Great breakdown of this magic ingredient, cornstarch. Prevents soggy batter because cornstarch does not truly dissolve in water, but makes a suspension, which is also why it makes a non-newtonian fluid when mixed with water. No need to make a roux when making gravies, for the same reason -- it doesn't clump as easily as flour! Increases browning because the reaction of proteins + carbohydrates with heat (Maillard reaction). For just browning, a light dusting of regular flour also works, if you're not going for a crispy texture.

These videos are hugely underrated! Such valuable content for day-to-day advice cooking many different meals - it’s more versatile than individual recipes. Especially love your content on explaining what each ingredient/spice does, what effect it has and what kind of dishes to add it to. Your healthy alternatives are so useful too, e.g. mushroom powder instead of chicken bouillon which is very salty

If you add cornstarch slurry to beaten eggs before frying, it stops the eggs becoming too tough. And for soft scrambled eggs, cornstarch stops the liquid that is usually left over.

I was cooking bite size pork in the wok yesterday to eat with sticky rice and had a chili, fish sauce, garlic and lime dipping sauce. When the pork was just about cooked all the way through I wished it was a little more brown and more dry, almost a little crispy to the outside of the pork. I thought to add cornstarch, but it was really too late. I figured I would try to do a quick search on KZfaq to see if anybody had instructions to achieve what I had in mind. I found this video and it is perfect. Thank you for sharing this video and cheers.

You have a knack for explaining things clearly. I love using cornstarch for frying chicken. I'll try it for shrimp next!

This is EXACTLY what I was looking for! Thank you'll! Liked & Subscribed!

So many topics and nuances! Each video a gem

You are so amazing! Thank you for all your knowledge!

This was the information that I was looking for! Subbed. Can't wait to learn more from Tak.

This is fantastic and solves so many problems I've had. Thank you so much

Great tips and awesome discovery of the corn startch application on meat !

Thank you very much!

Thank you sir for your videos! They are pleasant to watch and I’m learning a-lot

Thank you 😊

Great addition to my cooking recipes

Thank you so much, Tak. I coated chicken breast slices with cornstarch and they turned out so moist and tender!

Love this Channel so much, very informative. Thank you for all of your knowledge ☺️

I'm old to cooking but new to cornstarch uses. Thank you for sharing this wonderful information on this secret ingredient.

Thank you

This is so true. I recently just discovered that adding cornstarch to shrimps really changed the texture and my husband noticed it. Thank you for sharing your ideas. Im gonna try it on chicken and other meats as well.

Thank you for the video! I just started getting into cooking, and I got some cornstarch from the market. I'll definitely be using it to help get rid of that extra moisture!

FANTASTIC VIDEO!!! I WILL USE YOUR ADVICE FROM NOW ON!! Thank you, Sir Tak!! PLEASE...MORE SUCH VIDEOS!!

Thank you. Already liked the video and clicked subscribed. ❤️

This is fantastic! Thank you so much for your tips

Thank you very much Sir.

Very useful and well explained! Thank you very much! Keep up the good work, we need such information! Sending my best thoughts and lots of success to you!

Amazing video

Another excellent vid on cooking with a wok just amazing and outstanding info!

Thank You Very Much Very Informative.

Love your explanations in these videos! Very detailed! Can you explain why some people use the egg white method to velvet the chicken instead of cornstarch? Thanks again!!!

What a delightful man!

Very informative information, thank you very much.

Thanks! I'm going to try it 😋

Very useful tips

Thanks

Just found your channel after my 1st time doing stir-fry...instant sub! I have a quick question...do sauces purchased from the store such as Panda Express Orange, or Kung-Pao already have corn starch in them or do you recommend adding corn starch to it? I just made some without before seeing a couple of your videos on corn starch. I think if it were a little crispier it would be even better! :) Thanks for the info Tak!

Just found you when I started shopping for the best wok for me. Used to have one years ago and want arrange my lifestyle around your take

Definitely going to try, being a Swede living in China I love exploring local food and plan to use it more in my own cooking 😊🔥🍖

Very interesting , and inspiring, I love cooking, I'm gonna try it with fish, thanks for sharing,

muchas gracias

i love that spatula where can i get it pls

How about Japanese ones it's too refined and hard to work with it chunks up and when pressing it against the bag it makes noise like boots on fresh snow. Do I have to mix it with something or this grade which is super fine is too much? Thank you

Hi. I liked your video & I subscribed Thank you God bless you

This video makes me hungry.

Could you please make a video on the effects of egg white use on food?

Dear Tak, I try this method, most times the flavor seems better when seasoning is added to cornstarch prior to using it as a coating. About how often do you combine seasoning with cornstarch, and what factors into this decision?

I am definitely going to try this with shrimp, which tends to be wet and slimy when thawed from the freezer and really cools the wok down. Using the corn starch to dry up the moisture is a great idea to lock in the juiciness and add a crisp coating! I like that idea.

Yes we always fry in cornstarch. You look so youthful.

Jacque Pepin says potato starch works better for basic thickening than corn starch. Have you ever tried coating food w potato starch ? Bobby Flaw often uses rice flour to give a crispy crust. Which should we use ?

Can you tell me how to make a coating for salmon in an air fryer please?

What corn starch do you use?

How can I fry mushrooms after cutting them into quarters using the cornstarch? Thanks so much!!🎉🎉

Hello sir, I'm a new subscriber. Your English is 👍

All these years my stir fry has just been mediocre, and thanks to this video, I finally know why. Thank you so much!

Can you do this with mushrooms?

If you use cornstarch but use a soy sauce seasoning would that mess up the texture because of the moisture?

Can you try using tapioca flour. I use both and no different.

THANK YOU, SHALOM 🕎

Did you ever combine starch with flour? Did you put other ingredients or spices in dry powder? Do you add either powdered peanut butter or powdered eggs?

DO YOU PUT CORNSTARCH ON IT FIRST AN THEN THE SEASONING

Cornstarch causes nerve damage?

Thank you.

Please give video on cooking fish with cornstarch. Thank you.

I subscribed to your channel. I love a variety of Asian recipes. Looking forward to more adventures with you.

The real uncle Roger. This is a great channel

I like to make a 'marinade' of corn starch, sugar, soy and oyster sauce. Mix well and rub onto the meat, let it sit for 20 minutes before frying. YUMMY RESULTS!

Thank you for the video! My corn starch comes off the chicken and burns to the wok. What am I doing wrong?

I’ve tried adding cornstarch to shrimp and scallops along with some garlic and paprika. They are delicious, but they always turn out more gummy than crispy. I dry them thoroughly before adding the cornstarch in case the moisture is causing the problem. Do you think using a cornstarch/flour blend would be more helpful than cornstarch alone? Thanks.

Dear Tak, thank you for this information. How can I make sure that the cornstarch doesn't burn in the pan? I don't have a wok but use a large stainless steel pan, and I know we are meant to use very high heat for the stir fry. However, I worry that the cornstarch will burn, and I think I turn the meat probably too quickly. Should I let it sit and cook in the oil and allow it to get a coating before I turn it? I feel uncertain. I put it on thinly sliced pork (and I think I put too much cornstarch because it became very dried out). Then, I put it in the pan on very high heat and used avocado oil.

I am from India 🇮🇳 but I started eating Chinese because of you

You never marinate?

a pinch of baking-soda (NOTpowder), is also another secret they use, and also egg-white.

GMO cornstarch

never mind i found it

Shout out to Amy. 😏

I agree with all you say in this video and will only add a side observation. I recently was given an air-fryer by some very good friends. After some brief experiments, I find that the effects of corn starch that you describe are even more pronounced with the air-fryer. Example: To make Buffalo chicken strips, I might slice a chicken breast cross-grain in about 1 cm thick slices. A big chicken breast weighs 12-16 ounces and I will use as much corn starch as a tablespoon can possibly support - probably close to 1/4 cup. To this, I will add two tablespoons of oil and 1/2 teaspoon of Adobo powder. After 20 minutes in the air-fryer (350 degrees F), the chicken is very crispy on the surface and VERY moist, inside. People can tell something is on the surface of the chicken but don't know what it is. This light coating also absorbs the buffalo sauce more effectively than uncoated chicken. I have not tried coating potatoes or vegetables in the same way but I expect to see the same kind of results. The effect of this light coating is almost magical!

Do you still read and write in Chinese?

commenting for the algorithm

... and if you are allergic to corn like I am, feel free to substitute it with Arrowroot powder or Tapioca powder.

Explaining so much about cornstarch without mentioning how long the meat can stay in the cornstarch.......

Oh man. I’m highly allergic to all wheat and all forms of corn.

🙏😎😋😢🥇

Amy is his side piece.

hong kong also has a better tasting food, not like in america, our produce and meats have no flavor

Cornstarch is bad for u