Using Arrowroot Powder

As I learn more and more about cooking from scratch and freezer cooking, I've found sauces and gravies of all types have become a regular part of my cooking routine. I love making canned cream of whatever substitutes and gravies from scratch. You can find a list of my basic recipe with tons of variations here. When I am not working on a dairy-based sauce however, arrowroot powder is my go to over cornstarch. (Note: Do not use arrowroot to thicken any dairy-based sauce as it will become very slimy and unappetizing.)

My results when using cornstarch are about 50/50, but the arrowroot powder results are more like 95/5. Sauces made with a paste of arrowroot powder and a splash of water turn out wonderfully thick and the clarity is incredible. Cornstarch always seemed to make my sauces look cloudy.

While arrowroot powder does cost more than cornstarch, I've found that I do not need to use as much as the label on the bottle requires. It states that 1 tablespoon of arrowroot will thicken 1 cup of liquid. I have been able to thicken as much as 3 cups of liquid with only a teaspoon of arrowroot powder just by turning the heat a little bit higher than necessary.

The other advantage of arrowroot powder is that it does not lose its integrity when frozen. Whereas sauces made with cornstarch tend to separate and not come back together when reheated, arrowroot powder sauces are just as good as when they were frozen.

You can find more Kitchen Tip Tuesday over at Tammy's Recipes.