Arrowroot vs. Flour vs. Corn starch

[Dora]

Does anyone in here have any experience using arrowroot powder as a thickener for sauces, gravies, etc?

I'm trying to cut out any/all highly processed corn products from our diets, and I want to use it as a substitute for corn starch. I tried it for the first time this weekend when I was making mac and cheese - and my cheese sauce didn't thicken as much as I thought it should.

What I want to know is: what's the right way to use this mysterious stuff? Do I mix with cool liquid first? How does it handle high temps, and how does it handle reheating? Only my copy of JOC has a mention of arrowroot, and it's pretty vague.

Thanks!

[bearfan454]

1. I've used it the same as cornstarch

You need a little more to make it as thick.

[lukasahero]

2. Equivalents

I posted some stuff on this in an earlier thread about gluten-free eating.

1/2 TBS cornstarch = 1 and 1/2 TBS arrowroot

Other than that, I've always found it to "behave" just like wheat flour or cornstarch (except that it doesn't make me sick :) ).

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

3. I prefer it to cornstarch - can't say why - it seems more sophisticated

probably just my imagination

[Dora]

4. Thanks all y'all

I'm glad to hear about the ratios. I thought it didn't seem to have quite the same thickening power as corn starch, so I used more than I thought I should have. It's nice to know I'm not crazy.

And it did a great job thickening my chicken stew.