SC - Re:amydon vs. rice flour (was Sugar...)

[Philip & Susan Troy]

LYN M PARKINSON wrote:
> 
> Do you find much use of amydon?  I haven't made any sort of count, but it
> seems to me that rice flour appears more often than amydon does.  Have
> any of you on the list made and used it?  How would it compare to rice
> flour for various uses?  I came across mention of the two as thickeners
> in stews, today, and began wondering about the two: differences and
> similarities.

Without actually going and checking da Big Book of Medieval Recipes ; 
), I'd say my experience (which may or may not reflect reality at this
hour of the morning) is that rice flour and amydoun thickeners appear in
approximately the same frequency, at least in the 14th century sources.
Yes, I've made amydoun, using both the standard methods described in
recipes, and also as a byproduct of making gluten. Ditto rice flour
(well, I've ground rice really fine).

In general, rice flour thickens food by, effectively, mixing it with
rice, with all that entails. Colors change somewhat, tending to get
paler, the liquid thickens, and there is a slight glutenous quality
(yes, I know rice has no gluten, but there it is). Wheat starch thickens
more like corn starch: there's less of a color shift, although the color
changes more than with corn starch, FWIW. The food thickens as the heat
and moisture gelatinize the starch granules blah blah blah, and, like
corn starch, foods "ythiked wid amydoun" sometimes have problems with
loss of thickness, more or less reverting to their unthickened state, if
boiled too long, if only slightly thickened and left out at room
temperature for a bit, or if frozen. I find it strange that amydoun
should be less forgiving than simple flour, which also thickens with
wheat starch.

My inclination is to use whatever starch the recipe calls for, bearing
in mind its limitations. If I absolutely needed to freeze something that
was supposed to contain amydoun, I might consider trying to find an
alternative, like another starch source, or just thickening the food
while it reheats. 

Adamantius
- -- 
______________________________________
Phil & Susan Troy
troy at asan.com
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