6.1 Starch-Thickened Products

Objectives:

  • To demonstrate increased skill in thickening starch mixtures.
  • To prepare some basic starch-thickened products.
  • To identify a standard product for pudding and to compare its qualities with commercial pudding products.

Laboratory Problems:

  • Prepare cream soups.
  • Prepare basic puddings.
  • Prepare commercial puddings.

Terms

  • Starch Gelatinization
  • Amylopectin
  • Amylose
  • Cereal Starch
  • Root Starch
  • Modified Starch
  • Sol
  • Gel
  • Retrogradation
  • Syneresis

Prepare cream soups:

Cream of Asparagus, Spinach, or Pea Soup

1 tbsp. flour 1 tbsp. butter or margarine
⅛ tsp. salt 1 cup milk
2 tsp. finely chopped or minced fresh onion (not dry minced) ¼ cup pureed or finely chopped vegetable
white pepper

Cook onion in butter over low heat until onion is translucent.  Stir in flour and salt; remove from heat.  Add milk, stirring to blend; return to heat and stir gently while heating quickly to the full boil.  After the mixture has boiled 1-2 minutes, add vegetable.  Heat to serving temperature and add white pepper as needed.

 

Pimento and Onion Soup

1 tbsp. flour 2 tsp. minced fresh onion
1 tbsp. butter or margarine 1 tbsp. chopped pimento
⅛ tsp. salt white pepper
1 cup milk

Cook onion in butter over low heat until onion is translucent.  Stir in flour and salt; remove from heat.  Add milk, stirring to blend; return to heat and stir gently while heating quickly to the full boil.  After the mixture has boiled 1-2 minutes, add pimiento.  Heat to serving temperature and add white pepper as needed.

 

Cream of Celery Soup

¼ cup thinly sliced celery 1 tbsp. flour
2 tsp. minced fresh onion ½ cup milk
1 tbsp. butter ½ cup chicken or vegetable broth

Cook celery and onion in butter over low heat until vegetables are translucent.  Stir in flour; remove from heat.  Add milk and broth, stirring to blend, return to heat and stir gently while heating quickly to a full boil.  Boil 1 minute then remove from heat.

 

Cream of Potato Soup

⅔ cup diced potatoes 2 tsp. flour
¼ tsp. salt ½ cup milk
1 tbsp. butter ½ cup reserved cooking liquid
2 tsp. minced fresh onion 1 tsp. fresh parsley, chopped
dash white pepper

Peel, dice and cook potatoes in enough salted water to just cover potatoes; drain and reserve cooking liquid.  Cook onion in butter over low heat until onion is translucent.  Stir in flour; remove from heat and add milk and reserved cooking liquid from potatoes, stirring to blend, return to heat and stir gently while heating quickly to a full boil.  Boil 1 minute then remove from heat. Add potatoes and parsley; heat to serving temperature and add white pepper as needed.

Characteristics of a Standard Product

Appearance Consistency Flavor

Color typical for product.

No surface skin or fat separation.

Smooth, neither slick nor lumpy.

Viscosity similar to thin white sauce.

Mild, well-seasoned vegetable flavor.

No raw starch flavor.

Evaluation

Cream Soup Appearance Consistency Flavor
Asparagus
Spinach
Pea
Pimento and Onion
Celery
Potato

 

Prepare Basic Puddings

Cocoa Pudding

1 tbsp. cornstarch 1 cup milk
¼ cup sugar ½ tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. cocoa ½ tsp. butter
dash salt

Mix cornstarch, sugar, cocoa, and salt.  Blend in milk.  Cook over medium heat, stirring gently until mixture boils.  Continue cooking over direct heat 2 to 3 minutes, stirring slowly but constantly.  Remove from heat, blend in vanilla and butter, and pour into serving dish to cool.

 

Chocolate Pudding

1 tbsp. cornstarch 1 cup milk
¼ cup sugar ⅓ oz. unsweetened chocolate, cut in small pieces
dash salt ½ tsp. vanilla

Mix cornstarch, sugar and salt.  Blend in milk; add chocolate.  Cook over medium heat, stirring gently until mixture boils.  Continue cooking over direct heat 2 to 3 minutes,* stirring slowly but constantly.  Remove from heat, blend in vanilla, and pour into serving dish to cool.

*Or cook, covered, in a double boiler for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

 

Vanilla Pudding

¼ cup sugar 1 cup milk
1 ½  Tbsp cornstarch 1 ½ tsp butter
1/8 tsp salt ½ tsp vanilla extract

In a small saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch and salt.  Gradually stir in milk.  Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened.  Reduce heat; cook and stir 1 minutes longer.  Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla.  Pour into serving dish and cool.

 

Peach Tapioca Pudding

1 tbsp. quick-cooking tapioca ½ cup peaches, chopped fine
dash salt few drops of almond extract
⅔ cup peach juice (from can) and/or water**

Mix tapioca and salt.  Blend in peach juice and/or water; let stand 5 minutes.  Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture barely simmers.  Simmer for 1 minute; remove from heat.  Cover and let stand about 5 minutes to complete gelatinization of starch.  Stir in peaches and almond extract.  Pour into serving dish and cool.

**Add 1 tbsp. sugar for each ½ cup water.

 

Prepare commercial puddings

Prepare ½ package of regular packaged pudding and pie filling mix, or instant pudding mix according to package directions.

 

Characteristics of Standard Product

Appearance Texture Flavor

Color typical of product.

Shiny film formed on top of cooked milk puddings.

Pudding either mounds slightly or is tender gel, free from lumps.

Light, delicate mouth feel.

Distinct, slightly sweet.

Flavor typical for type of product.

Evaluation

Pudding Appearance Texture Flavor Overall Quality
Cocoa
Chocolate
Vanilla
Peach Tapioca
Packaged (Cook-N-Serve)
Packaged instant
Snack-Pack(refrigerated)

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Basic Scientific Food Preparation Lab Manual Copyright © 2023 by Iowa State University Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.