to give any number of proteins, likechicken andtofu, a crispy coating. It can also be kneaded into a noodle dough for bouncy, nearly translucentLoh Shi Fun. This humble starch knows no bounds.
While there are countlesstypes of starch out there—including cornstarch, tapioca starch, and more—potato starch in particular yields the crispiest potato pancakes andcrackly-coated calamari. But what exactlyis potato starch, and where do its magical powers come from? And how can you make the most of it in your cooking? Let’s find out.
What is potato starch?
If you’ve ever grated a pound of potatoes—say, for latkes—and soaked them in water until you’re ready to fry, you may have noticed some white, powdery stuff sinking to the bottom of the bowl. That, my friends, is pure potato starch. Do not dump it down the drain. When you’re ready to fry, incorporate the potato starch your spuds have shedback into the grated potato mixture to yield the crispiest fritters.
But you probably don't have time to grate and soak and strain a pile of potatoes every time you need some starch. (Do you?) It's easier to buy a bag of potato starch at the grocery store.Commercially available potato starch is produced in a similar way, just on a much larger scale: First, the potatoes are crushed to release their natural starches. Then the starch is dried to make the hardworking powder you’ll find in the baking aisle.
Bob's Red Mill Potato Starch
Potato starch vs. cornstarch
When used as a thickener, potato starch functions similarly to cornstarch. Often incorporated into dishes in the form of aslurry (starch dissolved in cold water), the potato starch particles swell and gelatinize, thickening sauces,puddings, custards, and more. But a few particular properties give potato starch an edge over its corny counterpart.
Potato starch has a lower gelatinization temperature thancornstarch, meaning it can thicken liquids faster when exposed to heat.If not fully cooked, cornstarch tends to leave behind residual, well, starchiness, whereaspotato starchgives sauces a glossier, silkier texture. Potato starch can be used as a 1:1 substitute for cornstarch in just about any recipe: Use it in a dry dredge to givemasala fried chicken a crispy shell, or add it to doughs or batters for snappier cookies and more tender baked goods.
Potato starch vs. potato flour
Though potato starch and potato flour might sound similar, these two ingredients are not interchangeable.
“Potato starch is the by-product of washed and peeled raw potatoes, dried into a very fine, white powder,” says cookbook authorHetty Lui McKinnon. Potato flour, on the other hand, is made from cooked potatoes, which are then dried and ground to a fine beige powder. As the potatoes cook, they release some of their starch, which gives potato flour a drier texture. “Potato flour is used more in baking, as a substitute for wheat flour,” says McKinnon.
