How to replace starch in baked goods, cutlets and other dishes

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Use semolina, potatoes, plantain seeds, and other foods.

What is starch used for?

Starch is a special type of polysaccharide found in most green plants. Due to its ability to absorb water molecules in cooking, this substance is used as a universal thickener and stabilizer. It is made from rice, peas, potatoes, corn, barley, wheat, sweet potatoes, water chestnuts and many more crops.

Most often, you can find potato and corn starch in Russian stores. They are slightly different due to the structure of the granules. Potato starch is more viscous, but loses its properties over time, and corn starch makes dishes cloudy, but does not give a specific aftertaste. For this reason, the second is often put in delicate creams and desserts. But in most cases, the products are interchangeable. Instead of 1 part potato starch, use 1½ – 2 parts corn starch.

There is starch in every store. But if you're on a low-carb diet, have allergies, don't like the taste and texture of foods with this product, or just don't find starch at home, it's easy to replace.

How to replace starch in baked goods and desserts

In the test

Biscuit and other dough, which should rise during baking, supposedly becomes more airy and friable due to 1-2 tablespoons of starch. In fact, you can achieve the same result if you just beat the ingredients well, sift the flour and add baking powder to it.

They also put starch in the dough to hold the ingredients together. In this case, it can be replaced with regular eggs. Take one instead of a tablespoon.

For cottage cheese and vegetable fritters, use semolina and ground oatmeal. They will need 3 times the amount of starch stated in the prescription. The dough with such a change will have to be infused for 20-30 minutes.

If you choose to bake without any starchy foods, add 1 g of psyllium (psyllium seed powder) to the batter for every 45 ml of liquid. This tip can come in handy for people on the keto diet.

In cream and filling

You can use wheat or rice flour in the custard. Just measure them out for twice the amount of starch. Or, increase the number of eggs in the recipe: one instead of each teaspoon of powder.

For creams made without heating, use butter, cream cheese, whipped whites, and heavy cream. There is no universal proportion here. Add these foods until you are happy with the consistency. Remember to adjust the sweetness of the cream and let it freeze in the refrigerator for 30-40 minutes.

If you are afraid that the mass will fall off, use gelatin, agar-agar (1 teaspoon of any powder per 150-200 ml of liquid) or a special thickener for cream and sour cream. As a rule, one sachet weighing 8-10 g is needed for 200 ml.

When making pies from juicy fruits or berries, starch is used so that the filling does not leak out and soak the dough. This will not happen if you add to it instead of 1 tablespoon of starch:

• 2 tablespoons flour;
• 4-5 tablespoons of coconut flakes;
• 2-3 tablespoons of semolina;
• 2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds.

The filling with the last two ingredients should be allowed to brew for about 2 hours.

In jelly, puddings and other desserts

Now jelly is most often prepared from fruit juice or syrup and starch. But traditionally in Russia this dish was made on the basis of peas, ground oats or rye. Try one of these recipes.

Puddings and other semi-liquid desserts can be thickened with chia or ground flax seeds. But in this case, the dish will take several hours in the refrigerator. Take 2 tablespoons of seeds per 100-150 ml of milk or juice.

If you don't want your dessert to have a grainy texture, use gelatin and agar. In the first case, put 20 g of powder per liter of liquid, and in the second - 10-15 g.

You can also search online stores for more unusual supplements. To replace 2 tablespoons of starch, take:

• ¾ teaspoon guar gum;
• ⅔ teaspoon of glucomannan;
• 4 tablespoons tapioca or amaranth flour.

How to replace starch in hot dishes

In cutlets, meatballs and meatballs

Starch is added to minced meat dishes so that they do not fall apart during cooking. For the same purposes use:

• potatoes grated on a fine grater and slightly squeezed from juice or half a vegetable marrow;
• 1 tablespoon flour;
• 3-4 tablespoons of instant mashed potatoes;
• 1 egg;
• a slice of bread soaked in milk and squeezed;
• 2 tablespoons bread crumbs or bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons oatmeal, ground
• 3-4 tablespoons of grated cheese;
• 1 tablespoon semolina
• 3-4 tablespoons of boiled round grain rice.

This amount of food will be enough for 500-600 g of minced meat.

You can do without additives altogether. Just beat the minced meat thoroughly to make it thicker and get rid of air bubbles. It is because of them that cutlets, meatballs and meatballs fall apart. To do this, forcefully throw the mass into a bowl from a low height several times.

In soups

In oriental cuisine, soups are often thickened with fatty yogurt. This is how, for example, a Turkish yayla is prepared. If you decide to use this method, consider the acidity of the product, which is not suitable for every dish. Do not keep the pot on the fire for more than a couple of minutes after adding the yogurt to prevent curdling. Place about 100 g per liter of soup.

Fatty cream has the same properties, but is more resistant to temperature. 70-100 ml will be enough for 2 liters of broth.

Creamy and thick soup can be made by regular processed cheese. Just chop it up and dissolve it in the hot broth. One standard package weighing 90 g is enough for 1½ liters.

The protein, which is abundant in eggs, curdles when heated and can make the soup thicker. Beat the egg lightly and pour into the boiling broth before removing from heat.

If you don't like the look of the "cobweb" on the plate, make a dressing out of the eggs by mixing them thoroughly with part of a warm broth, such as in avgolemono or chikhirtma. One egg will thicken about 1½ liters of liquid.

In addition, almost all cereals contain starch. Just add a tablespoon of round-grain rice, buckwheat or millet for each liter of the dish 30-40 minutes before cooking. During this time, they will have time to boil down and make the soup thicker. If you are short on time, use the same amount of crushed cereals or flakes, they will cope with the task in 10-15 minutes of cooking.

Potatoes can also make the dish thicker. Grate the vegetable on a fine grater and add 5-10 minutes until tender. 1-2 medium tubers are enough for a 3-liter pot of soup.

How to replace starch in breading, batter and marinades

Breading and batter with starch are crisper and fluffier. For a similar effect, try making a batter with soda ice water. Or add whipped egg whites or baking powder to it. For batter, designed for 400-500 g of vegetables, meat or fish, take two eggs or 1 teaspoon of baking powder.

For breading, instead of starch, the same amount of rice or wheat flour, crackers (best Japanese pankos), instant mashed potatoes, chopped corn flakes or chips are perfect.

In many Chinese recipes, starch is used as an ingredient in chicken marinades. Its particles penetrate into the fibers, retain moisture inside the meat and make it very tender and juicy. This is how the famous kung pao chicken is prepared.

If there is no starch at home, add egg white to the marinade and rub it well into the meat. For 500 g of fillet, the protein of one large egg will be enough. Alternatively, add the same amount of poultry with 2 tablespoons of baking soda for 20-30 minutes, rinse, and then season.

How to replace starch in sauces

Some sauces can be thickened without adding additional ingredients. Just boil the dish to the desired consistency over low heat, without a lid. This technique works best with fruit and vegetable sauces. For example, with chutney or marinara.

Thickening the sauce is easy with plain flour. Take it 1½ to 2 times more than starch. So that the dish does not have a characteristic aftertaste, pre-fry the flour until golden brown and a light nutty aroma. For creamy sauces, it's best to do it in butter, and for other recipes, it's best to do it in a dry skillet.

If you need a not too thick sauce, add a piece of butter or cream, mix everything well with a whisk and cook for a few minutes. For 100-120 ml of liquid base, you will need about 30 g of butter or 50 ml of cream with a fat content of at least 20%.

Instead of a teaspoon of starch, you can use a handful of grated hard cheese. The main thing is to grind it as thin as possible and mix well with the rest of the ingredients. For a milder taste, replace hard cheese with soft and fatty types like mascarpone and Philadelphia. Enough 1-2 tablespoons.

In case the sauce comes out very thin without starch, try adding raw egg yolks to it. One will replace about 2 teaspoons of starch. Whisk the yolk with a fork with a little cooled sauce, add to the rest and heat slowly, stirring well. Be careful: the yolks curl very quickly, it is important to combine them with other components up to this point.