The Rookie Cook

Cornstarch has homestead rights in my pantry.  At just about any time of the year, you can find that yellow box on the shelf.  Corn syrup is generally in residence when I’m baking pies, but there have been times when I’ve wanted to make pies and yet couldn’t really justify a special run to the grocery store to satisfy my sweet tooth.

Good intentions, though, aren’t always enough, and that’s when you need to reach for a substitute.  For cornstarch, try an equal amount of potato starch.  You can get a similar effect with one and a half times the amount of tapioca starch or arrowroot starch.  A less exotic substitute is good old all-purpose flour, though you need double the amount:  in other words, for every 1 teaspoon of cornstarch, you’d use 2 teaspoons of flour.

Corn syrup is a little trickier.  For small quantities, you may be able to get away with honey or a light maple syrup.   For a substitute syrup, this recipe makes almost 2 cups:

• 2 cups white sugar
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• Pinch of salt

Add all ingredients to a large pan and stir.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat until the mixture is simmering, then cover for 3 minutes.  This will help prevent crystallization on the sides of the pan.  Remove lid and cook to the soft ball stage, which is 235-240 Fahrenheit on your candy thermometer.  Be sure to keep stirring!  Remove from heat once you’ve reached that magic temperature range.  Once the syrup is cool, you can store it in a covered container and it’ll keep at room temperature for about 2 months, but my personal preference would be to use it as soon as you’ve made it.