The ABC of Canned Bruit and Vegetable Labelling ,
Miscellaneous Publication No. 460, United States
Department of Agriculture.
A Fruit and Vegetable Buying Guide for Consumers.
Miscellaneous Publication No. 167, 1948. United
States Department of Agriculture.
Austin, C. P. Summary of Vitamin Retention Research
on Contact Icing of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables.
National Association of Ice Industries, Washing¬
ton, D.C.
Lowe, Belle. Experimental Cookery, 3d ed., Chap. IV,
John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York (1943).
Sherman, Henry C. Foods: Their Values and
Management , Chaps. VI-VII, Columbia Univer¬
sity Press, New York (1946).
[59]
1
IV * Starch and Starch Cookery
Starch is the form of carbohydrate in
which many plants store their reserve energy.
When separated from the plant tissue, it
appears as a fine white powder. The individ¬
ual starch grains are so small that they cannot
be seen with the unaided eye, but under the
microscope the grains from the different
sources have characteristic shapes.
In the presence of iodine, starch forms
starch iodide, which has a purplish-blue color.
This test can be used as a means of identify¬
ing starch or detecting its presence in plant
tissues.
SOURCES OF STARCH
Starch is present in small amounts in the
growing portions of most plants. The best
sources of starch are the storage portions:
the seed, roots, and tubers of food crops and
the pith of certain tropical trees. The most
abundant sources of starch in this country
are the cereals corn, wheat, and rice. Both
white and sweet potatoes are used in the
manufacture of starch when these crops are
in surplus. Most of the separated starch
from any of these sources now goes into in¬
dustrial uses.
In tropical areas, roots and tubers are an
important source of the starch used in the
diet: taro in Hawaii, cassava or manioc in
Central and South America, and other roots
in the tropical Pacific islands. These root
starches have only limited use as a foodstuff
in continental United States except as
tapioca (see page 65). Arrowroot starch
from the root of a tropical plant was at one
time thought to be more easily digested
than other starches and was specially recom¬
mended for use in invalid diets. It now has
been replaced by the cheaper, more readily
obtainable cereal starches that serve equally
well.
Separation. Starch is obtained by grind¬
ing or grating the portions of the plant rich
in this carbohydrate and separating the starch
from the other materials present by fermen¬
tation and sedimentation in water. Since
starch grains are heavy they tend to settle
when released from the plant cells. The non-
starch portion can be poured off and the re¬
maining starch grains washed with fresh sup¬
plies of water. Care must be taken in drying
or the starch will be partially cooked during
the process and the characteristic properties
and appearance of the grains altered.
Separated starches carry the names of the
plant sources. Most abundant in this coun¬
try is cornstarch, the form in which starch
is available on the consumer market. White
flour made from soft wheat contains about
75 per cent starch. Since flour is available
in most homes, it is commonly used as a
source of starch in cookery.
Page 54
Presented as published in 1935. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
The ABC of Canned Fruit and Vegetable Labelling , Miscellaneous Publication No. 460, United States Department of Agriculture.
A Fruit and Vegetable Buying Guide for Consumers. Miscellaneous Publication No. 167, 1948. United States Department of Agriculture.
Austin, C. P. Summary of Vitamin Retention Research on Contact Icing of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables. National Association of Ice Industries, Washing¬ ton, D.C.
Lowe, Belle. Experimental Cookery, 3d ed., Chap. IV, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York (1943). Sherman, Henry C. Foods: Their Values and Management , Chaps. VI-VII, Columbia Univer¬ sity Press, New York (1946).
[59]
IV * Starch and Starch Cookery
Starch is the form of carbohydrate in which many plants store their reserve energy. When separated from the plant tissue, it appears as a fine white powder. The individ¬ ual starch grains are so small that they cannot be seen with the unaided eye, but under the microscope the grains from the different sources have characteristic shapes.
In the presence of iodine, starch forms starch iodide, which has a purplish-blue color. This test can be used as a means of identify¬ ing starch or detecting its presence in plant tissues.
SOURCES OF STARCH
Starch is present in small amounts in the growing portions of most plants. The best sources of starch are the storage portions: the seed, roots, and tubers of food crops and the pith of certain tropical trees. The most abundant sources of starch in this country are the cereals corn, wheat, and rice. Both white and sweet potatoes are used in the manufacture of starch when these crops are in surplus. Most of the separated starch from any of these sources now goes into in¬ dustrial uses.
In tropical areas, roots and tubers are an important source of the starch used in the diet: taro in Hawaii, cassava or manioc in Central and South America, and other roots in the tropical Pacific islands. These root starches have only limited use as a foodstuff in continental United States except as tapioca (see page 65). Arrowroot starch from the root of a tropical plant was at one
time thought to be more easily digested than other starches and was specially recom¬ mended for use in invalid diets. It now has been replaced by the cheaper, more readily obtainable cereal starches that serve equally well.
Separation. Starch is obtained by grind¬ ing or grating the portions of the plant rich in this carbohydrate and separating the starch from the other materials present by fermen¬ tation and sedimentation in water. Since starch grains are heavy they tend to settle when released from the plant cells. The nonstarch portion can be poured off and the re¬ maining starch grains washed with fresh sup¬ plies of water. Care must be taken in drying or the starch will be partially cooked during the process and the characteristic properties and appearance of the grains altered.
Separated starches carry the names of the plant sources. Most abundant in this coun¬ try is cornstarch, the form in which starch is available on the consumer market. White flour made from soft wheat contains about 75 per cent starch. Since flour is available in most homes, it is commonly used as a source of starch in cookery.