Woman's Day Food Director Jennene Plummer answers your questions about all things food.
Question
"For thickening sauces, what is the difference between plain flour, cornflour and arrowroot?"
— Pam
Answer
Plain flour is usually used as the base for a sauce to form a roux (combination of butter and flour) to which milk or stock is added, stirred, and brought to the boil to thicken.
Cornflour is usually added in the form of a paste mixed with water to dishes at the end of the cooking time to thicken.
The same applies for arrowroot, but it is used when a clear sauce is required (such as for sweet and sour) as cornflour paste gives a cloudy end result.
