h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

You're right, TC: this is a Thing, and we need to figure it out. Now, being from the Southern US, and therefore particular about my cornmeal, I was pretty sure there was a difference between corn flour (finely ground cornmeal) and cornstarch. According to the Chicago Tribune, there is:

'It [Cornflour] is made from the whole kernel of the corn, while cornstarch is made only from the ground endosperm.'

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1991-12-19/entertainment/9104230855_1_rum-flavoring-corn-flour

Other online cooking sources I've found agree with this definition.

As to using cornstarch to make gravy, I've just checked with Elektra, who's been making cornstarch gravy for almost two decades now. She agrees with you: you stir the cornstarch into a bowl of cool water, then add it gradually to the hot broth, and don't overcook it. All the US online sources I saw agreed with both of you.

Argo cornstarch is a trusted product with labs and everthing. Here's what they say:

http://www.argostarch.com/Recipe/Easy_Gravy

We've decided that their microwave method is WAY too much work. Stick to stovetop.

A look at Argo's 'About Us' page gives a timeline history of the company's roots, beginning in 1000 BC. It might help with the cornstarch question:

http://www.argostarch.com/about_us.html

That reminds me, I bought the DVD of Argo over a year ago and still haven't watched it. Perhaps I'll get it out and do some ironing this evening.

Which leads to the connection - is the starch we use for washing (if we use it at all) potato starch or corn starch?

Reading the recipe in the link you gave, I am now wondering what, if any, is the difference between broth and boullion???

First theory - broth is the water from boiling meat, bouillon is the water from boiling vegetables?

How on earth did I never ask myself that question before? It's over 50 years since I did domestic science at school and it never entered my mind?

And the herbs (note the pronunciation of the "h") -

>>a sprinkle of thyme for beef or a pinch of rosemary for pork.>>
What?!?!?

Thyme goes with turkey, or, at a pinch, pork, although pork would generally call for sage. Rosemary goes with lamb.

I am totally confused.

A quick internet search implies that you can use a variety of plant stuffs for starch, including rice, but I think cornstarch is the most common these days. Of course, they add a lot of polysyllabic gunk to it, but I'm finding homemade recipes, too.

Here's a website with a history of starch:

http://www.oldandinteresting.com/laundry-starch-history.aspx

I find it interesting that salt made clothes easier to iron, and borax was sometimes added for 'gloss'. Another reason to send those mule teams into Death Valley, I guess...

I have continued to read the recipe and find the words "Until the cornstarch has dissolved". I thought we had agreed that cornstarch does not dissolve.

Now, I digress from those ghastly F-one-eleven flyovers, so to continue the subject of starch and Co, I would suggest a collaborative entry on the Physics, Biology and Chemistry of housekeeping.

I have always maintained that housekeeping is a mixture of those sciences, plus a huge dose of common sense. My eldest son, for example, is a physicist, but he sometimes has difficulty applying basic physics to everyday life. My husband has a very loose grasp of hygiene (biology). My other 2 sons seem to have a better life/science attitude.

Other aspects of housekeeping involve Economics, Education, Time and Business management, and the elusive art of home-making.

I think I've had too much seasonal alcohol and am abusing this thread quite wantonly.

Yes, but you are abusing it so delightfully!

At first, I was worried that you meant I'd said that cornstarch dissolved. In this guide entry - the one we've all forgotten about by now. But no, you meant the one in the link. And you're right: ignorant people might use the word 'dissolve', but according to Science Bob, this is incorrect. As he states:

'Our cornstarch goo (sometimes referred to as “oobleck” from the Dr. Suess book) is what scientists call a "Non-Newtonian" liquid. Basically, Sir Issac Newton stated individual liquids flow at consistent, predictable rates. As you likely discovered, cornstarch goo does NOT follow those rules – it can act almost like a solid, and them flow like a liquid. Technically speaking, the goo is a SUSPENSION, meaning that the grains of starch are not dissolved, they are just suspended and spread out in the water.'

http://sciencebob.com/oobleck-the-corn-starch-and-water-experiment/

There is a useful picture on that page of cornstarch under the microscope.

I love this idea for a collaborative guide entry! Please poke Bluebottle, because he's a genius at getting these things rolling.

Also, if we don't keep him busy, he'll have time to bring out his DVD collection again...

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