starches vs. flours: I'm confused!!

[Guest guest]

Another newbie question here. I know that potato flour is not the same as

potato starch (flour). I have both. but what about tapioca? Is there both a

starch and a flour? How about arrowroot? Are any of these products

interchangeable?

Also, does anyone have an online source for rice bran or other fiber-heavy

flours?

Thanks.

's mom

[Guest guest]

This one got me too!

Cooking GF CF can be a bit challenging to say the least. Some of the

recipes require either:

- xantham gun or guar gum for binding

AND / OR

- a starch to help make up for the " gluten " missing in regular recipes

Here are some general hints I have learned the hard way:

- Potato flour and Potato starch are separate items

- Tapioca Flour and Tapioca Starch are the SAME THING

- Arrowroot powder is like Potato starch and Tapioca starch

I typically use these combinations in my cooking:

- rice flour by itself, no starch required unless recipe specifies

- sorghum by itself, no starch required unlesss recipe specifies

- potato flour and potato starch (1 c flour to each 1/4 c starch)

Special note: Potato products need to cook longer than any other GF

Flour!

- tapioca starch and quinoa flour (in equal amounts of each)

- Arrowroot can be used as an egg substitute for binding or for replacement

of other starches

I hope I did not confuse you. Please let me know if you have any other

questions

A Jeffs mom

starches vs. flours: I'm confused!!

Another newbie question here. I know that potato flour is not the same as

potato starch (flour). I have both. but what about tapioca? Is there both

a starch and a flour? How about arrowroot? Are any of these products

interchangeable?

Also, does anyone have an online source for rice bran or other fiber-heavy

flours?

Thanks.

's mom

[Guest guest]

You're right that potato starch flour and potato flour are two different

things; the starch is light and bland, the flour is more like instant

potatoes. But as far as I know, there is only one flour made from tapioca

and one made from arrowroot.

According to Bette Hagman, arrowroot flour can be used instead of

cornstarch. I have done this many times. Some listmates have said that the

other starch flours are pretty much interchangeable, too, but I don't know.

Lorilyn