What is cornstarch?

Cornstarch is a powdery substance made from corn, which is the same yellow stuff you see on your plate when you eat popcorn or corn on the cob.

Imagine you have a bag of flour, that’s like the older sibling of cornstarch. But cornstarch is smoother and lighter, almost like the softest pillow. When you mix it with water, something interesting happens: it goes from being runny to thick and gooey, like when you stir honey into hot tea.

Cornstarch comes from the inside of corn kernels. Think of each kernel as a tiny house, inside that house is a soft, white part called the endosperm. When people process corn, they take out this soft part and turn it into powder. That’s how you get cornstarch!

When you mix cornstarch with water, it acts like a superhero in the kitchen. It helps make things like gravy, sauces, and even some kinds of candies thicker, just like how adding sugar can make a drink sweeter. You can even play with it by squishing it in your hands, and it feels like it’s changing from liquid to solid!