Starch class ideas?

[JAZ]

Dave the Cook and I are teaching a series of classes on Kitchen Science. So far we've done eggs, meat, and fruits and vegetables. Because there was so much material to cover on fruits and vegetables, we decided to do a separate class on starches. It's still a big subject, so we're trying to figure out what to teach.

The class is three hours long, with about an hour of that hands-on for the students. We hope to end up with 3 to 5 hands-on tasks that either illustrate how various starches behave, or teach the students a technique with starches that they might not have encountered before, plus additional recipes/techniques to demonstrate.

(In the Eggs class, for instance, the students whipped egg whites and made souffles, poached eggs,and made egg-emulsified sauces.)

If you were taking a class on the science of starches, what would you expect or want to learn?

[patris]

How to create different textures might be an interesting thing to play with - that balance of temperature and time that makes things work or not work. You could do crispy fried (arancini, french fries), fluffy (perfectly cooked rice, baked russets), silky (risotto, gratin), sticky, just plain wrong (overcooked rice, potatoes "mashed" in a food processor). I realize these ideas are rice-and-potatoes centric, but you could do some of those textures with couscous, pasta, etc. There are loads of people out there (like, for example, me) who have never cooked a pot of rice properly in their lives, nor made acceptably fried hash browns (also me).

Edited March 18, 2010 by patris (log)

[mkayahara]

I would definitely expect to cover starch-thickened sauces: roux, cornstarch, maybe a modified tapioca starch like Ultra-Tex, if you can get some in time!

[rooftop1000]

It might be fun, if you have enough stations, to have differt people make the same recipe with the right and wrong product. Like have people try to make risotto with short and long grain rice or make perfect mashed potatoes or potato salad with waxy or floury potatoes. Somewhat cruel to the person trying to make risotto with Uncle Ben's but would be educational

tracey

[IndyRob]

I might be defining 'starches' rather narrowly, but one avenue might be to teach/demonstrate how different starches work without any application to any particular dish. Then end with a whirlwind of applications.

For instance, I was never looking for a lesson about cornstarch when I was following directions for a glaze to make a shiny bread crust. But when I dissolved some cornstarch in a little water and added it to boiling water, I was amazed by the gel that resulted. I totally got it at that instant.

Do the same thing with a roux. Just add water and compare and contrast with the cornstarch mixture.

I think with just those two examples, one can easily see why cornstarch would be better for berries in a pie, or the roux is better for gravies.

[Porthos]

Jaz, are you loooking for starchy vegetables or starches in general?

[stuartlikesstrudel]

Yeah, when i first read the topic I was thinking hydrocolloid kind of stuff... understanding the differences between cornstarch, tapioca, flour, etc in sauces and other "sciencey" things, where an understanding of the chemical properties is important.

But reading other peoples suggestions about starchy foods brings up a lot of other good ideas, and probably more relevant in an everyday way to general cooks.

I like the suggestion about using different types of food for the same application. I know that different types of potatoes really should be chosen depending on the usage, but i still often just go with whatever I have. If i was part of a comparison and tasted hash browns made with floury vs waxy, or mashed potato, or baked potatoes even, I think the different outcomes would really encourage people to make more deliberate decisions.

[LindaK]

What an enormous topic!

I'd be interested in flours (especially wheat flours) and how their properties (such as gluten level) affect their interactions with other ingredients. So for example, pastry /AP/whole wheat/semolina flours in (1) doughs with fats, as with pastry doughs or egg pastas, or (2) doughs with yeast, as with breads. Lots of hands-on opportunities there.

[djyee100]

Are legumes included in starches?

Right off the top of my head, people should know that if you add any starch to a dish (like soup), the starch will thicken the texture and also dull the flavors.

People are often confused by all the different wheat flours out there: AP (the different brands have various protein amts), whole wheat, bread, pastry, cake, self-rising flour, bleached, unbleached...help! So some clarification there would probably be welcome. People should know why the levels of protein in these flours make a difference in what you're cooking.

You could also demo yeast bread and pie crust, two starch-related foods that are frequent sources of cooking misery. The science behind the no-knead breads (superhydration of starches over time) might be worth discussing, too. Harold McGee's explanation appeared in the NY Times, along with Jim Lahey's no-knead bread recipe (which I regard as the best of the no-knead breads).

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/08mini.html?_r=1 )

People often find cooking these starchy dishes problematic: steamed rice, risotto, and couscous. Beginners could also use some pointers about cooking pasta al dente.

For people with issues about steamed rice, I always suggest Kasma Loha-Unchit's method here:

http://www.thaifoodandtravel.com/recipes/jasrice.html

As for couscous, people want light, fluffy couscous and end up with something heavy and tough. They're usually following the instructions on the package. I always tell them about Paula Wolfert's method for cooking couscous, multiple steamings interspersed with sprinklings of water. Wolfert's method is more time-consuming, but the couscous piles up higher and lighter with each steaming, really beautiful.

The method to cook couscous is included in Wolfert's recipe for fresh couscous, available on her website. This cooking method is fine for the dried couscous that you buy in supermarkets. **But if you're using dried couscous, first rinse it in a fine sieve, then dump it in a bowl, breaking up any lumps. Let stand for 10 mins. Then proceed with steaming as in the recipe, Step #4.**

http://www.paula-wolfert.com/recipes/roll_your_own_couscous.html

I cook my couscous in the shallow tray of this "multi-cooker." Any steamer pot like this will do the trick for the recipe.

http://www.surlatable.com/product/all-clad+multi-cooker%2C+4-piece.do?keyword=all+clad+spaghetti+pot&sortby=ourPicks

[Lisa Shock]

Just one small tip, don't forget the lessons about how acid can affect various starches, for example how a touch of vinegar in the water will keep boiled potato cubes looking crisp and clean.

[LindaK]

People are often confused by all the different wheat flours out there: AP (the different brands have various protein amts), whole wheat, bread, pastry, cake, self-rising flour, bleached, unbleached...help! So some clarification there would probably be welcome. People should know why the levels of protein in these flours make a difference in what you're cooking.

You could also demo yeast bread and pie crust, two starch-related foods that are frequent sources of cooking misery. The science behind the no-knead breads (superhydration of starches over time) might be worth discussing, too. Harold McGee's explanation appeared in the NY Times, along with Jim Lahey's no-knead bread recipe (which I regard as the best of the no-knead breads). http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/08mini.html?_r=1

This is what I tried (unsuccessfully) to say above. This level of understanding of common, everyday cooking challenges would be a wonderful class--sign me up!

Just one small tip, don't forget the lessons about how acid can affect various starches, for example how a touch of vinegar in the water will keep boiled potato cubes looking crisp and clean.

This is my favorite eG tip of the week. I had no idea.

[Lisa Shock]

Yeah, people marvel at my potato salad because I carefully cut the potatoes into large dice and add a couple tablespoons of vinegar to the cooking water so they remain very cube-shaped when done. I usually add jullienned carrots to the salad for contrast, and to show off the knife skills.

A few days ago, I was called upon to make the vegetables for a corned beef dinner, and I used two separate pots -each with some of the liquor from the beef along with extra water as needed. In the pot for turnips (quartered), potatoes (whole) and carrots (tourne-d) I added a little vinegar and cooked each item separately so I could get them perfect. I added baking soda, just a tablespoon, to the pot for the cabbage, and it remained a lovely green.

Anyway, other starchy vegetables benefit from acidifying the water. The two warnings are: it will turn green vegetables a really ugly brown-khaki color, and watch out for starches that take a long time to cook, like dry beans. You don't want to add acid at the start of making baked beans, or they will never soften. This is why old-time advice is to avoid tomatoes in them. (you can add acid at the end)

Bonus recipe: I have made really good rice with lemon juice subbed for part of the water (about one whole lemon for 2 cups dry rice, with a little grated peel) -both white and brown rice cooked normally and were very tasty. (you can add a little white onion at the start, and maybe toss on some cut cauliflower to steam for the last 5 minutes) The lemon's acid didn't seem to affect the rice much.

[lebowits]

How to create different textures might be an interesting thing to play with - that balance of temperature and time that makes things work or not work. You could do crispy fried (arancini, french fries), fluffy (perfectly cooked rice, baked russets), silky (risotto, gratin), sticky, just plain wrong (overcooked rice, potatoes "mashed" in a food processor). I realize these ideas are rice-and-potatoes centric, but you could do some of those textures with couscous, pasta, etc. There are loads of people out there (like, for example, me) who have never cooked a pot of rice properly in their lives, nor made acceptably fried hash browns (also me).

Why not also cover "polenta"? It's a very versatile item that is both easy to prepare and not commonly utilized. You might also consider quick breads or biscuits if you're looking for a bit of diversity. Fresh, hot, buttered biscuits right out of the oven are amazing and few people make them.

[JAZ]

Thanks for the ideas, everyone. Showing the students the "right" and "wrong" starches to use for various dishes is great.

Yeah, people marvel at my potato salad because I carefully cut the potatoes into large dice and add a couple tablespoons of vinegar to the cooking water so they remain very cube-shaped when done.

Lisa, is your water particularly alkaline? Do you salt the cooking water as well as add the vinegar?

[Lisa Shock]

I salt the water in addition to adding vinegar. We have city of Phoenix water, but I cook with water from my reverse osmosis filter, so the water should be pretty neutral at the start.

BTW, the carrots I mentioned are added to the salad raw.

[slkinsey]

I would absolutely teach the potato retrogradation trick. Then get them to whip mashed potatoes using non-treated potatoes versus treated potatoes to see the difference.

[millich]

Starches that I personally would like to learn more about preparing are:

lentils

polenta

quinoa

[PopsicleToze]

Don't forget Southern polenta -- aka grits.

They're fun for a starch other than rice.

Rhonda

[AAQuesada]

You'd be surprised how few people can make a standard rice pilaf!

Cooking whole grains.. Issues: to soak or not.

You could do puffed rice

Pate a chou is pretty amazing and very versatile.

[Smitty]

One of the first things we did in my cereal science class after a lab on milling wheat flour was do whats called a wet gluten test.

Simply make a dough of about 50% flour 50% water. Let it sit for a minute or two then run it under cool water while rolling the dough ball in your hands. After a few minutes the starch will rinse out of the dough and leave just the gluten behind.

Everyone in the class enjoyed it. It was a fun hand-on activity in a class that was usually anything but.

You could use this technique to demonstrate the difference in protein content among different types of flour.

[Kouign Aman]

tubers or tuber-like vegetable starches (potatoes, turnips, etc)

grain starches (quinoa, rice, barley)

flours (rice, wheat, cornflour/starch, etc)

formed things - bread, noodles, couscous etc