Potato Starch

Potato starch is a type of flour extremely healthy, it being low in fats and proteins. What is unique to potato starch is its manufacturing process which includes peeling off the potato skin, mashing it followed by slurry formation by mixing with water. The entire mixture is then dehydrated and processed to obtain a fine flour powder. The aim is to extract starch from the potatoes and hence named so. Potato starch can be used in lot many food recipes for thickening the gravy and sauces.

As I mentioned, potato starch is the same as potato starch flour because it is a dry white colored powder. Since the starch is totally removed from the potatoes, the flour is very easy to digest. This important application is useful for people suffering from gluten intolerance. Wheat flour or any flour made of grains is generally high in gluten content. Gluten is high molecular weight protein that is difficult to digest many times because of its ability to block the passage in the intestine. This leads to bowel discomfort and sufferers are recommended to use potato starch because it is completely gluten-free. For this reason, it can be considered an important constituent of the gluten intolerance diet. Apart from this, potato starch absorbs water very easily when cooked and thus excellent for baking recipes.

Recipe

Potato Starch Muffins
Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• ¾ cup potato starch
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Rind of lemon, grated

Procedure
Initially, you need to separate the egg yolk and egg whites in 2 different bowls. Then, take a large bowl into which add sugar and egg yolk. Mix them together until the mixture appears creamy. Add water, lemon rinds and the potato starch gradually and blend the mixture using a blender. Take another bowl to which add the egg white and salt and beat this mixture so that a froth is created. Now, when the 2 mixtures are ready, mix them together so that a thick batter is formed. Take the muffin cups and grease them with butter or oil. Pour in the batter in each cup and bake them at 350 degree F for about 15 minutes until they turn brownish. Your healthy muffins are ready to eat!

You are sure to get potato starch in the market but in case you don't, then you can use cornstarch, arrowroot starch, tapioca starch or kudzu powder as substitutes. However, most preferred is cornstarch.