Corn Flour vs Arrowroot
Corn flour and arrowroot are two kinds of thickening agents but their appearance and usage greatly varies. Their difference also mainly lies where they come from. We all are pretty much familiar with corn flour while arrowroot might be somewhat new to us.
Corn Flour
Corn flour is also popularly known as cornstarch. They are made by grinding the heart of the corn kernel into a fine white powder. When mixed with water, corn flour makes the liquid opaque and cloudy. Corn flour is commonly used to thicken soups, and make roux and as a sort of substitute for flour, but you still need to use flour anyway.
Arrowroot
Arrowroot is a starch that is extracted from the roots of the arrowroot plant. It can be easily digested by the body as well. Arrowroot is also a thickening agent but is mostly used for jellies and puddings. It has a neutral taste and does not cause discoloration when mixed in water. That is why it is used in food where color and taste are issues.
Difference between Corn Flour and Arrowroot
The main difference between corn flour and arrowroot is their source. The former comes from corn; the latter comes from the roots of the arrowroot. Another difference is their appearance when mixed in water. While corn flour makes the water cloudy and opaque, arrowroot doesn’t do that. While corn flour will affect the flavor, arrowroot will remain neutral and tasteless. That is why corn flour is commonly used in soups while arrowroot is used popularly in jellies and puddings. Corn flour is, however, more popularly used than arrowroot because of its availability. As well as it is more popular.
While arrowroot and corn flour works the same way, you need to know their differences so that you can use either in appropriate things.
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In brief: 1. Corn flour, or more popularly known as cornstarch, comes from ground corn kernels and is a fine white powder that is used for soup thickeners. It makes the water cloudy and opaque when mixed in. 2. Arrowroot is taken from the roots of the arrowroot plant and is also used as a thickener. Since it doesn’t discolor the water, or affect its taste, it is commonly used in foods where taste and color is an issue, like jellies and puddings.
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